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Global Warming Hits Home

Posted on April 18, 2008 | Filed Under Outreach, Regions, Stories

Serena McClain, Associate Director of River Renewal
River Renewal, Restoring Rivers

On my flight from Texas last weekend, I found myself staring out the window. I am not a fan of flying, but gazing down on the world calms me. I trace the rivers as they wind their way across the landscape, trying to identify any dams.

Vaal River (photo by Mr. Happy)

On this particular occasion, I was also reminded of a conversation I had with my mom while I was in Texas. We were watching tv at the end of a long day when a commercial for the We Campaign came on. If you are unfamiliar with the We Campaign, it is an initiative by The Alliance for Climate Protection to stop global warming. As my mom wondered aloud why there were so many commercials and stories recently about global warming and going “green”, I realized once again exactly why it is important for conservation groups, like American Rivers, to continue the global warming drumbeat.

I explained to her that global warming was finally starting to gain traction in the global consciousness and that people were beginning to realize just how imperative it is that we do something about it. We talked about changes in weather patterns and water in West Texas, reminiscing about only being able to water the yard at night and only on certain days. We even talked about how American Rivers was starting to frame our work in terms of global warming’s impact on rivers.

As I lay in bed that night, I thought about how normal my mom’s question was and how representative she is of the ‘average’ American. However, instead of being overwhelmed by the task that lay before us, I went to sleep proud to work for American Rivers and even more convinced in the importance of the work we are doing to help to build more resilient communities by working for healthier rivers.

Pop quiz: will a canoe made of 7000 chopsticks float?

Posted on April 14, 2008 | Filed Under Blue Trails, River Heritage, Stories

Jamie Mierau, Director
River Heritage, Blue Trails

Bothered that perfectly good wood was going to waste after a single use, Shuhei Ogawara - whose job at city hall involved working with the local forestry industry - spent the last two years collecting 7,382 used chopsticks from the cafeteria. It took him three months to build this 13-foot long, 66-pound canoe. It’s heavier than a regular canoe, so he doesn’t know if it’s going to float. But he’ll find out in May when he launches his canoe for the first time. Will his canoe float or sink? Gizmodo’s Jesus Diaz posted a quick poll to see what you think, take a look and vote now.

Paddling for a purpose

Posted on April 2, 2008 | Filed Under Blue Trails, Clean Water, Events, River Heritage, Stories

Jamie Mierau, Director
River Heritage, Blue Trails

KUAM (Guam) - March 24: One couple has made a three-year commitment to promoting clean water awareness. Whether by foot or by kayak, Beachwalk Project is taking Bob and Evelyn Weinman around coastlines on the U.S. mainland to raise awareness for the protection of everyone’s right to clean water.

During two and a half weeks this month the pair is making their way around Guam, with the first part of their paddling tour here having taken place this past weekend during the East Side Relay put on by the Guam Kayak and Canoe Federation. Guam is the second stop on the Weinmans’ journey. Last summer they traveled 1,600 miles up the Atlantic Coastline from Miami to Manhattan Island.

The Story of One Person Protecting Rivers

Posted on March 19, 2008 | Filed Under Northwest, Stories

Darcy Nonemacher
Associate Director of Washington Water Policy

“Boundaries don’t protect rivers, people do.” - Brad Arrowsmith

As a new River blogger, I think it is appropriate for me to introduce myself: my name is Darcy Nonemacher, and I’m a river rat. For almost as long as I can remember, rivers have both stimulated my imagination and caused me to slow down. Too often, I find myself uptight and worrying about things that ultimately don’t matter and going to a river helps me stay grounded and appreciate the little (and not so little) things.

There is something about a river that makes me feel at home, and I take rivers with me wherever I go in life. As a kid, I spent warm summer days swimming, fishing, and boating on the Swan River in northwestern Montana. In college, I spent three months living in a tent and guiding whitewater trips in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, an amazing experience that challenged me tremendously. When I go hiking, I intuitively choose trails that flank a river so that the stream and I stay close. You never know when you might find a secret swimming spot! To me, rivers are like old friends that are always great to see no matter how much time has passed.

Now that I’m on the American Rivers team, I’m privileged to protect the rivers that I hold dear as well as the rivers I have yet to get to know. Stay tuned for more of my posts on Washington water issues and thanks for reading the River Blog!

