River Network Brings National River Rally to Ohio
Over the course of four days, May 2-5, more than five hundred of the nation’s leading river and freshwater experts will gather on the shores of Lake Erie to celebrate and learn about the Great Lakes and North America’s other unique freshwater resources. The 9th annual River Rally will bring together grassroots groups, water keepers, monitors, watchdogs, stewards, tribes, public agencies, businesses and others involved in watershed protection and restoration in order to coalesce the rapidly growing power of citizen involvement to rescue river systems and build healthier communities.
Over the past two hundred years, Americans have dammed, diverted, ditched, denuded, dewatered and polluted thousands of our rivers and streams. Today, the tragic consequences of these actions are starkly apparent. Many of our waters no longer provide safe water for drinking, swimming, fishing or wildlife. Because we have allowed so many of our rivers to be degraded, we pay billions of additional tax and utility dollars annually for water treatment, flood control and fisheries enhancement. The costs to property values, quality of life, public health and ecosystems are harder to measure but greater impacted.
At the National River Rally, watershed protection advocates find effective ways to merge science with citizen action, and learn the best methods for running strong organizations in order to protect rivers and their watersheds. River Rally provides for a better understanding of solutions to the myriad water problems at the social, environmental and economic levels.
River Network’s mission is to help people understand, protect and restore rivers and their watersheds. Since 1988, River Network has provided resources and expertise to help thousands of individuals and groups organize, get started, grow stronger and become more effective in the protection and restoration of river systems. Over the past twenty years, River Network has steadily emerged as the national leader, supporting the local efforts of more than 6,000 community-based watershed protection groups around the country. These groups represent millions of citizens who care about clean drinking water, safe recreation opportunities, protected habitat for fish and wildlife, and healthy communities for present and future generations.
For more information on the National River Rally or River Network, contact Matt Burke at 503-542-8383; mburke@rivernetwork.org; visit www.rivernetwork.org. The 2008 National River Rally will be held at SawMill Creek Resort in Huron, OH. To register, visit www.rivernetwork.org/rally.