Resources & Case Studies

American Rivers believes that the best way to move people from environmental awareness to environmental action is by giving them an opportunity to experience and enjoy their rivers and lands through family-friendly recreation. All communities can and should have access to low-cost recreational opportunities like boating, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. And we provide the tools and resources to help communities make that happen. Once people know and love their rivers and lands, they will be more likely to take action to protect them.

 
To that end, we created the Blue Trails Guide, the first-ever step-by-step instructions for creating and implementing a community-based plan to protect rivers and lands and connect people to them through recreation. This guide is aimed at local, state, and federal governments and non-profit organizations that understand the value and need to protect our nation’s natural resources and to connect people to them through recreation.

Download Blue Trails Guide: Helping Communities Protect and Restore Rivers and Landscape through Recreation

 
A blue trail is a dedicated stretch of river or waterway that enjoys special clean water protections and is a destination for boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking, and other recreation. Just as hiking trails are designed to help people explore the land, blue trails help people discover rivers and waterways. They provide a fun way to get kids active outdoors and are economic drivers benefiting local businesses and quality of life.
Blue trails also connect communities to treasured landscapes and offer a new popular approach to conserving land and water resources. Blue trails are often associated with conservation easements and land acquisition, and higher water quality standards. Riverside trees, wetlands and floodplains filter polluted runoff and soak up floodwater. While specific protections vary from community to community, blue trails can be an organizing tool, galvanizing citizens to support clean water and habitat safeguards.

Photo Credit: Ashley River, SC, Hugo Krispyn

In 2016, American Rivers worked with communities in the Verde Valley to develop a series of recommendations and resources to develop sustainable river recreation management strategies. Learn more about different management practices in American  Rivers’ new report and how they can be implemented in your community.

Download: Best Practices for Sustainable Recreation Management in the Verde Valley

The Verde River in north-central Arizona is a precious gem – a silvery thread that winds its oasis of life through a remote desert environment. One of the last healthy, perennially flowing river systems remaining in the state, it is home to rare cottonwood-willow gallery forests, abundant wildlife, migratory and resident bird species, significant archaeological and historic resources, and vibrant communities. For many years, the Verde River, valued for its healthy riparian habitats and wildlife, has remained relatively unknown outside of the region as a recreational destination. Until now.

The Verde Valley communities of Sedona and Jerome have been popular tourism destinations for decades. The high volume of visitors has meant that over the years these communities have had to work to address visitation issues (such as traffic, housing for service staff, and the encroachment of development on open space). Although the broader Verde Valley has generally remained out of the public eye and undiscovered by tourists, that is rapidly changing.

Across the Verde Valley, there is an array of new initiatives to improve recreation opportunities, foster economic development, and build a healthy economy. The communities of Cottonwood, Clarkdale, and Camp Verde, and the Yavapai Apache Nation, have all engaged in recreation planning in recent years as interest in outdoor recreation continues to rise. Visitation to the Verde Valley is growing, and the residents, spectacular open space, and wildlife are experiencing the effects of these changes.

In this report, we highlight best management practices for sustainable recreation development across the Verde Valley. We also identify successes from communities across the country and what they have done to mitigate the impacts of recreation in river corridors. In addition to identifying practices regarding carrying capacity, education, engineering, and enforcement, we also explore opportunities for their direct implementation in the Verde Valley.

Download: Best Practices for Sustainable Recreation Management in the Verde Valley

Not only will the strategies and best practices in this report help protect the natural environment, they will educate visitors on ways to sustainably support the Verde Valley, surrounding open space, and world-renowned vistas and views. The report includes an appendix that references supplemental information to help communities in the Verde Front and the Verde Valley better understand sustainable recreation management.

While your community may not be exactly the same as those in the Verde Valley, there are valuable takeaways from this report that can be utilized by river towns across the country. Explore them today!

Photo Credit: Verde River, Doug Von Gausig

Clean, healthy rivers are the lifeblood of our communities and are vital to our health, safety, and quality of life. Most Americans live within a mile of a river or stream, and much of our drinking water comes directly or indirectly from rivers and streams. Beyond providing all these useful services, rivers are also just plain fun. River recreation is not only fun, but it also boosts local economies and creates more than 800,000 valuable and sustainable jobs across the US. In fact, the OIA research also stated that outdoor recreation participants spend $86 billion annually on watersports alone, the second highest revenue stream behind camping (at $142 billion).

Download A Guide to Sustainable Recreation Management Planning Report

There is little doubt that enjoyment of our natural resources is valuable. However, there are challenges such as over-crowding, pollution, and resource degradation that arise when outdoor recreation is not properly managed. Not only is the river at risk, but users may also experience dangerous situations if river health and recreational amenities are not managed properly. For example, when river hazards, such as low-head dams and other potential diversions, are not well marked, kayakers or tubers who are unfamiliar with the river could go over the dam and get caught in a recirculating pool at the bottom of the rapid. Too many users on a river at one time could lead to water quality issues if trash or human waste is not properly managed.

Additionally, conflicts between diverse user groups, such as anglers and paddlers, could pose unique challenges to the management approach. Conflicts may occur when paddlers or tubers disrupt the fishing activity of anglers by overcrowding sections of river, moving into eddy’s and other areas where fish naturally hide.  Wildlife watchers could also be negatively impacted when other user groups like campers along the river or other river users make noise that scares away birds or wildlife. Lastly, the recreation experience is further diminished by conflicts created by illegal activities such as trespassing, littering, or illegal dredging occur along rivers.

While rivers are resilient, like any natural resource there comes a tipping point. River recreation management helps strike a balance between encouraging recreation and protecting our communities’ most valuable natural resources. A framework for designing recreation improvements and managing ongoing use has emerged from collaboration with public land management agencies and local jurisdictions.

The process of creating a river recreation management plan provides an opportunity to engage people around their rivers, educate community members about rivers in general and build support for their long-term protection. It also provides an opportunity for individuals already actively engaged around their local rivers to share their knowledge with others in the community.

The goal of this guide is to provide a framework for local governments, planners, non-profit organizations, and others to develop an effective river recreation management plan that has strong community support. It will provide resources and case studies that shine a spotlight on communities that have navigated the recreation management planning process and developed and implemented successful river recreation management plans. The guide is organized in the following steps:

1. Gather Information
2. Solicit Input and Build Community Support
3. Set Management Priorities
4. Develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
5. Fund Your Plan

Download A Guide to Sustainable Recreation Management Planning Report

The creation of a river recreation management plan will help communities enhance recreational and economic opportunities, preserve the outstanding values that make local rivers and their connection to the local community special, and leave a legacy of healthy rivers for generations to come.

Photo Credit: Nooksack River, WA; Wendy McDermott

Watch our webinar led by Chris Seek the president and CEO of Solimar International, as he describes how communities can use sustainable tourism to build support for river conservation through a case study in the Verde Valley of Arizona.

As one of Arizona’s last perennial rivers, the Verde River is one of the state’s most unique and threatened natural resources. Its watershed and riparian habitats are critical local ecology for human, animal, and plant life. To preserve and restore this valuable resource, Solimar International and National Geographic Maps implemented a sustainable tourism program in the Verde Valley region to bring together 6 communities and hundreds of tourism businesses and conservation organizations to increase the value and importance of the river as a vital economic asset.

Participants will learn:
– Using tourism as a catalyst for public engagement for tourism development and river conservation;
– Ways to generate awareness of and interest in visits to the region;
– How to create powerful tools for the promotion of river communities as sustainable tourism destinations.

Provided by our partners at the River Management Society, this is an easy-to-understand guide on a serious topic that often draws questions from water trails directors, managers and volunteers. It is written in plain English and offered in two formats.

Public Access Guide for Landowners and Water Trails & River Managers Report

Public Access Guide for Landowners and Water Trails & River Managers Slideshow Presentation

RMS is enthusiastically appreciative of the effort by many on this project, particularly RMS intern Jack Henderson, and both Corita Waters and Lelia Mellen, National Park Service. Additional acknowledgements are noted in the documents.

Photo Credit: Mike Fiebig, Missouri River

Learn more about working with your community to use codes and ordinances to protect rivers and clean water.

This 30 minute webinar will provide you with tips and suggestions on ways you can increase open space and recreation in your community, discussing the economic, recreational and quality of life benefits that open space and river recreation bring to communities. Toby Sprunk with the Eagle County Open Space in Eagle County, Colorado will discuss more about how their work to protect land and improve recreation has positively impacted the communities along the Eagle and upper Colorado rivers.

Interested in learning more about ways to connect with partners and manage conflict? Participate in our online community forum – post your experiences and share your social media successes and challenges with other members of our community.

Learn ways to increase participation in your stakeholder group, while having engaging and meaningful conversations to further recreation and river conservation along your local river.

Are you looking for new tools for developing a new or making more out of your corporate sponsorship program? Watch this webinar where you’ll learn the best practices for getting the most out of a corporate program and cultivating potential supporters.
Read more…

Learn about new tools to help you improve recreational opportunities and conserve your hometown river. These tools include an online inventory of federal funding programs, an online community forum where you can connect with and learn from others doing similar work, and more! See questions and answers from this webinar in the community forum.

In 2009, American Rivers, the Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER® and the Pee Dee Land Trust began working with communities along the Waccamaw River in South Carolina to create a Blue Trail with the goals of enhancing recreational opportunities, connecting communities to their hometown river, and protecting clean drinking water and riverside lands from poorly planned development.

When we began our work on the Blue Trail, we wanted to know more about how communities along the Waccamaw feel about it as a community resource as well as efforts to improve recreational opportunities and protect it for future generations. We hired a professional polling firm to help us. Read more…

American Rivers, and our partners the Waccamaw Riverkeeper, and Pee Dee Land Trust, began working to establish the Waccamaw River Blue Trail in South Carolina in May 2009 with the goals of enhancing recreation, connecting communities to their hometown river, and protecting clean drinking water and riverside lands from poorly planned development.

The key to our success is the strength of our local partnerships. Within the first months of beginning our work on the Blue Trail, we convened the first meeting of the Upper Waccamaw Task Force, a coalition of stakeholders that includes land protection leaders in South and North Carolina including The Nature Conservancy, the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, city and county planners, Waccamaw Riverkeeper, Pee Dee Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The goal of the Task Force is to protect lands along the Upper Waccamaw corridor, an area facing increasing threats from poorly planned development.

Through our collaborative efforts we have helped to secure millions of dollars in funding for land protection within the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge. Notable successes include the 2011 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) acquisition of the 240-acre Long Tract, which connects the City of Conway and Coastal Carolina University to the Waccamaw Refuge. This strategic acquisition is also within the recently approved minor boundary expansion area for the refuge, paving the way for a potential major boundary expansion in coming years.

