From sea to shining sea–how protected is your water ?
A groundbreaking new assessment by American Rivers and Conservation Science Partners provides the first ever answer.
Rivers sustain us. They provide our drinking water. They are the lifeblood of nature, our economies, and our way of life. This is why we must protect our rivers.
We know what protected areas look like on land and at sea. National Parks and Marine Protected Areas exist all over the world, but what about protected rivers? How protected are America’s Rivers actually?
By their very nature, it is much harder to assess the level of protection for a certain river. They cross boundaries and jurisdictions. They rise and fall, move across the floodplains and riparian areas on their banks, replenishing groundwater and soil. There are many factors that can impact a river’s health, from headwaters to mouth. Similarly, there are different mechanisms that contribute to protecting rivers — for example: federal and state designations such as National and State Parks; National Monuments; Wildlife and Recreation Areas; Wild and Scenic Rivers; wilderness areas; water quality controls; zoning ordinances; easements conserving private riverside land, and the list goes on.
So how can we add them all up to understand how protected any given river is?
American Rivers and Conservation Science Partners have teamed up, and for the first time in history we have an answer to this question. The National Protected Rivers Assessment is a landmark achievement in freshwater conservation. The methodology is built on an innovative approach for combining cutting-edge science with expert policy analysis.
The Protected Rivers Explorer allows us to “see” river protection on a map and explore the conservation values that rivers and their watersheds provide — like clean, reliable drinking water. We are also able to see which rivers are currently protected and filter data to find opportunities for additional conservation. American Rivers is working with our partners to use the Protected Rivers Explorer to better understand the value that rivers provide us, inspire communities to join us in protecting and defending rivers and freshwater, and identify new protection tools and opportunities.
Communities value and benefit from rivers in a whole host of ways — whether it be fishing and hunting, drinking water supplies, flood protection, or wildfire risk reduction. When you think about your river, what’s most important to you? And is your river protected enough to continue providing these benefits? We invite you to explore how you might be able to protect rivers in your neck of the woods!
