Idaho Rivers United recently announced Rivers for Change as their 2022 Conservation Partner of the Year! What an honor! We worked extensively with IRU on the Grand Salmon, a 1,000 mile source to sea journey earlier this year.

This award is wonderful confirmation that connecting people to rivers through source to sea adventures truly can be a catalyst for conservation and education.

Thank you to IRU, their entire staff, and everyone who supported and helped make this campaign such a success!

Welcome to our latest Board Member Sarrah Claman!

Sarrah grew up in the mountains of Colorado on Ute and Arapaho lands, but her connection to rivers began as a child exploring the unceded lands and rivers of the Temagami, Anishinabewak, and Moose Cree in Northern Quebec and Ontario, Canada by canoe. After moving to Squamish BC, the unceded territories of the Squamish Peoples, Sarrah began to fall in love with coastal rivers while learning about wild pacific salmon and their incredibly vital role in ecosystems and communities across Salmon Nation. Sarrah has been a river guide since she was 18 and currently works as a raft guide with the Upper and Main Salmon River on the ancestral lands of the Niimpu and Shoshone Bannock in Idaho.

Sarrah believes that humans are intimately connected to the land and waters we are surrounded by, and by exposing folks to this inherent connection, people will begin to understand and care about protecting and stewarding these spaces and their inhabitants. She is passionate about advocating for rivers and leveraging her voice as a guide and educator to share nerdy salmon facts and inspire others to care about the ecosystems we are all a part of.

Interested in joining our board or volunteering with RFC? Read more about ways to work with us here.

Announcing our 2023 Grantees

Rivers for Change is thrilled to support two incredible source to sea projects which focus on education and storytelling.

You can read more about the grantees bios on our ambassadors page.

Home2Headwaters: Where Does Your Water Come From?

In July 2022, Nina Gordon-Kirsch walked more than 240 miles, tracing the Mokelumne River  – the river that provides tap water to the East Bay.

She left her home on Chochenyo Ohlone land (Oakland) and 33 days later she arrived on Washoe land, at the headwaters of the Mokelumne River in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

On her journey, Nina interviewed farmers, river conservationists, hydropower employees, and regular citizens, collecting stories about how we all relate to water. She walked on the Bay Trail, through the Delta Islands (swam a few river crossings), kayaked upstream for 2 days, and backpacked off-trail in a remote river canyon. After one month of walking, Nina made it to her destination and has come home with an important story to tell.

Both Nina and a film crew documented her journey and they are now working to make an educational film to bring into East Bay schools about where our drinking water comes from.

Nina is grateful to the Sogorea Te Land Trust for granting her permission to walk on Chochenyo-Ohlone land.

A River Called Home

“A River Called Home” is a short documentary following the journey of four women who paddle the James River in Virginia from its headwaters to the Chesapeake Bay. Known as America’s Founding River, the James River holds a lot of our nation’s history along its riverbanks, including being home to Jamestown and Richmond.

It is also the largest watershed in Virginia, with 3 million people relying on it for drinking water, commerce, and recreation. However, it is a river that faces challenges, with elevated levels of PCBs in the upper watershed, the threat of a gold mine in the middle James, and a sewage system in the lower region that results in raw overflow when rain overwhelms treatment plants.

In a 21-day expedition, these women study water quality, working with local students, to better connect with their watershed and learn how every person can become an advocate for their local rivers. Learn more about the journey, how to support the film, and expected distribution at jesswiegandt.com/arch.

-The RFC Board: Danielle, John, Pam, Amy, Samara, and Sarrah

Rivers for Change is a 501c3 non-profit and your donations are tax-deductable.

EIN #37-1654861. Donate Online or by mail. 

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Thank you for your continued support!