In 2010, Task Force partners, including The Nature Conservancy and the City of Conway, worked together to protect the 142-acre Floyd tract within Conway. This tract offers tremendous opportunities for recreation along the Waccamaw and protecting critical wetland floodplain. More recently, the partnership helped secure nearly $2 million dollars in funding for acquisitions and easements for the Waccamaw Refuge through the LWCF Landscape Collaborative grant. Also during this time, the Pee Dee Land Trust secured their first conservation easement in Horry County, a 92-acre tract near South Carolina DNR’s Waccamaw River Heritage Preserve.

In addition, American Rivers works with local partners to improve local codes and ordinances. Specifically, we worked with conservation partners and planning staff to assist in the revision process of the Georgetown County Tree Ordinance. These revisions include the protection of riverside trees, limiting redevelopment after timber harvesting, and promoting the use of natural systems instead of expensive man-made structures to filter and store stormwater.

The strength of local partnerships has been a driving force in the success of the Waccamaw River Blue Trail and accompanying protection efforts. Stakeholders have worked together to develop a comprehensive vision and implementation strategy for the river corridor that not only improves recreation and access but also protects important riverside land for future generations to enjoy.

Photo Credit: Waccamaw River, SC, Charles Slate

American Rivers helped to transform Hitchcock Creek in Rockingham, North Carolina into a destination for fishing, boating, and other family-friendly recreation. Until 2009, the Steeles Mill dam degraded Hitchcock Creek, blocking migrating fish and preventing the community from safely enjoying the river through recreation. American Rivers and our partners removed the dam, and created a 14 mile Blue Trail. Read more…

In 2009, American Rivers, the Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER® and the Pee Dee Land Trust began working with communities along the Waccamaw River in South Carolina to create a Blue Trail. Our goals were to enhance recreational opportunities, connect communities to their hometown river, and protect clean drinking water and riverside lands from poorly planned development.

Thanks to a diverse and effective partnership with conservation organizations, cities and counties, chambers of commerce, local businesses and others we have made great progress in improving recreational opportunities and protecting the Waccamaw for future generations. Read more…

This tool was developed by the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy to help organize productive and enjoyable meetings when trying to gain public support for your project. Read more…

Public access to rivers is a complex issue. Accounting for navigability laws, the rights of the public versus landowners, and the role river management agencies play can be a difficult and confusing task. Does a paddler have the right to walk on private land in order to portage around an obstruction in the river? Who owns the riverbed? What determines if a river is suitable for recreation? As rivers are used more and more, the answers to these questions are becoming increasingly important.

Given the lack of federal guidance for this issue, each state assumes the primary role for setting the policies and regulations that govern public access to rivers. As such, river access and navigability laws differ greatly from state to state.

American Whitewater’s Navigability Toolbox  clarifies the access and navigability rights of the public and provides detailed information concerning the policies of every states and Puerto Rico. It is a helpful tool for anyone interested in creating a Blue Trail.

Liability can be a concern among landowners. The fear of a lawsuit may keep private landowners from opening their land to blue trail users even though they would like to share their land with the public. Public land managers also deal with the issue of liability. Fortunately, most states have enacted laws that, to varying degrees, limit private and public landowner liability. These laws can be useful to you in developing your trail.

For private lands, these laws are called Recreational Use Statutes. For public lands, the governing law is usually the state’s Governmental Immunity Act or State Tort Claims Act. These laws are important because they can place the burden of responsibility on blue trail users and keep users from shifting that responsibility to private landowners and public land managers. Read more…

View this webinar for an overview of the Connecting Communities to Rivers grant program. We discuss the application, common questions and address additional needs you may have. For additional questions you may have, please reach out to Connecting@AmericanRivers.org.

Having clear and trusted information about the economic value of your river can help support your conservation message, engage new partners, and guide future investments. The Huron River Watershed Council commissioned a unique study to measure the economic impact of the river on local communities, focusing on water trail activities and the value of natural systems that maintain a healthy river. The Economic Impact of the Huron River revealed the river’s contribution to the local economy to be enormous.

Tune in and learn the answers to these questions:

• What is the economic impact of river-based recreation?
• What do you need to consider when planning your own study?
• How can economic value be used simultaneously to protect and market your river?

Additional resources to review:

• Link to full study and summary
• Link to mini documentary about the study

American Rivers believes that the best way to move people from environmental awareness to environmental action is by giving them an opportunity to experience and enjoy their rivers and lands through family-friendly recreation. All communities can and should have access to low-cost recreational opportunities like boating, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. And we provide the tools and resources to help communities make that happen. Once people know and love their rivers and lands, they will be more likely to take action to protect them.

 
To that end, we created the Blue Trails Guide, the first-ever step-by-step instructions for creating and implementing a community-based plan to protect rivers and lands and connect people to them through recreation. This guide is aimed at local, state, and federal governments and non-profit organizations that understand the value and need to protect our nation’s natural resources and to connect people to them through recreation.

Download Blue Trails Guide: Helping Communities Protect and Restore Rivers and Landscape through Recreation

 
A blue trail is a dedicated stretch of river or waterway that enjoys special clean water protections and is a destination for boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking, and other recreation. Just as hiking trails are designed to help people explore the land, blue trails help people discover rivers and waterways. They provide a fun way to get kids active outdoors and are economic drivers benefiting local businesses and quality of life.
Blue trails also connect communities to treasured landscapes and offer a new popular approach to conserving land and water resources. Blue trails are often associated with conservation easements and land acquisition, and higher water quality standards. Riverside trees, wetlands and floodplains filter polluted runoff and soak up floodwater. While specific protections vary from community to community, blue trails can be an organizing tool, galvanizing citizens to support clean water and habitat safeguards.

Photo Credit: Ashley River, SC, Hugo Krispyn

In 2016, American Rivers worked with communities in the Verde Valley to develop a series of recommendations and resources to develop sustainable river recreation management strategies. Learn more about different management practices in American  Rivers’ new report and how they can be implemented in your community.

Download: Best Practices for Sustainable Recreation Management in the Verde Valley

The Verde River in north-central Arizona is a precious gem – a silvery thread that winds its oasis of life through a remote desert environment. One of the last healthy, perennially flowing river systems remaining in the state, it is home to rare cottonwood-willow gallery forests, abundant wildlife, migratory and resident bird species, significant archaeological and historic resources, and vibrant communities. For many years, the Verde River, valued for its healthy riparian habitats and wildlife, has remained relatively unknown outside of the region as a recreational destination. Until now.

The Verde Valley communities of Sedona and Jerome have been popular tourism destinations for decades. The high volume of visitors has meant that over the years these communities have had to work to address visitation issues (such as traffic, housing for service staff, and the encroachment of development on open space). Although the broader Verde Valley has generally remained out of the public eye and undiscovered by tourists, that is rapidly changing.

Across the Verde Valley, there is an array of new initiatives to improve recreation opportunities, foster economic development, and build a healthy economy. The communities of Cottonwood, Clarkdale, and Camp Verde, and the Yavapai Apache Nation, have all engaged in recreation planning in recent years as interest in outdoor recreation continues to rise. Visitation to the Verde Valley is growing, and the residents, spectacular open space, and wildlife are experiencing the effects of these changes.

In this report, we highlight best management practices for sustainable recreation development across the Verde Valley. We also identify successes from communities across the country and what they have done to mitigate the impacts of recreation in river corridors. In addition to identifying practices regarding carrying capacity, education, engineering, and enforcement, we also explore opportunities for their direct implementation in the Verde Valley.

Download: Best Practices for Sustainable Recreation Management in the Verde Valley

Not only will the strategies and best practices in this report help protect the natural environment, they will educate visitors on ways to sustainably support the Verde Valley, surrounding open space, and world-renowned vistas and views. The report includes an appendix that references supplemental information to help communities in the Verde Front and the Verde Valley better understand sustainable recreation management.

While your community may not be exactly the same as those in the Verde Valley, there are valuable takeaways from this report that can be utilized by river towns across the country. Explore them today!

Photo Credit: Verde River, Doug Von Gausig

Read Ecotourism Benefits Through River Conservation

Photo Credit: St. Louis River, Duluth, MN; Hansi Johnson

Clean, healthy rivers are the lifeblood of our communities and are vital to our health, safety, and quality of life. Most Americans live within a mile of a river or stream, and much of our drinking water comes directly or indirectly from rivers and streams. Beyond providing all these useful services, rivers are also just plain fun. River recreation is not only fun, but it also boosts local economies and creates more than 800,000 valuable and sustainable jobs across the US. In fact, the OIA research also stated that outdoor recreation participants spend $86 billion annually on watersports alone, the second highest revenue stream behind camping (at $142 billion).

Download A Guide to Sustainable Recreation Management Planning Report

There is little doubt that enjoyment of our natural resources is valuable. However, there are challenges such as over-crowding, pollution, and resource degradation that arise when outdoor recreation is not properly managed. Not only is the river at risk, but users may also experience dangerous situations if river health and recreational amenities are not managed properly. For example, when river hazards, such as low-head dams and other potential diversions, are not well marked, kayakers or tubers who are unfamiliar with the river could go over the dam and get caught in a recirculating pool at the bottom of the rapid. Too many users on a river at one time could lead to water quality issues if trash or human waste is not properly managed.

Additionally, conflicts between diverse user groups, such as anglers and paddlers, could pose unique challenges to the management approach. Conflicts may occur when paddlers or tubers disrupt the fishing activity of anglers by overcrowding sections of river, moving into eddy’s and other areas where fish naturally hide.  Wildlife watchers could also be negatively impacted when other user groups like campers along the river or other river users make noise that scares away birds or wildlife. Lastly, the recreation experience is further diminished by conflicts created by illegal activities such as trespassing, littering, or illegal dredging occur along rivers.

While rivers are resilient, like any natural resource there comes a tipping point. River recreation management helps strike a balance between encouraging recreation and protecting our communities’ most valuable natural resources. A framework for designing recreation improvements and managing ongoing use has emerged from collaboration with public land management agencies and local jurisdictions.

The process of creating a river recreation management plan provides an opportunity to engage people around their rivers, educate community members about rivers in general and build support for their long-term protection. It also provides an opportunity for individuals already actively engaged around their local rivers to share their knowledge with others in the community.

