Connecting Source to Sea

through adventure, conservation, and education

Rivers for Change is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit made up of passionate river enthusiasts dedicated to changing the way people think about and interact with water. Through adventure, conservation and education, we work to connect individuals and communities to rivers and promote source to sea literacy.

Get Involved

Rivers for Change relies on volunteers to run our organization. We are always looking for new ways to unite people to rivers through shared experiences, stories, and media.

Source to Sea Connections

Source to Sea Grants

We support river lovers who want to share the importance of learning and engaging with rivers from source to sea.

Source to Sea Support

We are source to sea experts. For over 13 years our team has paddled, consulted, advised, and supported over 22 source to sea projects in various capacities. If you’re interested in undertaking a source to sea, or have already completed one and would like to join our growing Source to Sea Network please fill out the form below!

What is Source to Sea

What’s all this talk about source to sea?

We are all connected through drops of water. Understanding the source of water in our lives and where it goes is integral to a holistic knowledge about our interconnectedness and interdependence. Learn more about what this phrase means, and how you can become source to sea literate!

Upcoming Events

A collection of community events and happenings.

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Support Rivers for Change

Rivers for Change is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All donations are tax-deductible. EIN #37-1654861

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The Marañón river in Peru has been under siege o

The Marañón river in Peru has been under siege over the years with numerous plans to dam the river. Well leaders like @elizabeth.tobey are taking to the water to make sure that does not happen. Protecting this corridor from the Andes to the Amazon is critical from both ecological and cultural perspectives. Elizabeth and team just spent 10 days of big water runs and lots of portages to drive support from not only the locals but the whole international community.
To learn more, follow @elizabeth.tobey, @conservamos and @maranonwaterkeeper-- and check out the @therivercollective while you are at it.
While sometimes we get focused on the rivers in our backyards the world is one big connected environment. Protecting rivers EVERYWHERE is what we are all about.

When is a boat more than a boat? Can a lost river

When is a boat more than a boat? Can a lost river teach us anything? The River Radius Podcast guides us through a journey on three ways you can protect other rivers before we lose them. A fourth way is to reach out and join us at riversforchange.org! Listen below to the full podcast at the link below.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1imw28tFewCGy7wLPNOCbq

RFC Ambassador @cyrildx has picked his date for ta

RFC Ambassador @cyrildx has picked his date for tackling the Atlantic Ocean by way of paddle. December 2024. It will be here in a blink. Train hard and good luck Cyril! #wedare

This week, the the Yurok Tribe and the Klamath Riv

This week, the the Yurok Tribe and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation in collaboration with the Shasta Indian Nation started preparing a stretch of the Klamath River to flow freely for the first time in a century!
The soon-to-be dismantled Klamath Hydroelectric Project has blocked fish passage and altered river flows for over 100 years! Check out some before and during construction photos and we'll be sure to show you the first shots of running water when we get them! #restoretheriver #savethesalmon

Fish climb ladders? Yes they do and we visited the

Fish climb ladders? Yes they do and we visited the Upmqua fish ladder yesterday and frankly, it was pretty interesting.
While some sort of fish passage is a requirement for hydroelectric projects, many of these transport options including fish ladders aren't always successful in helping migration and restoring fish populations.
Bottomline: No human-made mechanisms to help fish travel to and from their spawning grounds are a substitute for free-flowing rivers. #savethesalmon #restoretheriver

BIG Weekend ahead! This Sunday is World Rivers Day

BIG Weekend ahead! This Sunday is World Rivers Day where you can show your support for our rivers by picking from any of these non-profits (link in our Bio) and making a donation. Of course, you already know this Saturday is Coastal Clean-up Day so get out there, anywhere, and just grab some garbage. Really wanna make a difference? Make this weekend a doubleheader and do both!
#savethesalmonn #restoretheriver #CoastalCleanupDay #worldriversday

Earlier this week @columbiariverkeeper won a $25 M

Earlier this week @columbiariverkeeper won a $25 Million Court ordered judgement to prevent pollution in the Port of Vancouver on the Columbia River. The settlement with the Port addresses the large-scale, ongoing industrial copper pollution which is deadly for salmon and harmful to overall water quality. While a victory lap is certainly in order more hard work ahead! #savethesalmon #restoretheriver
Persistence, legal strategy, and public input make a difference for the environment. If you want to support the hard work we do for the Columbia, consider donating today while we have a dollar-for-dollar match going!
Read about this win and the all the settlement details here: bit.ly/3ZhXHMb See less

Pro tip from our Co-Founder @riverkatz: Adopting e

Pro tip from our Co-Founder @riverkatz: Adopting emotional support dogs along the way are a critical to maintaining sanity and keeping a fresh perspective on the road! #stsbehindthescenes #thegrandsalmon #salmonstory #sourcetosea
#restoretheriver #freethesnake #riversforchange #idahoriversunited #WildFishActivism #StopSalmonExtinction #ItsAllHomeWater

The team here at Rivers for Change needs a few mor

The team here at Rivers for Change needs a few more leaders to help us scale RFC into our next decade of adventure, conservation, and education!!! Have some time on your hands? Need to get involved with a good cause? Want to join a wonderful community of people creating positive change in the world? Have experience with fundraising? Donor Development? Accounting? Legal? Education? Or you, just LOVE rivers and want to be an active member of an organization? Let us know!!! MORE INFO on the link in our bio. Thanks!