Georgia man goes fishing and catches 300-year-old canoe

Posted on March 12, 2008 | Filed Under Blue Trails, River Heritage, Southeast, Stories

Jamie Mierau, Director
River Heritage, Blue Trails

Old Indian dugout at Fernbank ‘one in a million’ - Atlanta Journal Constitution (GA) - March 1: A Waycross man went fishing in a South Georgia river two years ago and caught a 17-footer. It goes on display this month at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

The catch is a dugout canoe, possibly created more than 300 years ago from a longleaf pine. It turned up in the shallows of the Satilla River one July day in 2006 when the fisherman noticed something odd just under his johnboat. What looked like an old log turned out to be a canoe, formed by fire and hand. It is one of just a handful of dugouts known to exist in Georgia.

Extra footage from our Sandy River film

Posted on January 28, 2008 | Filed Under Dam Removal, Northwest, River Renewal, Stories

Amy Kober
Northwest Outreach & Communications Director

Our film about the restoration of Oregon’s Sandy River, “Unexpected things come together on the river“, continues to receive great feedback. It was recently shown at the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival in California.

When we were shooting this past spring, we got so much great footage that there was no way we could fit it all into a 10 minute film. So, here are some extra clips. Thanks again to all of the wonderful people who appeared in the film and helped make it happen.

Fun river stories

Larry Callister talks about his childhood, growing up on the Sandy

Deb Scrivens describes an autumn walk on the Sandy at Oxbow Park

Don Mench, Deb Scrivens and Linda Malone talk about volcanic eruptions, Lewis and Clark, and the history of the Sandy River as a sandy river

What the river restoration means for people

Mayor Linda Malone: “The river is the namesake of our city…”

Mayor Linda Malone: “It means a lot to our economy…”

Russ Plaeger: “The dam removal will help more people connect with the river…”

Russ Plaeger and Tom O’Keefe: “The Sandy is a gem in Portland’s backyard…”

Why the Sandy is special

Deb Scrivens: “This river has become part of my identity…”

Keith Jensen: “The Sandy supported our business…”

Matt Moreland: “It’s the quality of life benefits…”

Thankful

Posted on November 20, 2007 | Filed Under Dam Removal, Mid-Atlantic, River Renewal, Stories

Serena McClain, Associate Director of River Renewal
River Renewal, Restoring Rivers

I was barreling up I-95 this past weekend, a passenger in a blue Camry headed north to a neighborhood in Baltimore. The hypnotic road noise lulled me into a zombie-like state broken up only by the occasional song that needed my background vocals and the rivers we passed on the way.

The Patapsco, the Patuxent, the Little Patuxent…as we would hit each bridge, my head would whip around, and I would peer out the window, craning my neck like a little kid to catch a glimpse of the sweet water below. I’m not sure if my friends and family even notice that I do this, but it is instinctual and ever present. I have even managed to convince them to stop sometimes, find that back road and come with me to search out this little bit of life.

This Thanksgiving one of the things I am truly thankful for is the water that still flows and the fact that there are those magical spots we can all discover where the water gurgles freely over a cobble bed. I’m also thankful that I have the ability to help others restore their favorite spots. Get the gurgle back.

Coming of age… on the river

Posted on October 29, 2007 | Filed Under Endangered Rivers, Global Warming, Outreach, Stories

Chelsea Lane-Miller, Associate Director of Outreach
Outreach Events and Activities

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to spend several hours in a coffee shop reading. Having that time made me envious of those who have the time to read the newspaper everyday (or even on the weekends) — it really is amazing the amount of high-quality writing that is out there.

But I digress. There were two things that struck me while I was reading. First, nearly every magazine, newspaper, and newsletter has at least one article on global warming and how it will affect things that their readers care about. For example, Backcountry had an article about lower snow packs, and Audubon had an article about how less ice in the arctic will impact sea birds. You’ve probably observed the same thing, but I found it especially interesting, and also hopeful. And, I’m pretty well convinced that global warming will impact just about everyone and everything in some way (including river trips).

The other interesting thing I read about was a coming of age ritual on a river. One family was taking a trip down the Yellowstone River (pdf) (one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers: 2006 Edition) to mark the coming of age of one of their sons. They called the Yellowstone his birth river because his mother was pregnant with him during a river trip on the Yellowstone. Amazingly, she took a river trip while she was pregnant with each of her children. She and her husband noticed the coincidence, and decided to assign these as birth rivers to their children.

The article, in Audubon’s November-December issue (I believe), was a neat one, and talked about this family river trip. I really liked the idea of a river trip serving as a coming of age celebration (after all, you can learn a lot on a river), but also of taking a family river trip. I sure hope that I am able to do this one day (or perhaps many days on many rivers!) with my family.

Do you have any river traditions or celebrations?

What river trips have you taken with your family?