The goal of this guide is to provide a framework for local governments, planners, non-profit organizations, and others to develop an effective river recreation management plan that has strong community support. It will provide resources and case studies that shine a spotlight on communities that have navigated the recreation management planning process and developed and implemented successful river recreation management plans. The guide is organized in the following steps:

1. Gather Information
2. Solicit Input and Build Community Support
3. Set Management Priorities
4. Develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
5. Fund Your Plan

Download A Guide to Sustainable Recreation Management Planning Report

The creation of a river recreation management plan will help communities enhance recreational and economic opportunities, preserve the outstanding values that make local rivers and their connection to the local community special, and leave a legacy of healthy rivers for generations to come.

Photo Credit: Nooksack River, WA; Wendy McDermott

Watch our webinar led by Chris Seek the president and CEO of Solimar International, as he describes how communities can use sustainable tourism to build support for river conservation through a case study in the Verde Valley of Arizona.

As one of Arizona’s last perennial rivers, the Verde River is one of the state’s most unique and threatened natural resources. Its watershed and riparian habitats are critical local ecology for human, animal, and plant life. To preserve and restore this valuable resource, Solimar International and National Geographic Maps implemented a sustainable tourism program in the Verde Valley region to bring together 6 communities and hundreds of tourism businesses and conservation organizations to increase the value and importance of the river as a vital economic asset.

Participants will learn:
– Using tourism as a catalyst for public engagement for tourism development and river conservation;
– Ways to generate awareness of and interest in visits to the region;
– How to create powerful tools for the promotion of river communities as sustainable tourism destinations.

The Ashley River provides an amazing connection between a historically significant river and diverse natural resource in South Carolina in a relatively undisturbed tidal ecosystem. Are you interested in planning your next trip to the Ashely River, or getting out to explore your hometown river? Check out our Ashley River Blue Trail map to learn where to access the river, find historic features and explore this Lowcountry gem. As a reminder the Ashely River Blue Trail flows from north to south.

Ashley River Blue Trail (North – start of Blue Trail)

Ashley River Blue Trail (South – end of Blue Trail)

View this webinar for an overview of the Connecting Communities to Rivers grant program. We discuss the application, common questions and address additional needs you may have. For additional questions you may have, please reach out to Connecting@AmericanRivers.org.

Join us for the May Monthly webinar led by Kristin Lo Verde, manager of Green Schoolyards for Openlands in Chicago. She presents, Space to Grow: Greening Chicago Schoolyards. Space to Grow transforms Chicago schoolyards into beautiful and functional spaces to play, learn, garden and be outside. The schoolyards also use special design elements to help reduce neighborhood flooding. Space to Grow is led by Healthy Schools Campaign and Openlands, and brings together capital funds and leadership from Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Department of Water Management and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Each partner believes that schools are central to community life, making them ideal for collaboration.

Tune in to learn:

• Partnership & engagement at all levels
• Green infrastructure benefits
• Innovative design for public spaces

Additional Information:

• Space to Grow:  http://www.spacetogrowchicago.org/
• Space to Grow on You tube:  Checkout the whole transformation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5Hx3f2CkzM
• Green Schoolyards Report: https://healthyschoolscampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/GreenSchoolyards.pdf
• Children and Nature Network: https://www.childrenandnature.org/initiatives/schoolyards/

Having clear and trusted information about the economic value of your river can help support your conservation message, engage new partners, and guide future investments. The Huron River Watershed Council commissioned a unique study to measure the economic impact of the river on local communities, focusing on water trail activities and the value of natural systems that maintain a healthy river. The Economic Impact of the Huron River revealed the river’s contribution to the local economy to be enormous.

Tune in and learn the answers to these questions:

• What is the economic impact of river-based recreation?
• What do you need to consider when planning your own study?
• How can economic value be used simultaneously to protect and market your river?

Additional resources to review:

• Link to full study and summary
• Link to mini documentary about the study

The benefits of protecting forest land in water utility source waters include improved water quality, reduced risk of contamination, and possibly reduced treatment costs. Therefore, water utilities may be valuable partners in natural resources management programs directed at maintaining/improving water quality in source water streams, lakes or reservoirs. This presentation will discuss reaching out to water utilities for development of collaborative projects and programs that protect our streams, lakes and reservoirs.

Tune in and learn the answers to these questions:

• What benefits accrue to water utilities through protection of water quality in bodies of water used for public water supplies?

• What roadblocks prevent water utilities from implementing collaborative water quality protection projects?

• How are utilities currently collaborating with public and private-sector organizations for mutual benefit?

By the 1960s, decades of dam construction had taken a toll on our nation’s rivers. Thousands of miles of fish habitat and rapids, and acres of riverside forests and farmland were buried by dams and reservoirs. Pollution, logging, and harmful development degraded the health of rivers nationwide. There was sufficient concern over the loss of free-flowing rivers that Congress intervened and passed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. This webinar will examine the history of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, how it protects rivers, and dispel common misconceptions.

Tune in to learn:

• Why was the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act introduced and passed into law?
• How does the Act protect rivers?
• What are some common misconceptions about the Act? For example, what is the difference between Wild and Scenic Rivers and Wilderness? How is private land impacted along Wild and Scenic River corridors?

It’s proven that people remember stories, not facts alone. Storytelling connects you to your supporters and delivers a strong, emotional message. However, more than not our storytelling becomes overly wordy, losing effectiveness. This webinar will provide steps for making your stories more compelling and fit.

Tune in to learn:

• How to identify your audience

• Ways to identify the most compelling stories

• Five points to make your story punchy and impactful

The City of Santa Fe has invested in green infrastructure for source water protection and keeping the Santa Fe River a ‘Living River.’ A local and national collaboration of the City of Santa Fe, U.S. Forest Service, Santa Fe Watershed Association, and The Nature Conservancy created the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed Plan to provide a watershed investment program to protect the city’s municipal water supply. In addition, the City of Santa Fe passed the ‘Living River’ Initiative to allow streamflow to bypass the municipal reservoirs upstream in order to support the Santa Fe River riparian corridor downstream.

Watch this webinar to learn:

• How the investment in green infrastructure protects the City of Santa Fe’s drinking water sources

• How the City of Santa Fe and the U.S. Forest Service fund the watershed investment program under the watershed plan

• What is a ‘Living River’

Central Arkansas Water is the largest drinking water utility in the state, and provides services to 450,000 Arkansans. Its watershed protection program was created to drive the goals identified in the utility’s 2007 Lake Maumelle Watershed Protection Plan. The utility currently owns and manages more than 12,000 acres of watershed land and two drinking water reservoirs. This webinar highlights the Watershed Protection Program at Central Arkansas Water, with specific focus on the funding mechanism used for land acquisitions and conservation easements.

Rivers are resilient but like any natural resource, they have a tipping point. River recreation management plans help to strike a balance between encouraging recreation and protecting our most valuable natural resources. Based on two recent reports from American Rivers, this webinar will discuss the framework for creating an effective river recreation management plan that has strong community support.

Tune in and learn:

• How communities benefit from sustainable river recreation plans
• Key steps for creating a sustainable river recreation plan
• Funding sources to support a sustainable river recreation plan

This webinar discusses findings from the report, “Best Practices for Sustainable Recreation Management for the Verde Valley.” This report and presentation were developed to assist the Verde Front in its mission to manage and expand sustainable recreation opportunities, enhance geotourism and economic development, and protect the natural resources of the Verde River and the surrounding valley. Over the past year American Rivers and NextWest Consulting researched sustainable river recreation best practices and interviewed recreation management experts nationwide to help inform this report. In this presentation, we outline the recreation management strategies described in the report and provide recommendations for how they can be implemented in the Verde Valley.

Tune into this webinar and learn:
– River recreation best management practices
– Recommendations for implementation in the Verde Valley
– 15 minutes for questions and discussion

River cleanups are a proven tool for educating and engaging communities about the importance of waterways. Lowell George, National River Cleanup Manager at American Rivers, shares practical advice for maximizing volunteer river cleanups to address trash and build a powerful constituency to support river conservation and recreation.

Participants will learn:
– Best practices for starting a cleanup program at their organization or improving upon existing events including lessons learned from her experiences
– Information on what free resources are available for cleanup organizers
– Creative ways to engage communities around the issues of litter and pollution

Who should participate:
– Nonprofits organizations
– Governmental entities
– Anyone who wants to learn more about the ways to start their own river cleanup program

Watch “Ask the Tough Questions to Improve Your Organization’s Brand and Message,” led by Kim Fox of Fox Marketing, Inc. This webinar focus’ on improving your organization’s brand and message. Kim has two decades of marketing, advertising, and promotional experience and has helped several companies and nonprofits build brands and effective communication programs.

Improving your brand and message starts by asking and answering some tough questions. One of the most difficult issues can be making sure your team is all on the same page and you have a clear message to share in your marketing and promotion. Kim leads us through a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis and help us gain clarity in developing a clear message for the public, donors, and funders.

Who should participate:
– Nonprofits organizations
– Governmental entities
– Anyone who wants to learn more important ways to craft your organization’s message

Watch “Green Infrastructure and the Element of Water” led by Gary Belan with American Rivers. This webinar describes on how green infrastructure including green roofs, restoring wetlands, installing permeable pavement and capturing and reusing water more efficiently not only improves the environment but also provides tangible social and economic benefits to neighborhoods.

Participants will learn:
– The different types of green infrastructure
– Ways to implement green infrastructure in your community
– The benefits green infrastructure

Watch our webinar, Community Stewardship through Experiential Education. Learn how communities can implement a community-based approach to watershed conservation using experiential education as a primary tool. During this free 30 minute webinar, River Restoration Adventures for Tomorrow’s Executive Director Dan Omasta will highlight the multi-faceted, community-based approach to watershed conservation they have implemented, including a series of methods that can be used by communities across the country to bolster projects along local rivers. Much of the dialogue is focused on a series of trips that empowered a wide range of river runners – high schools students to civilians with disabilities – to better appreciate and protect the ecosystem on the Gunnison River near Delta, Colorado.

Participants will learn:
1. How and why it is important to Incorporate service into experiential education
2. The three legs of sustainability (environmental, economic, social) as core principles of experiential education & the model RRAFT has developed
3. The successes and challenges of collaboration and stakeholder development as it relates to experiential education and RRAFT’s work in the Gunnison River watershed.

Watch our webinar led by Chris Seek the president and CEO of Solimar International, as he describes how communities can use sustainable tourism to build support for river conservation through a case study in the Verde Valley of Arizona.

