This year’s Most Endangered Rivers report from American Rivers makes one thing clear: It is not sustainable for a single river to support 36 million people.

That’s the situation today for the Colorado River. Though millions use its water, it is already so over-tapped that it now dries up to a trickle before reaching the sea. Climate change and population growth have the potential to make the situation worse. The Bureau of Reclamation’s own report (Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study, December 2012) stresses that there is not enough water to meet current demands across the basin, let alone support future demand increases. Scientists predict climate change will reduce the Colorado River’s flow by 10 to 30 percent by 2050. We can’t stay on the path we’re on now if we want this iconic river and its surrounding parks and communities to remain healthy.

That’s why, now more than ever, it’s time to talk about how best to conserve the river while ensuring our protected lands remain unimpaired for future generations.

Images of this iconic river are entwined with the majestic national parks it travels through, from the meadows and rich valleys of Rocky Mountain to the dramatic vistas of the Grand Canyon. A Park Service brochure of the region captures so much of it so well for me:

The national parks of the Colorado River basin set aside the best of the river corridor’s most scenic, natural, and cultural wonders to serve the country’s heart and spirit … Dinosaur National Monument’s cathedral-like canyons where the Green and Yampa Rivers meet … Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park’s steep, narrow gash through some of the hardest rock on Earth … Curecanti National Recreation Area’s vast blue shimmer in the Colorado high country … Canyonlands National Park’s meandering gulches in the heart of Utah’s red rock country … the stark meeting of big water and big desert in Glen Canyon and Lake Mead National Recreation Area … more than 2,000 sandstone arches at Arches National Park … and the breathtaking, mile-deep descent into geologic time that is Grand Canyon National Park.

These parks and recreation areas depend on the river for their health and vitality, and in turn create economic boons for surrounding communities throughout the basin. Yet, it is a nearly impossible challenge for the National Park Service to fulfill its mandate to conserve resources in these parks due to ongoing water management issues. The various federal agencies managing the river have aimed to provide a reliable supply of water to this rapidly growing region of the country but haven’t significantly considered how to incorporate the protection of parklands. Americans recognize the special character of these wild places and protect them for present and future generations. It is now my turn, and yours, to speak up on behalf of national parks to ensure these southwestern jewels remain for our children and theirs.

In their report, American Rivers points to the need for Congress to fund programs that will encourage better water management of the Colorado River for the 21st century. NPCA couldn’t agree more. All concerned agencies, including the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Park Service must be involved in the development of a long-term, basin-wide framework to proactively manage water flows to address the needs of surrounding cities, agriculture, hydropower, recreation, and environmental resources. Full participation with an open, transparent process and adequate funding are both crucial to the future of this great American waterway.

NPCA’s Colorado River program is working to incorporate healthy river flows and healthy national parklands into the land- and water-management discussions more fully. These protected natural areas are part of larger landscapes and ecosystems that require collaboration among disparate stakeholders to protect. We work with federal, state, and local agencies to promote proactive measures for long-term restoration and protection of these public lands and waters. We believe that by highlighting the profound impact river management and continued diversion has on our national parks—places that are both beloved for their beauty and valued for their economic leverage—we can engage a diverse network of voices that will advocate to save the Colorado River.

For more information, see our recent press statement on American Rivers’ Most Endangered River and learn more about NPCA’s Colorado River program. You can take action for the Colorado River on the American Rivers website, and learn more by reading the Most Endangered Rivers report and watching the video below.

There are few places better known or more loved than Yosemite National Park. As a transplated Californian originally from Iowa, it wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I first emerged from the park’s famous Tunnel View to the jaw-dropping, iconic sight of El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls rising from the Valley floor and Half Dome shining in the background. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve come out of that tunnel now, but the novelty hasn’t worn off. Yosemite is the first place I take family and friends who visit from the Midwest, and it never fails to transform each of them in some way, as I believe it does for everyone who visits.

Today, I am asking people around the country to take action to help protect this majestic valley, as much for my personal love of Yosemite as my professional role to help protect the park for future generations.

My friends, family, and I are just a few of the four million people from around the world who visit Yosemite each year, mostly during the busy summer season. This enormous number of visitors during just a few months’ time means that park officials must manage large crowds while maintaining strong protections for the park’s outstanding resources—a significant challenge. Officials must adhere to many management guidelines, but one of the most important is commonly referred to as the Merced River Plan.

In 1987, Congress provided a Wild and Scenic River designation to 81 miles of the Merced River within Yosemite. The goal of this designation–the highest level of protection awarded to a river—is to preserve the Merced’s free-flowing condition and to protect and enhance its unique values that deemed it worthy of the designation. Like any body of water, a river’s health is not just about the water itself, but the riverbank and surrounding area that directly impact its vitality. In the case of the Merced River, this means that large portions of Yosemite Valley are key to its protection.