Susquehanna Paddle

Posted on October 24, 2007 | Filed Under Endangered Rivers, Mid-Atlantic, Outreach, Stories

Chelsea Lane-Miller, Associate Director of Outreach
Outreach Events and Activities

Last Friday, several of us here at American Rivers received a real treat — a day on the Susquehanna River.

After reading my blog, Don Williams, one of our partners on the 2005 listing of the Susquehanna (pdf) as America’s Most Endangered River, invited us up to paddle the Susquehanna. He and others arranged an incredible day out on the River between Harding, PA and Nesbitt Park (in Wilkes-Barre, PA).

You can read about some of the highlights in this newspaper article, so I won’t give too much of a recap here. I’d like to talk about what stood out most to me — the history of coal mining in the area, and the impacts still seen today. We listed the Susquehanna River in 2005 because of a proposed inflatable dam — something we are still against today. However, we focused a fair amount of the trip on the impacts of acid mine drainage (AMD).

As we paddled down the river, we heard many stories about coal mining. A particularly memorable one was when they had been mining under ground, and under the river, and they mined so far up that there were only 6-8 feet between the top of the mine and the river bottom. One day in 1959, in what is known as the Knox Mine Disaster, the river broke through, essentially ending the coal mining industry in the region.

Richard, one of the river advocates who joined us for the paddle, said that it was the only day he saw his father cry because his father was in the coal business, and knew that this disaster meant the end of his business. When we drove to see some acid mine drainage (AMD) sites during lunch, Richard also told us about the Twin Shaft disaster, where dozens of men were entombed alive, including his grandfather and two other family members.

As I chatted with people throughout the paddle, I learned that many of them were like Richard — they had family members who were coal miners, or knew coal miners, or lost family members in coal mining disasters. It was fascinating to me to see that these same people today were strong advocates for a clean, free-flowing Susquehanna River. Coal mining, and the AMD pollution that still comes from the mines today, is an important part of their history and life — for many it might be the reason they’re living in Pennsylvania today. Yet, they are motivated to clean up the river and to make it a better place for them and for future generations.

During the paddle, we took side trips to see the Old Forge Borehole – a hole that was drilled between one of the underground mines out to the Lackawanna River to relieve the pressure of water building up in the mine.

After the 1959 disaster, the amount of water in the mines continued to increase, and one day exploded like a geyser near the Duryea outfall. The borehole was meant to relieve this pressure, but it means that water polluted with acid mine runoff runs straight from the mine into the river, turning everything a dark orange hue. I have never seen anything like it.

I was glad to see it firsthand, though, especially after watching the TV premier of the AMD documentary called “Hope for Polluted Waters“. We went to the WVIA studio to see the premier, and also listen to AMD experts talk about the issue. It was incredible to see the number of callers and emailers who were watching the program, and had things to share about the issue. If you have a chance, I’d definitely recommend watching it.

There is clearly a lot to be done for the Susquehanna, but there is undoubtedly hope in the future — for the people who love this river and for the river itself.

Homecoming on the Arkansas

Posted on October 18, 2007 | Filed Under Outreach, Southwest, Stories

Chelsea Lane-Miller, Associate Director of Outreach
Outreach Events and Activities

I think most people have a river they can call home, or that reminds them of home. For me, it’s the Arkansas River in Buena Vista, Colorado. I love this river for many reasons, and it’s a wonderful thing every time I get to be near it.

A few weekends ago, such an opportunity came my way. The summer camp I attended in Buena Vista for 6 years as a camper and 2 as a counselor had a reunion. There was an intimate group of people, and the surroundings were incredible. The aspens were at their peak — golden — ‘nature’s hardest hue to hold’ — truly stunning.

We went hiking, horseback riding, and I even learned to fly fish (well, sort of — at least I stopped wrapping the line around myself by the end!) But one of my favorite parts was just seeing the Arkansas, knowing that it’s still there, and will be for me, and one day, for my kids. I can’t wait to take them down the rapids I love like Pinball and Zoom Floom, point out the funny shaped rocks, and tell them stories about growing up on the river.

One of the most memorable stories for me was on Beaver Creek Rapid. I was just learning to guide, and was really nervous. Things didn’t go very smoothly down the rapid, and we ended up high-siding on a rock, and dumping the camp director from the boat (of course, the one time he was in my boat, I dump him!)

Afterwards, I was a mess. I was worried I wasn’t a good guide, that I couldn’t do this, and was generally just feeling sorry for myself. My counselor came and told me a story about how his father had gotten in a car accident, and the best thing that he did afterwards was to drive again. That’s how you overcome your fear, and gain the courage to try again. It took some doing, but he managed to convince me to get into the back of the boat again and guide, and I’ll be forever grateful. I love guiding, and the lessons it (and the river) will continue to teach me.

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