As one of Arizona’s last perennial rivers, the Verde River is one of the state’s most unique and threatened natural resources. Its watershed and riparian habitats are critical local ecology for human, animal, and plant life. To preserve and restore this valuable resource, Solimar International and National Geographic Maps implemented a sustainable tourism program in the Verde Valley region to bring together 6 communities and hundreds of tourism businesses and conservation organizations to increase the value and importance of the river as a vital economic asset.

Participants will learn:
– Using tourism as a catalyst for public engagement for tourism development and river conservation;
– Ways to generate awareness of and interest in visits to the region;
– How to create powerful tools for the promotion of river communities as sustainable tourism destinations.

Watch the November monthly webinar with Jennifer Schoonen of the Blackfoot Challenge describes how she has worked with local stakeholders to identify community-led water supply solutions in Western Montana. Stakeholders in Western Montana’s Blackfoot Watershed have developed voluntary conservation solutions in a time of increasing natural resource challenges – particularly drought. The Blackfoot Drought Response Program has brought together anglers and ranchers, fisheries biologists and hydrologists to collaborate on reducing the social, economic and ecological impacts of water shortages during drought. But it is a program in transition, with changes in water rights and long-term climate patterns among the many influences now leading to a new era of drought resiliency planning.

Tune in to learn:
– How the Blackfoot’s community-based drought response program began and has been adapted over the course of the last 20 years.
– How additional watershed stewardship programs – including irrigation efficiency and stream restoration – have played a critical role in supporting drought response.
– How to adapt programs like this to a new normal of climate and water supply and the changing economic needs of rural communities and build additional resiliency.

Did you miss our October webinar, How to Improve Community Engagement with Innovative Planning Tools? We recorded it, and it is available to view today here! Teva Dawson with The Des Moines Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) led us through the innovative techniques for outreach and community engagement that they used for their recently completed 18-month planning effort to protect 150 miles of urban streams.

Tune in today and learn how to utilize mapping tools like GIS and Google Earth to prioritize recreation and conservation initiatives along your river. Laila Johnston of American Rivers led a 30 minute webinar describing how maps can help inform conservation and recreation. She described the different types of mapping tools that are available, and dove deeper into a case study example on the Waccamaw River and how she has gathered and utilized a variety of data sources to help create informative maps for conservation and recreation.

Tune in and learn:

• How to identify, gather, and utilize existing data sources to help create layers for maps including recreation access points, property ownership and conservation opportunities;
• Suggestions on best practices for using GIS and other mapping tools to create maps and planning documents; and
• Additional mapping tools, other than traditional GIS, that are available to prioritize initiatives along your river

Are you interested in learning about the collaborative efforts to create recreation and conservation plans? This webinar describes the process taken to create the Upper Nooksack River Recreation Plan. Stemming from efforts to protect the Upper Nooksack through Wild & Scenic River designation, the plan provides recommendations for non-motorized recreation and protection of its natural and cultural values. Webinar participants will learn to how initiate multi-stakeholder, cross-jurisdictional collaborative planning; the basics of Wild & Scenic River designation and perceptions about their management; and methods of fostering community engagement in recreation management.

Flowing west from the peaks of the North Cascades to the salty waters of the Salish Sea, the Nooksack is one of the few remaining river systems in Washington that supports populations of all five species of Pacific salmon, as well as steelhead, bull trout, and cutthroat trout. Bald eagles, black bears, cougars, and elk are among the native wildlife inhabitants. It is also a world-class, outdoor recreation haven, providing local residents and area visitors with fishing opportunities, trails, riverside campsites, whitewater boating, and winter sports.

Tune in and learn:
– Learn how to initiate and coordinate a multi-stakeholder, cross-jurisdictional collaborative planning process
– Understand the basics of Wild and Scenic Rivers and perceptions about Wild & Scenic River management
– Hear about the importance of community engagement with planning and resource management

Are you interested in learning more about creative funding initiatives for river protection, restoration and improved recreation? Watch our webinar, Building Support for Conservation Funding Initiatives, featuring Kate Thorpe, Deputy Director at Conservation Voters for Idaho and the Treasurer of Boise for Clean Water and Open Space. She discussed how she worked with the local community to organize and pass a two-year override levy to protect the rivers and lands around Boise. She will talk more about how this effort came to fruition and the key milestones that occurred along the way.

On November 3, 2015, a resounding 74% of voters in the City of Boise voted to approve a levy to establish a fund for $10 million to protect clean water and open space. The temporary, two-year override levy will preserve and protect water quality, wildlife and native plant habitat, and open space for recreation in the city’s foothills and along the Boise River corridor. Efforts to pass this levy were community wide and built upon a strong conservation and open space legacy in the City of Boise. Conservation Voters for Idaho lead the Boise for Clean Water and Open Space campaign, the effort to educate voters on the levy and generate support to pass it. 

• What are key ways to build initial support?
• What are examples of successfully engaging the community to build support?
• What are tips and suggestions for passing a levy or bond in your community?

• What should you consider when developing creative messaging?
• What are key ideas that will help you determine what story you will tell?
• What are the best ways to share your story with your audience?

Diverse stakeholder groups are critical when planning for recreation and conservation. Watch this webinar featuring Tahnee Robertson and Andi Rogers of Southwest Decision Resources as they discuss ways to improve collaboration and coordination in stakeholder groups. 

Tune in and learn:
– Tips for working with stakeholder groups
– Benefits of diverse stakeholder groups
– Case study examples from around the country

Unfortunately we experienced some technical difficulties during this webinar. You can find the slides associated with the presentation here and follow along.

Natalie Warren of Wild River Academy led this 30 minute webinar where she discussed the benefits of eco-tourism and ways to improve marketing and amenities in your community. This webinar will touch on the economic benefits of water trails and the importance of paddler amenities in increasing paddlesports tourism in your community. However, providing amenities isn’t enough to put you on the map. Communities need to market those opportunities to reach a broader audience and attract more visitors to the area.

Tune in and learn:
– How river recreation and paddlesports help local communities
– The benefits of eco-tourism and strategies to market and attract new visitors
– Case study examples from around the country

Watch “Building a River’s Identity to Attract New Users and Advocates” to learn different ways to create a unique identity for your river and attract new users and advocates in a sustainable way.

This 30 minute webinar was led by Mimi Wagner of Iowa State University. Rivers are often the most dynamic and visible landscape system in a region. And river recreation trails, as one of the primary ways people experience rivers and their surrounding lands, have enormous potential to build knowledge and advocacy among many different groups in a region. From paddlers to hikers, photographers and history buffs, Mimi will provide information and details on methods and publicly-available tools to collect and synthesize information useful in creating connections between a river and the residents of its region. Examples are included from recent projects associated with Iowa DNR State Water Trail planning.

This month we were joined by Mandy Hughes of American Rivers, who presented on the importance of actively engaging members of your community and supporters of your organization. Effective stewardship of supporters and donors is key to raising support and funds needed to achieve the ambitious conservation and recreation goals of your organization. We learned how your team of staff and supporters can work together to engage and inspire corporate, foundation and individual donors so they continue and increase their support and donation to the work of your organization.

This month, we were joined by Natalie Warren who, working with River Management Society and National Park Service, recently authored the report Making an Economic Case for Water Trails. This report conducts a review of public studies conducted to measure the economic impact of river based recreation. Watch the recorded webinar to learn more about the benefits of river based recreation for communities.

Read more…

View this webinar for an overview of the Connecting Communities to Rivers grant program. We discuss the application, common questions and address additional needs you may have. For additional questions you may have, please reach out to Connecting@AmericanRivers.org.

This presentation will dive into Prepare to Launch! Guidelines for Assessing, Designing, and Building Launch Sites for Carry-in Watercraft. Corita Waters and Lelia Mellen with the National Park Service will lead a 30 minute engaging presentation.  This presentation provides the opportunity to become familiar with the tools and resources available. Participants will also have the opportunity to evaluate the good the bad and the ugly as we continue to evolve the best practices for the development of launch sites.

Learn more about working with your community to use codes and ordinances to protect rivers and clean water.

This webinar highlights a case study illustrating how intrinsic values communities place on river and land recreation have spurred conservation initiatives in Montana.

Learn about the importance of landowner relationships in restoring and maintaining riverside lands, including removal of invasive species. This 30 minute webinar includes a presentation by Chip Norton of Friends of the Verde River Greenway. He provides insight, tips and suggestions about how their work to restore riparian land and improve habitat has positively impacted the communities along the Verde River.

This 30 minute webinar will provide you with tips and suggestions on ways you can increase open space and recreation in your community, discussing the economic, recreational and quality of life benefits that open space and river recreation bring to communities. Toby Sprunk with the Eagle County Open Space in Eagle County, Colorado will discuss more about how their work to protect land and improve recreation has positively impacted the communities along the Eagle and upper Colorado rivers.

Interested in learning more about ways to connect with partners and manage conflict? Participate in our online community forum – post your experiences and share your social media successes and challenges with other members of our community.

Learn tips, successful programs and ways to activate youth in your community! Pete Wadden with Walking Mountains will share his experience of engaging youth with local rivers throughout Eagle County, Colorado, specifically through water quality monitoring. Join us to learn about and innovative high school internship program in partnership with the US Forest service encouraging youth to become stewards of our rivers. Read more…

Learn new tips and suggestions for managing conflict and conflict resolution in within your partner and stakeholder group.

Interested in learning more about ways to connect with partners and manage conflict? Participate in our online community forum – post your experiences and share your social media successes and challenges with other members of our community.

Learn how social media can fit into your communications plan to help you achieve your conservation goals, while gaining an overview of the major social media channels and how you can use their differences to best promote your work. Join our community forum to get your questions answered about the best ways to engage people with your trail through social media.

Learn ways to increase participation in your stakeholder group, while having engaging and meaningful conversations to further recreation and river conservation along your local river.

Are you looking for new tools for developing a new or making more out of your corporate sponsorship program? Watch this webinar where you’ll learn the best practices for getting the most out of a corporate program and cultivating potential supporters.
Read more…

Learn about new tools to help you improve recreational opportunities and conserve your hometown river. These tools include an online inventory of federal funding programs, an online community forum where you can connect with and learn from others doing similar work, and more! See questions and answers from this webinar in the community forum.

In 2016, American Rivers worked with communities in the Verde Valley to develop a series of recommendations and resources to develop sustainable river recreation management strategies. Learn more about different management practices in American  Rivers’ new report and how they can be implemented in your community.

Download: Best Practices for Sustainable Recreation Management in the Verde Valley

The Verde River in north-central Arizona is a precious gem – a silvery thread that winds its oasis of life through a remote desert environment. One of the last healthy, perennially flowing river systems remaining in the state, it is home to rare cottonwood-willow gallery forests, abundant wildlife, migratory and resident bird species, significant archaeological and historic resources, and vibrant communities. For many years, the Verde River, valued for its healthy riparian habitats and wildlife, has remained relatively unknown outside of the region as a recreational destination. Until now.