Unfortunately, for the last 13 years, Yosemite has been unable to proceed with crucial changes in infrastructure and management because the Merced River planning process has been held up by litigation. The good news is that the park has recently released a new version of the plan. NPCA supports the park’s preferred alternative (listed as alternative five in the planning documents), which is also the environmentally preferred alternative. This management strategy strikes a reasonable balance between protecting resources and delivering a quality visitor experience. It also provides a compromise for groups who have challenged versions of the plan over the years, potentially allowing this multi-million dollar process to move forward.

NPCA supports the preferred alternative of the Merced River Plan because it will maintain access for all visitors, near and far, but will also increase access to public transportation, making infrastructure changes that will decrease congestion in Yosemite Valley while allowing the same number of visitors to visit and enjoy its many natural wonders. The preferred alternative calls for more camping facilities, allowing those of us on a budget who love the most pure sights, smells, and sounds of nature more options to stay overnight, while enhancing protections for the river corridor’s natural resources. More than 200 acres of meadow will be restored under the preferred alternative and, in time, the riverbank will return to a more natural state.

Because Yosemite National Park is beloved by so many who have different opinions about how to best manage the park’s iconic natural wonders, it’s impossible to completely satisfy everyone. I personally, and NPCA organizationally, hope that park officials will find a way to continue to provide bike rentals for Yosemite Valley and implement even more public transportation in and around the park. Although some detractors raise issues with controversial aspects of the plan, such as the elimination of certain swimming pools, an ice skating rink, and rafts for rent, it shouldn’t stop the plan’s approval. My mom doesn’t travel from Iowa to Yosemite to do the types of things she has available in her own backyard. She comes to walk among the big trees, marvel at the sheer granite walls, feel the spray of waterfalls on her face. I support this Merced River Plan because it means that someday her grandchildren will be able to do the same.

You can tell Yosemite’s planners that you support the plan as well by taking action on NPCA’s website. (Note: The last day to comment is April 18, 2013.)

Today, March 22, we celebrate World Water Day. Officially sanctioned by the United Nations, this year’s theme is water cooperation, which recognizes the need to balance demands and priorities among multiple players involved in water management decisions.

Much of Everglades restoration is about water cooperation and finding appropriate management solutions to meet the many needs of those dependent on the ecosystem while restoring the historic “River of Grass.” 

In the spirit of water cooperation, many partners came together this week to celebrate the completion and ribbon cutting of a one-mile bridge on Tamiami Trail, a major Everglades restoration project and the largest construction project in the history of the National Park Service (NPS). NPCA staff and board members joined with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy, and Everglades National Park Superintendent Dan Kimball on an inaugural crossing of the bridge.

Tamiami Trail (U.S. Highway 41/State Road 90) connects Tampa to Miami and forms a portion of the northern boundary of Everglades National Park. It provides access to one of the most popular areas of the park–Shark Valley Slough. The road is also the only way to access the Big Cypress National Preserve Visitor Center and Headquarters.

Since the road was built in the 1920s, Tamiami Trail has acted as a dam, cutting off the natural north-south water flow through the greater Everglades ecosystem. As a result, Everglades National Park is starved of vital water, deteriorating habitat for wading birds and other wildlife and altering the park’s unique ridge-and-slough landscape.

In 1989, Congress recognized the need for immediate restorative action and authorized a law known as the “Modified Water Deliveries project,” which included bridging this one mile of Tamiami Trail.  Construction started 20 years after it was authorized. Finally, today, cars can drive over the bridge with water flowing underneath as they look south to the vast expanse of Everglades National Park.

We are thrilled that this first phase of bridging is finished and appreciate the many benefits it brings. This project is critical to restoring water flows and distribution that marine wildlife, fisheries, and nesting colonies of birds rely on, including the endangered Everglade Snail Kite and the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow. Additionally, bridging Tamiami Trail will increase the capacity to move more water from Lake Okeechobee through the central Everglades, thus reducing the devastating water flows that are killing coastal estuaries, fueling red tides, and wasting billions of gallons of freshwater. People have benefitted directly from the project, too. The bridge construction already has brought much needed jobs to South Florida—from 2010 to 2012 alone, 1,212 jobs were created.

While park wildlife will feel the real, positive impact of some of these benefits in the near future, the one-mile bridge alone will not achieve the water flows necessary to restore the Everglades and truly reconnect the divided parts of the ecosystem. We must move forward with the additional bridging of Tamiami Trail.

According to the National Research Council’s “Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Third Biennial Review,” additional bridging of Tamiami Trail is required to achieve significant ecological benefits. NPS recognizes this and has already recommended an additional 5.5 miles of bridging, which Congress authorized in 2012. The planning and design phase is underway right now at NPS’ Denver Service Center. The next critical step is securing funding for the project. 

Everglades was the first national park dedicated for its biological diversity as opposed to its scenic vistas. However, as each year passes, its biological integrity is increasingly jeopardized by altered water flows. Each year we are losing critical habitat and endangered species. 

Bridging Tamiami Trail is the highest priority project restoring an ecosystem in a national park. Now that the first mile is complete, we look to continuing this work with our partners, in the spirit of World Water Day’s theme of water cooperation, to build on this momentum and make a real difference for America’s Everglades. 

For more information, see our recent press statement on the Tamiami Trail bridging and learn more about NPCA’s Great Waters program.

