Wild and Scenic Rivers Hill Week 2024
There are many ways to connect with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Coalition, including participating in Wild and Scenic Rivers Hill Week, hosted annually in Washington DC in March.
Where/When: Virtual learning sessions online on zoom February 13-15. In-person in Washington DC March 18-22.
Who: Anyone working in a river protection career (non-profit, agency, consultant, professor, student etc.) is welcome to attend.
Cost: Free. Those travelling to DC are responsible for their own travel costs.
Travel to DC: Plan to travel to DC early on Monday, March 18 and return home Friday, March 22. If you are attending agency leadership meetings scheduled for the afternoon of March 18, you may instead need to travel to DC on Sunday, March 17.
Communications: Follow this Communications Toolkit to maximize your visit before, during, and after
Digital Session Recordings
February 13: Aligning River Protection Efforts to Benefit BIPOC
- Session 1: River Protection Report Card
- How well and where is the river conservation movement protecting rivers? Where do the gaps in protection exist? What does this tell us about future river protection? With David Moryc, American Rivers and Julian Olden, Conservation Science Partners
- Session 2 RECORDING
- Rivers of Opportunity
- Where are the gaps in river protection efforts proximate to historically disadvantaged communities? How can understanding the nexus of river values and social vulnerability inform current and future river protection work? With Janae Davis and Shanyn Viars, American Rivers
- Fishing for Food (starts at 46 minutes)
- What does recent research tell us about people and communities who fish for food in rivers? How can we better understand, recognize, and protect subsistence fishing as a river value? With Caitlin Brogan, Northern Arizona University
- Rivers of Opportunity
February 14: Heightening our DC Hill Week Impacts
- Session 1: Congressional Strategy
- What can we expect during the remainder of this Congress? How can the Wild and Scenic Rivers Dear Colleague Letters and Caucus strengthen all our campaigns? With Congressional Jake Swanson from Natural Resource Results
- Session 2: Story of Why
- How can you hone your river protection narrative for more compelling Congressional meetings? Workshop with communications and marketing experts Amy Kober and Kayeloni Scott, American Rivers
February 15: Emerging Topics in River Protection
- Session 1: Lightning Talks: Threats to River Protection from Climate and Social Changes
- Reservoir expansion with Ron Stork, Friends of the River
- Administrative protection releases through suitability with Nic Nelson, Idaho Rivers United, and Kevin Colburn, American Whitewater (starts at 35 minutes)
- Effects of Sackett with Jon Devine, Clean Water For All Coalition (starts at 1:14 minutes)
- Session 2: Wildfire and Rivers
- What pre- and post-fire challenges are river advocates facing? What strategies and positions are informing the evolving dialog around wildfire in river corridors? What can we learn from case studies in fire-prone landscapes?
- Scott Harding, American Whitewater
- Grant Werschkull, Smith River Alliance (starts at 33 minutes)
- Will Harling, Director of the Mid Klamath Watershed Council and Co-Lead for the Western Klamath Restoration Partnership (starts at 48 minutes)
- Toz Soto, Fisheries Program Manager for the Karuk Tribe (starts at 1:15 minutes)
- What pre- and post-fire challenges are river advocates facing? What strategies and positions are informing the evolving dialog around wildfire in river corridors? What can we learn from case studies in fire-prone landscapes?
Resources:
- River Protection Bill List (printable PDF of final list will be available before Hill Week DC)
- Wild and Scenic Rivers and Congressional Districts Interactive Map
Learn more about successes from past Wild and Scenic Rivers Hill Weeks.