The Verde Valley communities of Sedona and Jerome have been popular tourism destinations for decades. The high volume of visitors has meant that over the years these communities have had to work to address visitation issues (such as traffic, housing for service staff, and the encroachment of development on open space). Although the broader Verde Valley has generally remained out of the public eye and undiscovered by tourists, that is rapidly changing.

Across the Verde Valley, there is an array of new initiatives to improve recreation opportunities, foster economic development, and build a healthy economy. The communities of Cottonwood, Clarkdale, and Camp Verde, and the Yavapai Apache Nation, have all engaged in recreation planning in recent years as interest in outdoor recreation continues to rise. Visitation to the Verde Valley is growing, and the residents, spectacular open space, and wildlife are experiencing the effects of these changes.

In this report, we highlight best management practices for sustainable recreation development across the Verde Valley. We also identify successes from communities across the country and what they have done to mitigate the impacts of recreation in river corridors. In addition to identifying practices regarding carrying capacity, education, engineering, and enforcement, we also explore opportunities for their direct implementation in the Verde Valley.

Download: Best Practices for Sustainable Recreation Management in the Verde Valley

Not only will the strategies and best practices in this report help protect the natural environment, they will educate visitors on ways to sustainably support the Verde Valley, surrounding open space, and world-renowned vistas and views. The report includes an appendix that references supplemental information to help communities in the Verde Front and the Verde Valley better understand sustainable recreation management.

While your community may not be exactly the same as those in the Verde Valley, there are valuable takeaways from this report that can be utilized by river towns across the country. Explore them today!

Photo Credit: Verde River, Doug Von Gausig

Watch our webinar led by Chris Seek the president and CEO of Solimar International, as he describes how communities can use sustainable tourism to build support for river conservation through a case study in the Verde Valley of Arizona.

As one of Arizona’s last perennial rivers, the Verde River is one of the state’s most unique and threatened natural resources. Its watershed and riparian habitats are critical local ecology for human, animal, and plant life. To preserve and restore this valuable resource, Solimar International and National Geographic Maps implemented a sustainable tourism program in the Verde Valley region to bring together 6 communities and hundreds of tourism businesses and conservation organizations to increase the value and importance of the river as a vital economic asset.

Participants will learn:
– Using tourism as a catalyst for public engagement for tourism development and river conservation;
– Ways to generate awareness of and interest in visits to the region;
– How to create powerful tools for the promotion of river communities as sustainable tourism destinations.

View this webinar for an overview of the Connecting Communities to Rivers grant program. We discuss the application, common questions and address additional needs you may have. For additional questions you may have, please reach out to Connecting@AmericanRivers.org.

Join us for the May Monthly webinar led by Kristin Lo Verde, manager of Green Schoolyards for Openlands in Chicago. She presents, Space to Grow: Greening Chicago Schoolyards. Space to Grow transforms Chicago schoolyards into beautiful and functional spaces to play, learn, garden and be outside. The schoolyards also use special design elements to help reduce neighborhood flooding. Space to Grow is led by Healthy Schools Campaign and Openlands, and brings together capital funds and leadership from Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Department of Water Management and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Each partner believes that schools are central to community life, making them ideal for collaboration.

Tune in to learn:

• Partnership & engagement at all levels
• Green infrastructure benefits
• Innovative design for public spaces

Additional Information:

• Space to Grow:  http://www.spacetogrowchicago.org/
• Space to Grow on You tube:  Checkout the whole transformation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5Hx3f2CkzM
• Green Schoolyards Report: https://healthyschoolscampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/GreenSchoolyards.pdf
• Children and Nature Network: https://www.childrenandnature.org/initiatives/schoolyards/

American Rivers believes that the best way to move people from environmental awareness to environmental action is by giving them an opportunity to experience and enjoy their rivers and lands through family-friendly recreation. All communities can and should have access to low-cost recreational opportunities like boating, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. And we provide the tools and resources to help communities make that happen. Once people know and love their rivers and lands, they will be more likely to take action to protect them.

 
To that end, we created the Blue Trails Guide, the first-ever step-by-step instructions for creating and implementing a community-based plan to protect rivers and lands and connect people to them through recreation. This guide is aimed at local, state, and federal governments and non-profit organizations that understand the value and need to protect our nation’s natural resources and to connect people to them through recreation.

Download Blue Trails Guide: Helping Communities Protect and Restore Rivers and Landscape through Recreation

 
A blue trail is a dedicated stretch of river or waterway that enjoys special clean water protections and is a destination for boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking, and other recreation. Just as hiking trails are designed to help people explore the land, blue trails help people discover rivers and waterways. They provide a fun way to get kids active outdoors and are economic drivers benefiting local businesses and quality of life.
Blue trails also connect communities to treasured landscapes and offer a new popular approach to conserving land and water resources. Blue trails are often associated with conservation easements and land acquisition, and higher water quality standards. Riverside trees, wetlands and floodplains filter polluted runoff and soak up floodwater. While specific protections vary from community to community, blue trails can be an organizing tool, galvanizing citizens to support clean water and habitat safeguards.

Photo Credit: Ashley River, SC, Hugo Krispyn

Read Ecotourism Benefits Through River Conservation

Photo Credit: St. Louis River, Duluth, MN; Hansi Johnson

Clean, healthy rivers are the lifeblood of our communities and are vital to our health, safety, and quality of life. Most Americans live within a mile of a river or stream, and much of our drinking water comes directly or indirectly from rivers and streams. Beyond providing all these useful services, rivers are also just plain fun. River recreation is not only fun, but it also boosts local economies and creates more than 800,000 valuable and sustainable jobs across the US. In fact, the OIA research also stated that outdoor recreation participants spend $86 billion annually on watersports alone, the second highest revenue stream behind camping (at $142 billion).

Download A Guide to Sustainable Recreation Management Planning Report

There is little doubt that enjoyment of our natural resources is valuable. However, there are challenges such as over-crowding, pollution, and resource degradation that arise when outdoor recreation is not properly managed. Not only is the river at risk, but users may also experience dangerous situations if river health and recreational amenities are not managed properly. For example, when river hazards, such as low-head dams and other potential diversions, are not well marked, kayakers or tubers who are unfamiliar with the river could go over the dam and get caught in a recirculating pool at the bottom of the rapid. Too many users on a river at one time could lead to water quality issues if trash or human waste is not properly managed.

Additionally, conflicts between diverse user groups, such as anglers and paddlers, could pose unique challenges to the management approach. Conflicts may occur when paddlers or tubers disrupt the fishing activity of anglers by overcrowding sections of river, moving into eddy’s and other areas where fish naturally hide.  Wildlife watchers could also be negatively impacted when other user groups like campers along the river or other river users make noise that scares away birds or wildlife. Lastly, the recreation experience is further diminished by conflicts created by illegal activities such as trespassing, littering, or illegal dredging occur along rivers.

While rivers are resilient, like any natural resource there comes a tipping point. River recreation management helps strike a balance between encouraging recreation and protecting our communities’ most valuable natural resources. A framework for designing recreation improvements and managing ongoing use has emerged from collaboration with public land management agencies and local jurisdictions.

The process of creating a river recreation management plan provides an opportunity to engage people around their rivers, educate community members about rivers in general and build support for their long-term protection. It also provides an opportunity for individuals already actively engaged around their local rivers to share their knowledge with others in the community.

The goal of this guide is to provide a framework for local governments, planners, non-profit organizations, and others to develop an effective river recreation management plan that has strong community support. It will provide resources and case studies that shine a spotlight on communities that have navigated the recreation management planning process and developed and implemented successful river recreation management plans. The guide is organized in the following steps:

1. Gather Information
2. Solicit Input and Build Community Support
3. Set Management Priorities
4. Develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
5. Fund Your Plan

Download A Guide to Sustainable Recreation Management Planning Report

The creation of a river recreation management plan will help communities enhance recreational and economic opportunities, preserve the outstanding values that make local rivers and their connection to the local community special, and leave a legacy of healthy rivers for generations to come.

Photo Credit: Nooksack River, WA; Wendy McDermott

Watch our webinar led by Chris Seek the president and CEO of Solimar International, as he describes how communities can use sustainable tourism to build support for river conservation through a case study in the Verde Valley of Arizona.

As one of Arizona’s last perennial rivers, the Verde River is one of the state’s most unique and threatened natural resources. Its watershed and riparian habitats are critical local ecology for human, animal, and plant life. To preserve and restore this valuable resource, Solimar International and National Geographic Maps implemented a sustainable tourism program in the Verde Valley region to bring together 6 communities and hundreds of tourism businesses and conservation organizations to increase the value and importance of the river as a vital economic asset.

Participants will learn:
– Using tourism as a catalyst for public engagement for tourism development and river conservation;
– Ways to generate awareness of and interest in visits to the region;
– How to create powerful tools for the promotion of river communities as sustainable tourism destinations.

View this webinar for an overview of the Connecting Communities to Rivers grant program. We discuss the application, common questions and address additional needs you may have. For additional questions you may have, please reach out to Connecting@AmericanRivers.org.

This webinar highlights a case study illustrating how intrinsic values communities place on river and land recreation have spurred conservation initiatives in Montana.

Learn about the importance of landowner relationships in restoring and maintaining riverside lands, including removal of invasive species. This 30 minute webinar includes a presentation by Chip Norton of Friends of the Verde River Greenway. He provides insight, tips and suggestions about how their work to restore riparian land and improve habitat has positively impacted the communities along the Verde River.

This 30 minute webinar will provide you with tips and suggestions on ways you can increase open space and recreation in your community, discussing the economic, recreational and quality of life benefits that open space and river recreation bring to communities. Toby Sprunk with the Eagle County Open Space in Eagle County, Colorado will discuss more about how their work to protect land and improve recreation has positively impacted the communities along the Eagle and upper Colorado rivers.

Interested in learning more about ways to connect with partners and manage conflict? Participate in our online community forum – post your experiences and share your social media successes and challenges with other members of our community.

Learn ways to increase participation in your stakeholder group, while having engaging and meaningful conversations to further recreation and river conservation along your local river.

American Rivers, and our partners the Waccamaw Riverkeeper, and Pee Dee Land Trust, began working to establish the Waccamaw River Blue Trail in South Carolina in May 2009 with the goals of enhancing recreation, connecting communities to their hometown river, and protecting clean drinking water and riverside lands from poorly planned development.

