As river runners, we’re all familiar with the call to protect the waterways we love, either as recreational paddlers or river professionals. Here’s a roundup of some high-impact non-profits that are fighting to protect rivers, restore rivers, and expand river access to the public. Opportunities for donating money, volunteering for field work, participating in cleanups, and other activities are linked below. (Making a donation on someone’s behalf or purchasing merch is a great gift idea for fellow paddlers!)
Don’t see your favorite river conservation group listed here? Drop a note in the comments or send an email to [email protected] and we’ll add it.
American Rivers
American Rivers has a 50-plus-year history of fighting threats to US rivers. A few victories they claim include:
- 2,528 river miles connected for fish and wildlife thanks to dam removal
- 108 dams removed by American Rivers and their partners
- 212,800 acres of riverside habitat protected
Driven by the philosophy that “life depends on rivers,” American Rivers protects clean water through state and federal policy advocacy, drives river restoration projects in cities to ensure clean water, protects waters in public lands, and helps restore damaged rivers.
One of American Rivers’ best-known projects is the America’s Most Endangered Rivers report, published annually since 1984. As stated on the American Rivers website, “The report highlights ten rivers whose fate will be decided in the coming year and encourages decision-makers to do the right thing for the rivers and the communities they support.”
For a deep dive into the 2025 Most Endangered Rivers Report, check out River Radius podcast episode “10 Rivers for 2025.”
How to support American Rivers:
- Donate monthly, annually, or with a one-time donation
- Take action by signing petitions or commenting
- Partner with American Rivers through corporate-sponsored volunteer events
- Organize a river cleanup
- Shop for branded swag (good gift idea for fellow paddlers!)
American Whitewater
Established in 1954, American Whitewater (AW) is well-known for its extensive database of river data (including current flows). The group is also a powerhouse in winning federal policy measures that benefit the river community and protect rivers through direct action. One good example: The 2025 purchase of land on the Big Sandy River in West Virginia that was then donated to the West Virginia Land Trust for permanent protection.
“We are leaders in the policy area,” said Evan Stafford, AW communications director, in a RiverBent profile about American Whitewater. “We’re fortunate to have a really strong and experienced group of staff members who have been with us for 20 years. They’ve been traveling to DC regularly throughout that period and advocating for all kinds of policy and stewardship work.”
How to support American Whitewater:
- Become a member for $35 ($25 for students)
- Volunteer to support policy work, events, or other initiatives
- Buy some AW swag for yourself or as a gift for a fellow paddler
- Donate money, especially if you use the AW online river database or the river app
Diversify Whitewater
Founded in 2020, Diversify Whitewater (DW) expands opportunities to participate in river running for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and their allies. DW organizes free river events, including instruction days and community floats, sponsors paddling events hosted by other organizations, and provides scholarships.
“We’re sharing a beautiful sport,” said Lily Durkee, DW’s leader, in a RiverBent profile about Diversify Whitewater. “At our events, we are bringing together … people who all look different. We all look unique and are from different backgrounds and we all share this experience—and it is really beautiful.”
How to support Diversify Whitewater:
- Donate (this donation landing page is managed by American Whitewater: Add “Diversify Whitewater” in the note to direct your donation to DW)
- Volunteer at an upcoming DW event
Forever Our Rivers
Founded in 2018, Forever Our Rivers takes a unique approach to river conservation by acquiring funding, collecting and sharing data, and distributing funding through grants to projects that improve the health and vitality of rivers in the Southwest.
As an example, Forever Our Rivers supported a project spearheaded by High Country Conservation Advocates in Crested Butte, CO, that addressed the degradation of wetlands and wildlife habitat following the destruction of beaver populations by European fur traders. A crew of volunteers replicated beaver dams near the Colorado River headwaters, which attracted beavers back to the area. In turn, the wetlands are becoming more sustainable, which reduces soil erosion, increases resilience to floods and wildfires, and helps communities weather drought.
Groups that Forever Our Rivers has partnered with include Colorado Water Trust, Colorado Canyons Association, and Friends of the Verde River.
“We just want to get more of these great projects funded,” said Ann Johnston, executive director, in a RiverBent profile about Forever Our Rivers. “The need right now couldn’t be more critical. We need to be protecting our rivers and watersheds.”