Coastal Clean Up Day is Saturday September 23rd bu

Coastal Clean Up Day is Saturday September 23rd but why wait. Make today a pickup some trash day. Walk the dog pick some up. In the grocery store parking lot grab some. Walking to work why not. Every day is earth day.

Did you know PG&E essentially controls the flow of

Did you know PG&E essentially controls the flow of the Eel River? Should they? Well, they just asked permission to reduce flows again, and doing that is essentially cooking what is left of the native fish populations. Rising water temps and reduced flow levels could be the final blow. Follow the @friendseelriver and let's come up with a long-term plan to fix the Eel. What is that plan? We are working on it as you read. Stay tuned. #breachtheeel

Test time. Who can name all 5 rivers that end in S

Test time. Who can name all 5 rivers that end in San Francisco Bay!

1000 Miles and 4 dams later these three women set

1000 Miles and 4 dams later these three women set out to make a point. Exploring the impacts these dams have on the Snake River and the surrounding ecosystem by connecting them from source to sea. Paddling flooded rivers, portaging dams, and fighting the tides as they made their way to the Pacific Ocean and it's all on film. But that's where you come in.
The film, "The Grand Salmon", is currently in post-production and needs your support to become a reality. Contributions and inquiries should be directed to salmonsourcetosea@gmail.com. For more information about the issue, film, and team involved, visit https://salmonsourcetosea.com. Special thanks to @idahoriversunited for all the support in making this happen! #sourcetosea #savethesalmon #restoretheriver

A two for one deal. Remove the dams on the Lower S

A two for one deal. Remove the dams on the Lower Snake River and you can restore the salmon run and reinvigorate the Northwest Orca Population. You in? #tuesdam #savethesalmon #restoretheriver

How do you clean up a beach you can't even reach?

How do you clean up a beach you can't even reach? Sea Power! We'll get you the full story soon but RFC Board Members John Dye and @amybyersmy Byers and friends have been venturing to the inaccessible beaches of Angel Islands west side on a mission. A mission to remove as much trash as their boats can carry. And apparently, that's a lot! The trash-hauling Ama is no ka 'oi.

From Source to Sea to Sleep. Car time=nap time. To

From Source to Sea to Sleep. Car time=nap time. To and from events, put-ins, take-outs, on 100-mile shuttles. Helps to have a wonderful chauffeur like @riverkatz to shuttle you around 😉 @salmonsourcetosea @Brookehess @elizabeth.tobey @oceansandmountains #thenapbrigade #throwbackthursday #riversforchange #behindthescenes #thegrandsalmon #salmonstory #sourcetosea
#restoretheriver #freethesnake #WildFishActivism #StopSalmonExtinction #ItsAllHomeWater

The @friendseelriver are close to a big win for us

The @friendseelriver are close to a big win for us all, but close is not done. We need to remove the dams that are suffocating the Eel River. PG&E has made what looks on the surface to be a decent proposal that includes removing the Scott Dam. However, the plan is vague and has loopholes that allow the diversion to continue. Details in the link in our bio. Let's get this one over the finish line. #tuesdam #restoretheriver #savethesalmon

How about kayaking across the Atlantic Ocean? Riv

How about kayaking across the Atlantic Ocean? Rivers For Change Ambassador Cyril Derremaux is planning on doing just that in 2024. Cyril uses the story of his adventures to bring inspiration to many. You can do big things. The things you think can't be done.....well they can be done.

A throwback Thursday to Snack Time! Going from Sou

A throwback Thursday to Snack Time! Going from Source to Sea requires proper nutrition so we load up on snacks and rehydrate *After unloading your boat, *Before a portage *After a portage/Before reloading your boat *After loading your boat/before paddling downstream again. Or any combo thereof 😉 Just make sure to bring a lot of snacks. And a whole lot of Juanitas if you're on a trip with @Brookehess. @salmonsourcetosea @elizabeth.tobey @oceansandmountains #snacks #throwbackthursday #riversforchange #behindthescenes #thegrandsalmon #salmonstory #sourcetosea
#restoretheriver #freethesnake #WildFishActivism #StopSalmonExtinction #ItsAllHomeWater

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