Wishing you a Happy New Year full of Adventure, Education, and Stewardship!
Rivers for Change Year in Review: We’re wrapping up our 4th year here at Rivers for Change and couldn’t be more proud of another successful year connecting people to rivers and promoting source to sea literacy! Our community paddles, cleanups, trainings, and races this past year reached over 400 people directly, immersing paddlers and volunteers alike in the adventure, education and stewardship opportunities a river provides.
In addition to putting on the River to Reel, hosting the Cow Patty Pageant, providing Cal 100 trainings and the Cal 100 race, rounding up crews for a Sacramento River Cleanup with the Sac River Preservation Trust, searching out Native Plants on two different paddle days with the California Native Plant Society and working with the Watershed Project on a cleanup in the East Bay; we expanded our reach outside of California by helping launch the Gorge Paddle Fest in Oregon and completing a SUP Source to Sea down the Androscoggin River in Maine.
Phew! All this brought to you by a volunteer Board of Directors whose dedication to you and the rivers we love compels us to connect more with each other, our communities, fellow river organizations and the shared waterways that are so vital to our lives.
As Rivers for Change continues to grow, we need your help to move forward and help us fulfill our vision of a world where people and communities are active stewards of river systems with a holistic understanding of their interconnectedness and interdependence.
We have big plans for 2016! There are many ways for you to get involved in the coming year! Attend or volunteer at an event: our 5th annual River to Reel; our inaguaral film festival in Sausalito, CA; our river cleanups, and community paddle days, or you can gain valuable insight to training for any race with our Cal 100 clinics. In addition we’re rolling out a new date for the Cal 100 (June 11th) and a new pledge format to help reach an even larger number of participants and supporters. We may even have an exciting source to sea up our sleeves as well. 🙂
Our biggest push this year as an organization is to gain the capactiy to not only ensure our longevity but to launch a new education and stewardship program to engage our youth. We are seeking to raise an additional $3,000 to match a generous donation to kickstart this new programming.
Please consider a tax-deductible end of the year gift by givinghere. Rivers for Change is made up of a passionate group of river enthusiasts dedicated to changing the way people think about and interact with water and we can’t do that without you. Thank you for your support!
For the love of our rivers, -Danielle, John, Judy, Matt, Stephen, and Teresa (the RFC Team)
2016 Events
River to Reel January 15th, 2016 – Nevada City, CAWe’re hosting our annual lower Yuba River community paddle day with SYRCL (South Yuba River Citizens League) and the WSFF (Wild & Scenic Film Festival). As a kickoff to the film festival, it’s a great opportunity to connect people with the Yuba River and get in some winter paddling! Register: https://5thannualrivertoreel.eventbrite.com
Wild & Scenic Film Festival February 4th, 2016 – Sausalito, CA
We are extremely excited to host the Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour in Sausalito this February. Spanning continents and coasts, this program is full of breathtaking scenery, inspiring stories, and courageous conservationists. Join us for an evening of rivers, mountains, and wild landscapes that instill a deep appreciation and a sense of wonder for the natural world in all of us. The journey starts at 6:30pm on Thursday, February 4th at the Bay Model in Sausalito. Don’t miss it! Brought to you by Rivers for Change and SeaTrek Kayak & SUP. There will be limited seating so reserve your ticket early!
Registration is Open! – June 10th-12th, 2016 Join us for the weekend of June 10th-12th for this incredible 100 mile ultra-marathon paddle race down the Sacramento River. June 10th – race check-in and mandatory safety briefing June 11th – Race Day! June 12th – awards BBQ & river cleanup. Sign up online and get your friends to pledge their support! Stay updated on our Spring Training lineup as well. www.calriver100.com
Support RFC while shopping Amazon Smile If you shop on Amazon, the easiest way to give to RFC this season is by using Amazon Smile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, 0.5% of your purchase gets donated to Rivers for Change. Bookmark the link http://smile.amazon.com/ch/37-1654861and support us every time you shop! It’s that easy!
Volunteer and Sponsorship
We are always looking for volunteers and sponsors! If you’re interested in helping out at one of our events please let us know! Contact us and put a smile on your face and ours!
Partner Events
Paddle Golden Gate February 5th-7th, 2016 – Sausalito, CACalifornia Canoe & Kayak is bringing you Paddle Golden Gate this winter. It’s a high-end paddlesports symposium on San Francisco bay for paddlesport enthusiasts of all types. Check out the website here and signup soon as classes are filling.
Gorge Downwind Champs July 18th-26th, 2016 – Hood River, ORRivers for Change helped launch the inagural event last year, this year the event is expanding beyond our reach to include SUPS, so Save the date for this exciting event! RFC will be the beneficiary of the Silent Auction and Banquet evening! Registration opens Jan 1st! http://www.gorgedownwindchamps.com/