The key to our success is the strength of our local partnerships. Within the first months of beginning our work on the Blue Trail, we convened the first meeting of the Upper Waccamaw Task Force, a coalition of stakeholders that includes land protection leaders in South and North Carolina including The Nature Conservancy, the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, city and county planners, Waccamaw Riverkeeper, Pee Dee Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The goal of the Task Force is to protect lands along the Upper Waccamaw corridor, an area facing increasing threats from poorly planned development.

Through our collaborative efforts we have helped to secure millions of dollars in funding for land protection within the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge. Notable successes include the 2011 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) acquisition of the 240-acre Long Tract, which connects the City of Conway and Coastal Carolina University to the Waccamaw Refuge. This strategic acquisition is also within the recently approved minor boundary expansion area for the refuge, paving the way for a potential major boundary expansion in coming years.

In 2010, Task Force partners, including The Nature Conservancy and the City of Conway, worked together to protect the 142-acre Floyd tract within Conway. This tract offers tremendous opportunities for recreation along the Waccamaw and protecting critical wetland floodplain. More recently, the partnership helped secure nearly $2 million dollars in funding for acquisitions and easements for the Waccamaw Refuge through the LWCF Landscape Collaborative grant. Also during this time, the Pee Dee Land Trust secured their first conservation easement in Horry County, a 92-acre tract near South Carolina DNR’s Waccamaw River Heritage Preserve.

In addition, American Rivers works with local partners to improve local codes and ordinances. Specifically, we worked with conservation partners and planning staff to assist in the revision process of the Georgetown County Tree Ordinance. These revisions include the protection of riverside trees, limiting redevelopment after timber harvesting, and promoting the use of natural systems instead of expensive man-made structures to filter and store stormwater.

The strength of local partnerships has been a driving force in the success of the Waccamaw River Blue Trail and accompanying protection efforts. Stakeholders have worked together to develop a comprehensive vision and implementation strategy for the river corridor that not only improves recreation and access but also protects important riverside land for future generations to enjoy.

Photo Credit: Waccamaw River, SC, Charles Slate

View this webinar for an overview of the Connecting Communities to Rivers grant program. We discuss the application, common questions and address additional needs you may have. For additional questions you may have, please reach out to Connecting@AmericanRivers.org.

American Rivers believes that the best way to move people from environmental awareness to environmental action is by giving them an opportunity to experience and enjoy their rivers and lands through family-friendly recreation. All communities can and should have access to low-cost recreational opportunities like boating, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. And we provide the tools and resources to help communities make that happen. Once people know and love their rivers and lands, they will be more likely to take action to protect them.

 
To that end, we created the Blue Trails Guide, the first-ever step-by-step instructions for creating and implementing a community-based plan to protect rivers and lands and connect people to them through recreation. This guide is aimed at local, state, and federal governments and non-profit organizations that understand the value and need to protect our nation’s natural resources and to connect people to them through recreation.

Download Blue Trails Guide: Helping Communities Protect and Restore Rivers and Landscape through Recreation

 
A blue trail is a dedicated stretch of river or waterway that enjoys special clean water protections and is a destination for boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking, and other recreation. Just as hiking trails are designed to help people explore the land, blue trails help people discover rivers and waterways. They provide a fun way to get kids active outdoors and are economic drivers benefiting local businesses and quality of life.
Blue trails also connect communities to treasured landscapes and offer a new popular approach to conserving land and water resources. Blue trails are often associated with conservation easements and land acquisition, and higher water quality standards. Riverside trees, wetlands and floodplains filter polluted runoff and soak up floodwater. While specific protections vary from community to community, blue trails can be an organizing tool, galvanizing citizens to support clean water and habitat safeguards.

Photo Credit: Ashley River, SC, Hugo Krispyn

Read Ecotourism Benefits Through River Conservation

Photo Credit: St. Louis River, Duluth, MN; Hansi Johnson

Clean, healthy rivers are the lifeblood of our communities and are vital to our health, safety, and quality of life. Most Americans live within a mile of a river or stream, and much of our drinking water comes directly or indirectly from rivers and streams. Beyond providing all these useful services, rivers are also just plain fun. River recreation is not only fun, but it also boosts local economies and creates more than 800,000 valuable and sustainable jobs across the US. In fact, the OIA research also stated that outdoor recreation participants spend $86 billion annually on watersports alone, the second highest revenue stream behind camping (at $142 billion).

Download A Guide to Sustainable Recreation Management Planning Report

There is little doubt that enjoyment of our natural resources is valuable. However, there are challenges such as over-crowding, pollution, and resource degradation that arise when outdoor recreation is not properly managed. Not only is the river at risk, but users may also experience dangerous situations if river health and recreational amenities are not managed properly. For example, when river hazards, such as low-head dams and other potential diversions, are not well marked, kayakers or tubers who are unfamiliar with the river could go over the dam and get caught in a recirculating pool at the bottom of the rapid. Too many users on a river at one time could lead to water quality issues if trash or human waste is not properly managed.

Additionally, conflicts between diverse user groups, such as anglers and paddlers, could pose unique challenges to the management approach. Conflicts may occur when paddlers or tubers disrupt the fishing activity of anglers by overcrowding sections of river, moving into eddy’s and other areas where fish naturally hide.  Wildlife watchers could also be negatively impacted when other user groups like campers along the river or other river users make noise that scares away birds or wildlife. Lastly, the recreation experience is further diminished by conflicts created by illegal activities such as trespassing, littering, or illegal dredging occur along rivers.

While rivers are resilient, like any natural resource there comes a tipping point. River recreation management helps strike a balance between encouraging recreation and protecting our communities’ most valuable natural resources. A framework for designing recreation improvements and managing ongoing use has emerged from collaboration with public land management agencies and local jurisdictions.

The process of creating a river recreation management plan provides an opportunity to engage people around their rivers, educate community members about rivers in general and build support for their long-term protection. It also provides an opportunity for individuals already actively engaged around their local rivers to share their knowledge with others in the community.

The goal of this guide is to provide a framework for local governments, planners, non-profit organizations, and others to develop an effective river recreation management plan that has strong community support. It will provide resources and case studies that shine a spotlight on communities that have navigated the recreation management planning process and developed and implemented successful river recreation management plans. The guide is organized in the following steps:

1. Gather Information
2. Solicit Input and Build Community Support
3. Set Management Priorities
4. Develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
5. Fund Your Plan

Download A Guide to Sustainable Recreation Management Planning Report

The creation of a river recreation management plan will help communities enhance recreational and economic opportunities, preserve the outstanding values that make local rivers and their connection to the local community special, and leave a legacy of healthy rivers for generations to come.

Photo Credit: Nooksack River, WA; Wendy McDermott

Learn about the importance of landowner relationships in restoring and maintaining riverside lands, including removal of invasive species. This 30 minute webinar includes a presentation by Chip Norton of Friends of the Verde River Greenway. He provides insight, tips and suggestions about how their work to restore riparian land and improve habitat has positively impacted the communities along the Verde River.

Read Ecotourism Benefits Through River Conservation

Photo Credit: St. Louis River, Duluth, MN; Hansi Johnson

Clean, healthy rivers are the lifeblood of our communities and are vital to our health, safety, and quality of life. Most Americans live within a mile of a river or stream, and much of our drinking water comes directly or indirectly from rivers and streams. Beyond providing all these useful services, rivers are also just plain fun. River recreation is not only fun, but it also boosts local economies and creates more than 800,000 valuable and sustainable jobs across the US. In fact, the OIA research also stated that outdoor recreation participants spend $86 billion annually on watersports alone, the second highest revenue stream behind camping (at $142 billion).

Download A Guide to Sustainable Recreation Management Planning Report

There is little doubt that enjoyment of our natural resources is valuable. However, there are challenges such as over-crowding, pollution, and resource degradation that arise when outdoor recreation is not properly managed. Not only is the river at risk, but users may also experience dangerous situations if river health and recreational amenities are not managed properly. For example, when river hazards, such as low-head dams and other potential diversions, are not well marked, kayakers or tubers who are unfamiliar with the river could go over the dam and get caught in a recirculating pool at the bottom of the rapid. Too many users on a river at one time could lead to water quality issues if trash or human waste is not properly managed.

Additionally, conflicts between diverse user groups, such as anglers and paddlers, could pose unique challenges to the management approach. Conflicts may occur when paddlers or tubers disrupt the fishing activity of anglers by overcrowding sections of river, moving into eddy’s and other areas where fish naturally hide.  Wildlife watchers could also be negatively impacted when other user groups like campers along the river or other river users make noise that scares away birds or wildlife. Lastly, the recreation experience is further diminished by conflicts created by illegal activities such as trespassing, littering, or illegal dredging occur along rivers.

While rivers are resilient, like any natural resource there comes a tipping point. River recreation management helps strike a balance between encouraging recreation and protecting our communities’ most valuable natural resources. A framework for designing recreation improvements and managing ongoing use has emerged from collaboration with public land management agencies and local jurisdictions.

The process of creating a river recreation management plan provides an opportunity to engage people around their rivers, educate community members about rivers in general and build support for their long-term protection. It also provides an opportunity for individuals already actively engaged around their local rivers to share their knowledge with others in the community.

The goal of this guide is to provide a framework for local governments, planners, non-profit organizations, and others to develop an effective river recreation management plan that has strong community support. It will provide resources and case studies that shine a spotlight on communities that have navigated the recreation management planning process and developed and implemented successful river recreation management plans. The guide is organized in the following steps:

1. Gather Information
2. Solicit Input and Build Community Support
3. Set Management Priorities
4. Develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
5. Fund Your Plan

Download A Guide to Sustainable Recreation Management Planning Report

The creation of a river recreation management plan will help communities enhance recreational and economic opportunities, preserve the outstanding values that make local rivers and their connection to the local community special, and leave a legacy of healthy rivers for generations to come.

Photo Credit: Nooksack River, WA; Wendy McDermott

Watch our webinar led by Chris Seek the president and CEO of Solimar International, as he describes how communities can use sustainable tourism to build support for river conservation through a case study in the Verde Valley of Arizona.

As one of Arizona’s last perennial rivers, the Verde River is one of the state’s most unique and threatened natural resources. Its watershed and riparian habitats are critical local ecology for human, animal, and plant life. To preserve and restore this valuable resource, Solimar International and National Geographic Maps implemented a sustainable tourism program in the Verde Valley region to bring together 6 communities and hundreds of tourism businesses and conservation organizations to increase the value and importance of the river as a vital economic asset.

