Since its founding in 1988, River Network has been the national “go-to” environmental organization where grassroots groups from every state in the country can turn for support, resources, guidance and learning around watershed management and conservation issues.   

Major Programs

River Network delivers four core programs, coordinates two special projects and convenes an annual gathering of water conservation leaders.   

Our Partnership Program is the service delivery mechanism for our organization. Our partners receive direct and intensive services that we deliver through publications, our interactive website, telephone and in-the-field consultation, site trainings and email assistance.  Last year, 132,000 people accessed River Network’s online resource directory, 6,389 groups received at least one issue of our quarterly “River Voices” publication and nearly 300 organizations took part in the 6^th Annual National River Rally.  

Our Organizational Development Program has assisted hundreds of watershed protection groups working at the local, state and regional levels form and grow stronger.  Last year we worked very closely with more than a dozen groups to help them achieve specific organizational development goals. In 2005, this program expanded to become the National Watershed Support Network with an emphasis on strengthening statewide and regional watershed conservation efforts.

Our River Watch Program helps people and groups establish effective, long-term programs for monitoring conditions and trends in their watersheds. 

The data and information they develop are used for many purposes, including setting long-term watershed goals, determining whether and how well pollution control and restoration projects are working and pinpointing problems in need of immediate attention.

Our Clean Water Act Program helps people, organizations and communities understand water laws and programs and make sure they are applied properly in their states and watersheds.  Of the United States’ many water laws and programs, none is more important than
the Clean Water Act and not surprisingly, we focus much of this program to ensuring the law is clearly interpreted and widely enforced. 

In addition to providing direct assistance to River Network Partners, we work to create a more positive climate for watershed protection in Oregon and the rest of the United States.  Last year, the centerpiece of this work was RiverSmart.  This project was launched to increase public awareness of the simple things we all can do in our daily lives to save water and protect water quality.  A media campaign, that included TV, radio and print public service announcements as well as an interactive website, was packaged into the RiverSmart Grassroots Toolkit and distributed free of charge to over 750 river and watershed groups across the country.  This effort netted more than 2,000 print ads and when combined with other media exposure grossed over 200 million impressions.

River Network’s Healthy Waters, Healthy Communities Project  is designed to help communities with health concerns determine whether there is a link between pollution and health problems, and, if so, what to do.    We conducted a national needs survey and posted the results on our website, along with general information and guidance that any community with health concerns related to the environment can use.   

Our annual National River Rally has become the focal point for professional development, strategy development, networking and organizing for the river conservation community.  Over the past five years, it has grown tremendously in size and diversity.  Today, it significantly strengthens our entire community of organizations.  In May 2005, over 500 conservation leaders from all 50 states gathered in Colorado to participate in over 150 different workshops and to network with each other.