How to support Forever Our Rivers:
GOALS Youth River Expeditions
GOALS gets kids out on rivers, a simple and effective plan to nurture future river conservationists and introduce kids to the phenomenal physical and mental benefits of river running. Primarily focused on middle-school and high-school kids (although GOALS also hosts some trips for adults), GOALS organizes trips in the western US, including Desolation Canyon on the Green River, and in farflung places like Chile, Peru, and Nepal.
GOALS executive director Brett Hochmuth started the group in 2010 after observing as a Colorado-based middle-school teacher that his students, who lived in a mountain paradise, spent a lot of time bragging about how much time they spent in front of a computer. “It wasn’t that they didn’t want to get out in this incredible recreational paradise,” Hochmuth said in a RiverBent profile about GOALS. “They just didn’t know how to.”
Getting kids out on the rivers brought some stunning transformations, he said. “There’s something about the confidence and the camaraderie and the lessons that you can teach in the outdoors—in a relatively short amount of time—that are way more important than reading, writing, and arithmetic.”
How to support GOALS:
Grand Canyon Trust
Not solely focused on the mighty waters of the Colorado River, Grand Canyon Trust has worked since 1985 to protect the entire ecosystem—air, water, and wildlife—of the Grand Canyon and Colorado Plateau. Programs include protecting the Canyon from mining and unsustainable development, defending national monuments, supporting Native communities, restoring habitats, reducing the risk of severe forest fires, and more.
Aside from being one of the strongest forces fighting nonsensical Colorado River dam proposals (and fixing Glen Canyon Dam design flaws), GCT is working to protect Bear Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, keep uranium mining out of Grand Canyon, and improving forest health in the Colorado Plateau.
Grand Canyon Trust is a phenomenal resource for information about current threats to this region, conservation initiatives, and status of projects. In addition to donating money, you can get involved by signing petitions and submitting comments or volunteering for specific projects such as monitoring springs, planting native species, or spotting pinyon jays (something you can do on your own schedule).
How to support Grand Canyon Trust:
- Take action by signing petitions and commenting on proposals
- Volunteer in the field through organized trips or on your own
- Donate money through a one-time gift, a membership, or planned giving
Protect Our Rivers
One of the newest river conservation groups making a big impact is Protect Our Rivers, started in 2020 by Sarah Nelson to engage river runners (and anyone who loves rivers) in river cleanup projects, river access programs for kids, and water education programs.
Since its inception, POR has led 162 river cleanup events across 22 rivers and streams in six Southwest states and removed 280,000+ pounds of river trash. Nelson believes that river advocates are nurtured through direct experience with rivers. The simple act of cleaning trash out of the South Platte River, for example, can spark a lifelong interest.
“Some people have so appreciated what they’ve learned at river cleanups because they’ll realize that this is a river that their kids have played in and they didn’t realize how dirty it was,” said Nelson in a RiverBent profile about Protect Our Rivers. “This creates the connection: They think about where their water comes from, where their kids play, and start to do something about protecting those places.”
How to support Protect Our Rivers:
- Join a cleanup
- Donate with a one-time gift or monthly contribution
- Become a supporting member
- Shop for merch
Trout Unlimited
Founded in 1959, TU works to repair and renew rivers and streams and their trout and salmon populations. They were involved in removing the Klamath dams in California and Oregon and the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec in Maine. They also fought the proposed Pebble mine in Bristol Bay.
The Montana Trout Unlimited chapter waged a hard battle to stop the Black Butte Copper Mine, which is adjacent to Sheep Creek, a tributary of the spectacular Smith River in Montana. Known for its top-shelf fishing, the Smith is the epitome of a family-friendly float with endless hiking opportunities in a gorgeous canyon.
Despite fervent efforts by Montana TU and other river advocates, in 2025 the Montana Supreme Court upheld the water-use permit granted to mining company Sandfire Resources, which plans to pump and impound up to 457 acre feet of groundwater per year. According to Montana TU executive director David Brooks (a river-running, guitar-playing friend of mine), the group will shift to a monitoring role, including adding flow gauges on impacted waters and examining fish and aquatic life health sampling.
How to support Trout Unlimited:
- Become a member
- Take action by lending your voice to TU’s advocacy efforts
- Shop for merch
Support river initiatives for all
Getting involved with river advocacy by donating time or money helps us all ensure we’ll have rivers to paddle and river stories to share for decades to come.