Participants will learn:
– Using tourism as a catalyst for public engagement for tourism development and river conservation;
– Ways to generate awareness of and interest in visits to the region;
– How to create powerful tools for the promotion of river communities as sustainable tourism destinations.

In 2015, the River Management Society conducted a review of public studies conducted to measure the economic impact of water trails. Their report, Making an Economic Case for Water Trails, summarizes notable findings from three economic impact studies produced by experts using data specific to the particular water trail, measured and reported using accepted analytical methods. Surveys and analysis of collected data specific to the economic benefits of water trails are brought to life by success story commentaries.

The Making an Economic Case for Water Trails report is here.

This video presentation summarizes the review of economic studies conducted for watertrails. Presented by Natalie Warren, RMS intern, describes her findings at the 2015 National Water Trails Forum.   The following documents are referenced in the summary.

Photo Credit: Congaree National Park

Learn more about working with your community to use codes and ordinances to protect rivers and clean water.

This 30 minute webinar will provide you with tips and suggestions on ways you can increase open space and recreation in your community, discussing the economic, recreational and quality of life benefits that open space and river recreation bring to communities. Toby Sprunk with the Eagle County Open Space in Eagle County, Colorado will discuss more about how their work to protect land and improve recreation has positively impacted the communities along the Eagle and upper Colorado rivers.

Interested in learning more about ways to connect with partners and manage conflict? Participate in our online community forum – post your experiences and share your social media successes and challenges with other members of our community.

American Rivers, and our partners the Waccamaw Riverkeeper, and Pee Dee Land Trust, began working to establish the Waccamaw River Blue Trail in South Carolina in May 2009 with the goals of enhancing recreation, connecting communities to their hometown river, and protecting clean drinking water and riverside lands from poorly planned development.

The key to our success is the strength of our local partnerships. Within the first months of beginning our work on the Blue Trail, we convened the first meeting of the Upper Waccamaw Task Force, a coalition of stakeholders that includes land protection leaders in South and North Carolina including The Nature Conservancy, the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, city and county planners, Waccamaw Riverkeeper, Pee Dee Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The goal of the Task Force is to protect lands along the Upper Waccamaw corridor, an area facing increasing threats from poorly planned development.

Through our collaborative efforts we have helped to secure millions of dollars in funding for land protection within the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge. Notable successes include the 2011 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) acquisition of the 240-acre Long Tract, which connects the City of Conway and Coastal Carolina University to the Waccamaw Refuge. This strategic acquisition is also within the recently approved minor boundary expansion area for the refuge, paving the way for a potential major boundary expansion in coming years.

In 2010, Task Force partners, including The Nature Conservancy and the City of Conway, worked together to protect the 142-acre Floyd tract within Conway. This tract offers tremendous opportunities for recreation along the Waccamaw and protecting critical wetland floodplain. More recently, the partnership helped secure nearly $2 million dollars in funding for acquisitions and easements for the Waccamaw Refuge through the LWCF Landscape Collaborative grant. Also during this time, the Pee Dee Land Trust secured their first conservation easement in Horry County, a 92-acre tract near South Carolina DNR’s Waccamaw River Heritage Preserve.

In addition, American Rivers works with local partners to improve local codes and ordinances. Specifically, we worked with conservation partners and planning staff to assist in the revision process of the Georgetown County Tree Ordinance. These revisions include the protection of riverside trees, limiting redevelopment after timber harvesting, and promoting the use of natural systems instead of expensive man-made structures to filter and store stormwater.

The strength of local partnerships has been a driving force in the success of the Waccamaw River Blue Trail and accompanying protection efforts. Stakeholders have worked together to develop a comprehensive vision and implementation strategy for the river corridor that not only improves recreation and access but also protects important riverside land for future generations to enjoy.

Photo Credit: Waccamaw River, SC, Charles Slate

View this webinar for an overview of the Connecting Communities to Rivers grant program. We discuss the application, common questions and address additional needs you may have. For additional questions you may have, please reach out to Connecting@AmericanRivers.org.

Join us for the May Monthly webinar led by Kristin Lo Verde, manager of Green Schoolyards for Openlands in Chicago. She presents, Space to Grow: Greening Chicago Schoolyards. Space to Grow transforms Chicago schoolyards into beautiful and functional spaces to play, learn, garden and be outside. The schoolyards also use special design elements to help reduce neighborhood flooding. Space to Grow is led by Healthy Schools Campaign and Openlands, and brings together capital funds and leadership from Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Department of Water Management and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Each partner believes that schools are central to community life, making them ideal for collaboration.

Tune in to learn:

• Partnership & engagement at all levels
• Green infrastructure benefits
• Innovative design for public spaces

Additional Information:

• Space to Grow:  http://www.spacetogrowchicago.org/
• Space to Grow on You tube:  Checkout the whole transformation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5Hx3f2CkzM
• Green Schoolyards Report: https://healthyschoolscampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/GreenSchoolyards.pdf
• Children and Nature Network: https://www.childrenandnature.org/initiatives/schoolyards/

Read more…

View this webinar for an overview of the Connecting Communities to Rivers grant program. We discuss the application, common questions and address additional needs you may have. For additional questions you may have, please reach out to Connecting@AmericanRivers.org.

This 30 minute webinar will provide you with tips and suggestions on ways you can increase open space and recreation in your community, discussing the economic, recreational and quality of life benefits that open space and river recreation bring to communities. Toby Sprunk with the Eagle County Open Space in Eagle County, Colorado will discuss more about how their work to protect land and improve recreation has positively impacted the communities along the Eagle and upper Colorado rivers.

Interested in learning more about ways to connect with partners and manage conflict? Participate in our online community forum – post your experiences and share your social media successes and challenges with other members of our community.

Learn ways to increase participation in your stakeholder group, while having engaging and meaningful conversations to further recreation and river conservation along your local river.

Are you looking for new tools for developing a new or making more out of your corporate sponsorship program? Watch this webinar where you’ll learn the best practices for getting the most out of a corporate program and cultivating potential supporters.
Read more…

Learn about new tools to help you improve recreational opportunities and conserve your hometown river. These tools include an online inventory of federal funding programs, an online community forum where you can connect with and learn from others doing similar work, and more! See questions and answers from this webinar in the community forum.

American Rivers, and our partners the Waccamaw Riverkeeper, and Pee Dee Land Trust, began working to establish the Waccamaw River Blue Trail in South Carolina in May 2009 with the goals of enhancing recreation, connecting communities to their hometown river, and protecting clean drinking water and riverside lands from poorly planned development.

The key to our success is the strength of our local partnerships. Within the first months of beginning our work on the Blue Trail, we convened the first meeting of the Upper Waccamaw Task Force, a coalition of stakeholders that includes land protection leaders in South and North Carolina including The Nature Conservancy, the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, city and county planners, Waccamaw Riverkeeper, Pee Dee Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The goal of the Task Force is to protect lands along the Upper Waccamaw corridor, an area facing increasing threats from poorly planned development.

Through our collaborative efforts we have helped to secure millions of dollars in funding for land protection within the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge. Notable successes include the 2011 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) acquisition of the 240-acre Long Tract, which connects the City of Conway and Coastal Carolina University to the Waccamaw Refuge. This strategic acquisition is also within the recently approved minor boundary expansion area for the refuge, paving the way for a potential major boundary expansion in coming years.

In 2010, Task Force partners, including The Nature Conservancy and the City of Conway, worked together to protect the 142-acre Floyd tract within Conway. This tract offers tremendous opportunities for recreation along the Waccamaw and protecting critical wetland floodplain. More recently, the partnership helped secure nearly $2 million dollars in funding for acquisitions and easements for the Waccamaw Refuge through the LWCF Landscape Collaborative grant. Also during this time, the Pee Dee Land Trust secured their first conservation easement in Horry County, a 92-acre tract near South Carolina DNR’s Waccamaw River Heritage Preserve.

In addition, American Rivers works with local partners to improve local codes and ordinances. Specifically, we worked with conservation partners and planning staff to assist in the revision process of the Georgetown County Tree Ordinance. These revisions include the protection of riverside trees, limiting redevelopment after timber harvesting, and promoting the use of natural systems instead of expensive man-made structures to filter and store stormwater.

The strength of local partnerships has been a driving force in the success of the Waccamaw River Blue Trail and accompanying protection efforts. Stakeholders have worked together to develop a comprehensive vision and implementation strategy for the river corridor that not only improves recreation and access but also protects important riverside land for future generations to enjoy.

Photo Credit: Waccamaw River, SC, Charles Slate

American Rivers helped to transform Hitchcock Creek in Rockingham, North Carolina into a destination for fishing, boating, and other family-friendly recreation. Until 2009, the Steeles Mill dam degraded Hitchcock Creek, blocking migrating fish and preventing the community from safely enjoying the river through recreation. American Rivers and our partners removed the dam, and created a 14 mile Blue Trail. Read more…

In 2009, American Rivers, the Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER® and the Pee Dee Land Trust began working with communities along the Waccamaw River in South Carolina to create a Blue Trail. Our goals were to enhance recreational opportunities, connect communities to their hometown river, and protect clean drinking water and riverside lands from poorly planned development.

Thanks to a diverse and effective partnership with conservation organizations, cities and counties, chambers of commerce, local businesses and others we have made great progress in improving recreational opportunities and protecting the Waccamaw for future generations. Read more…

Public access to rivers is a complex issue. Accounting for navigability laws, the rights of the public versus landowners, and the role river management agencies play can be a difficult and confusing task. Does a paddler have the right to walk on private land in order to portage around an obstruction in the river? Who owns the riverbed? What determines if a river is suitable for recreation? As rivers are used more and more, the answers to these questions are becoming increasingly important.

Given the lack of federal guidance for this issue, each state assumes the primary role for setting the policies and regulations that govern public access to rivers. As such, river access and navigability laws differ greatly from state to state.

American Whitewater’s Navigability Toolbox  clarifies the access and navigability rights of the public and provides detailed information concerning the policies of every states and Puerto Rico. It is a helpful tool for anyone interested in creating a Blue Trail.

Liability can be a concern among landowners. The fear of a lawsuit may keep private landowners from opening their land to blue trail users even though they would like to share their land with the public. Public land managers also deal with the issue of liability. Fortunately, most states have enacted laws that, to varying degrees, limit private and public landowner liability. These laws can be useful to you in developing your trail.

For private lands, these laws are called Recreational Use Statutes. For public lands, the governing law is usually the state’s Governmental Immunity Act or State Tort Claims Act. These laws are important because they can place the burden of responsibility on blue trail users and keep users from shifting that responsibility to private landowners and public land managers. Read more…

Provided by our partners at the River Management Society, this is an easy-to-understand guide on a serious topic that often draws questions from water trails directors, managers and volunteers. It is written in plain English and offered in two formats.

Public Access Guide for Landowners and Water Trails & River Managers Report

Public Access Guide for Landowners and Water Trails & River Managers Slideshow Presentation

RMS is enthusiastically appreciative of the effort by many on this project, particularly RMS intern Jack Henderson, and both Corita Waters and Lelia Mellen, National Park Service. Additional acknowledgements are noted in the documents.

Photo Credit: Mike Fiebig, Missouri River

Learn more about working with your community to use codes and ordinances to protect rivers and clean water.

Learn new tips and suggestions for managing conflict and conflict resolution in within your partner and stakeholder group.

Interested in learning more about ways to connect with partners and manage conflict? Participate in our online community forum – post your experiences and share your social media successes and challenges with other members of our community.

Learn how social media can fit into your communications plan to help you achieve your conservation goals, while gaining an overview of the major social media channels and how you can use their differences to best promote your work. Join our community forum to get your questions answered about the best ways to engage people with your trail through social media.

Learn ways to increase participation in your stakeholder group, while having engaging and meaningful conversations to further recreation and river conservation along your local river.

Are you looking for new tools for developing a new or making more out of your corporate sponsorship program? Watch this webinar where you’ll learn the best practices for getting the most out of a corporate program and cultivating potential supporters.
Read more…

Learn about new tools to help you improve recreational opportunities and conserve your hometown river. These tools include an online inventory of federal funding programs, an online community forum where you can connect with and learn from others doing similar work, and more! See questions and answers from this webinar in the community forum.

The Waccamaw River Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program is a strong example of a partnership with local governments whose funding is largely driven by local stormwater permit requirements.

The Waccamaw River is an outstanding example of a southern blackwater stream. Starting in North Carolina, the river flows southeast into South Carolina and ultimately into the Atlantic Ocean. Still largely healthy, the watershed is home to rare, threatened and endangered species of plants and diverse wildlife species, including American Black Bears and several endemic plants and animals. A diverse coalition of partners created the Waccamaw River Blue Trail in 2009, with the goal of improving recreational opportunities, connecting communities to their hometown river, and protecting the river for future generations. Challenges facing the Waccamaw River include bacterial contamination, fish consumption advisories for mercury, wetlands losses, and issues related to increased development. Read more…

Knowing how to understand whitewater rapids is critical for running a river.

When planning a river trip, it is essential to pay attention to the level of difficulty that is associated with the reach of the river you are floating. Rapids are classified on river maps according to degree of difficulty (from Class I to VI).  In addition to paying attention to the class of rapid, it is also critical to pay attention to the flow rate of the river. Higher flows generally require more decisive and demanding maneuvers. Use extra caution at high flows when fast currents require shorter response times. The International Whitewater Scale rates rapids in the following ways.

Before you get out on the river, know where you are going and what level of expertise you and your river crew are capable of.

• Class I Very Easy. Moving water with a few ripples and small waves. Few or no obstructions.
• Class II Easy. Easy rapids with waves up to three feet and wide clear channels visible without scouting. Some maneuvering required.
• Class III Medium Difficulty. Rapids with high irregular waves capable of swamping an open canoe. Narrow passages often requiring complex maneuvering and scouting from shore.
• Class IV Difficult. Long difficult rapids with constricted passages often requiring precise maneuvering in very turbulent waters. Scouting from shore is often necessary; conditions make rescue difficult. Not runnable in open canoes.
• Class V Very Difficult. Extremely difficult, long and very violent rapids with highly congested routes nearly always requiring scouting from shore. Rescue conditions are difficult. Significant hazards to life in event of a mishap. Ability to conduct a kayak roll is essential.
• Class VI Extremely Dangerous. Nearly impossible to run and very dangerous.

 Photo Credit: Verde River, AZ – Doug Von Gausig

Floating rivers are an incredibly thrilling and enjoyable time and are generally safe; however, river running and camping have inherent risks.

Remember these safety hints

• Be sure to pack the correct gear for your .
• When in Doubt, Scout it Out. Identify a stretch of river appropriate for your group and plan your route ahead of time. How to Understand Whitewater
• When in Trouble, Be Active – when you find yourself in a difficult situation always keep trying to help yourself
• Dress for Success; Wear Your Personal Floatation Device (PFD/Life Jacket)
• Watch Your Step – river sandals offer the best traction on wet rocks from slips
• Most Accidents Happen in the Home – on a river trip, your campsite is your home. Make sure you set up a camp where you have little risk from flash floods and give wildlife plenty of space.
• Think Before You Drink – boil, filter, or chemically treat all drinking, cooking and dishwashing water
• Be sure to follow the specific guidelines for the stretch of river you are using. Depending on the ecosystem and the amount of use, there may be special requirements for overnight trips. Often along the Eagle Blue Trail, fire pans and portable toilet systems are required for overnight camping along the river.

River Etiquette and Minimal Impact Use

Once you have an understanding of the importance of safety in running rivers, it’s also important to understand the etiquette and social rules of the river. Just like any community, river runners have a certain etiquette and understanding with each other about responsible behaviors when on the river. Not only do we care about minimizing impact to the river by cleaning up and packing out, but we also want to show respect and care to one another. Click to learn more about how you can participate in positive river culture and protect our rivers for the future.

 You affect this river canyon when you pass through it. River users come to their local rivers and streams for many reasons, but none of them come expecting to find vegetation hacked, beached and banks scarred with fire rings or fouled with human waste and scattered litter. The following tips help visitors be more caring and responsible members of the river community:

• At boat ramps – wait your turn and unload quickly to avoid “ramp rage”
• Please be respectful of private lands, floating across private land is legal as long as the river bottom or banks are not touched.
• Avoid the railroad tracks for your safety
• Be respectful of other users on the river, spread out and avoid unpleasant encounters
• When choosing a campsite, try to leave larger sites for larger groups if your group is small
• It is recommended to use a fire pan and carry out ash and other unburned fire residue with other garbage when using dispersed campsites.
• It is highly recommended to pack out all solid human and pet waste from the river corridor. Use developed toilets whenever possible. Please set up an approved portable toilet as soon as practical upon arriving at the campsite.
• Current Leave No Trace practices recommend discarding urine and waste water in the river

Additional Resources on Safety from our Partners:
American Canoe Association

American Whitewater

Photo Credit: Upper Colorado River, Jamie Mierau

There are many great ways to enjoy the Eagle Blue Trail from the bank. ECO Trails was created in 1996 to finance mass transit improvements in Eagle County. Part of this program is the Eagle Valley Trail which is a paved path running from east to west through Eagle County, connecting to spur trails and backcountry trails along the way. Much of the Eagle Valley Trail runs along the Eagle River, providing appropriate access points at strategic locations.

While enjoying the river from its banks, it’s important to understand ways to minimize your footprint and take care of the spaces you love. Riparian habitats along the river corridor are home to many local plants and animals and are very sensitive to human impacts. You can protect these important ecosystems and yourself by following a few simple guidelines for safety and etiquette in the riparian zone.

•  Always use appropriate access points to avoid trampling sensitive riparian plants. Appropriate access points are labeled and selected for safe access to the river.
• Use binoculars or other devices to view wildlife from a safe distance. Never approach wildlife, as wild animals are unpredictable and may become dangerous if they feel threatened. Keep wildlife wild – never feed wildlife. Human food can make wildlife sick and create a dangerous situation when wildlife associates humans with food.
• Follow the Leave No Trace 7 Principles to reduce your impact and be good stewards of the land.
• Plan your trip and be prepared with appropriate clothing, food and water. The sun is more intense at high altitudes, be sure to protect your skin and drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration

ECO Trails Cycling Rules and Etiquette

Colorado Parks and Wildlife: Trails

Colorado Parks and Wildlife: Learn To Camp

Colorado Parks and Wildlife: Ethical Wildlife Viewing Tips

Colorado Adventure Center Bike Path Etiquette & Rules

Photo Credit: Miller Ranch River Easement and trail, Matt Stern

Fishing the Eagle and Upper Colorado Rivers as a part of the Eagle Blue Trail is one of the most popular recreation activities. Whether you are fishing from the banks on a public access point or casting a line from a boat, there are many opportunities to catch a whole lot of fish!

Colorado Fishing Rules and Regulations:

After purchasing your fishing license, check the fishing laws and regulations that apply in your area. Anglers are required to follow both statewide and waterway specific rules so that fish populations are protected now and into the future. Always check for fishing regulation updates prior to each fishing trip.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Fishing Rules and Regulations

Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Total Licensing System

Ethical Fishing Best Practices:

Fishing ethics and proper fishing etiquette are responsibilities of all anglers. These ethics and etiquette can be distilled down to a “golden rule” – treat others the way you want to be treated. Be respectful of others and be responsible for the area you are fishing. If you are new to the sport, some of these practices may not be as obvious as others.

Take Me Fishing Ethical Fishing Practices

Remember, as long as you have a valid fishing license, fishing ethics are not in place to restrict you. Fishing ethics are in place to help build a positive angling community.

For more information about fishing in Colorado, check out these resources:

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Fishing Page

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Fishing Brochure

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Boating Statutes and Regulations

BLM Fishing Information

Photo Credit: Upper Colorado River, Jessica Foulis

There are a number of amazing day and multi-day trips along the Eagle Blue Trail on both the Eagle and Upper Colorado Rivers. There is a fit for every level of paddler as well as great access for fishing, hiking and biking along these terrific reaches of river. Whether you live in Eagle County or are just visiting and taking in the beauty, make sure you prioritize an afternoon with the river!

For more information about floating on the Eagle Blue Trail, check out these resources:

BLM Upper Colorado River Guide

BLM Eagle River Recreation Area

BLM Water Recreation

BLM Guide to Planning a Private River Trip

 
Photo Credit: Upper Colorado River, Jamie Mierau

Read Ecotourism Benefits Through River Conservation

Photo Credit: St. Louis River, Duluth, MN; Hansi Johnson

Learn how social media can fit into your communications plan to help you achieve your conservation goals, while gaining an overview of the major social media channels and how you can use their differences to best promote your work. Join our community forum to get your questions answered about the best ways to engage people with your trail through social media.

Learn about new tools to help you improve recreational opportunities and conserve your hometown river. These tools include an online inventory of federal funding programs, an online community forum where you can connect with and learn from others doing similar work, and more! See questions and answers from this webinar in the community forum.