Everglades champions and advocates convened earlier this month in Coral Gables, Florida, for the 28^th annual Everglades Coalition Conference–an event that unites hundreds of people who are working to restore America’s Everglades. Looking back over recent years and at the opportunities that lie ahead, there is a lot to celebrate.

Under the leadership of NPCA’s Dawn Shirreffs, the Everglades Coalition organized a well-attended event with more than 300 participants, none of whom complained about traveling to sunny South Florida in January. State and federal officials were there to highlight the restoration efforts underway and outline the exciting opportunities ahead.

During the week leading up to the conference, two congressional Everglades champions, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Representative Alcee Hastings (D-FL), joined together in a strong display of bipartisan support by reinstating the Everglades Congressional Caucus, a group of members of Congress who have a special interest in protecting and restoring the Everglades for its environmental and economic benefits. In recent years, something as vital as restoring America’s Everglades unfortunately fell into the pit of partisanship. However, with the announcement from Representatives Diaz-Balart and Hastings, the Everglades Caucus is back in business. And it is growing in members very quickly, with three of Florida’s newest members of Congress–Representatives Lois Frankel (D-FL), Patrick Murphy (D-FL), and Joe Garcia (D-FL)–committing to joining the caucus in their remarks to conference participants, who responded with much applause.   

NPCA hosted Friday night’s dinner where NPCA Vice President Theresa Pierno emceed the evening, which included speeches from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Darden Restaurants CEO Clarence Otis, Jr. In his keynote address, Secretary Salazar highlighted the need to move forward on the additional 5.5 miles of bridging along Tamiami Trail as part of the National Parks Centennial in 2016.

Representatives Diaz-Balart and Debbie Wasserman Schultz spoke at Saturday night’s dinner about their continued commitment to Everglades restoration. Both members noted the opportunities to find common ground and advance much-needed funding, even during a time when the budget is tight. This is particularly significant coming from two members from Florida who sit on the House Appropriations Committee. 

Participants emphasized several priorities repeatedly during the conference:

• Move forward with additional bridging on Tamiami Trail to restore water flow south to Everglades National Park.
• Encourage President Obama, Congress, Governor Scott, and the Florida General Assembly to commit the funding necessary for Everglades projects to advance.
• Encourage Congress to pass a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to authorize construction on five restoration projects to move forward. Currently all authorized projects are underway and progress will stall unless Congress acts.
• Leverage penalties from the BP Gulf oil spill for projects that restore the Southern Gulf of Mexico, which include certain Everglades projects.

During the conference, we celebrated the completion of a major restoration achievement: phase one of the C-111 spreader canal, a project that is part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The C-111 is one of the largest canals in South Florida; over time, its use has altered the water flow out of Everglades, draining fresh water from the park’s adjacent wetlands. The newly constructed spreader will prevent the water table from getting too low at the park by increasing the amount of fresh water entering through Taylor Slough. This move will revitalize Florida Bay where unusually high concentrations of salt water have threatened wildlife and habitat. To move forward with construction on phase two, Congress must pass WRDA to authorize the project. 

Fortunately, we will celebrate another major milestone next month. The federal government will complete construction on the one-mile bridge on Tamiami Trail–an essential step to restore critical water flow south to Everglades National Park. Stay tuned for more details on the additional work that lies ahead. 

Learn more about NPCA’s Great Waters program and our work to fund Everglades restoration.

Forty years ago today, Congress overrode a veto from President Nixon to officially make the Clean Water Act the nation’s law for protecting one of our most precious and irreplaceable resources. This landmark legislation is the reason why we are able to enjoy the many activities that we do today on our rivers, streams, and lakes, including those in and around our national parks. 

While participating in the Great Lakes Restoration Conference in Cleveland last month, I had the opportunity to visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park for the first time. I met with park rangers and learned about restoration projects on the park’s waterways. As I stood on the banks of the famous Cuyahoga River, I had a hard time imagining that this beautiful river–now a centerpiece of a national park–was once one of the most polluted rivers in the nation, so much so that fish could not live along the stretch that is now in the park.

In 1969, just a few years before the Clean Water Act was passed, pollution on the river caught fire, as it had several times before. It was a wake-up call for many Americans to think about how we are using our rivers, streams, and lakes. Should we be dumping toxic industrial waste and oil-soaked debris into the same rivers and lakes that supply our drinking water?

Fortunately, we have come a long way from the days of burning rivers, and that’s something to celebrate!

When the Clean Water Act passed 40 years ago, less than a third of our nation’s waterways met water quality standards. Today more than two-thirds meet those standards. While we are greatly improved from where we were, there are many waterways around the country where pollution and toxins are so high that it is unsafe to swim or fish and drinking water standards are not met.

On the Cuyahoga today, one can find more than 40 fish species up and down the same stretch of river that had none 40 years ago. Thanks to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, there is a restoration project in Cuyahoga Valley National Park to reconnect Stanford Run tributary to the Cuyahoga River, which will improve Lake Erie water quality and provide additional fish and wildlife habitat. The river is returning. However, park managers still discourage canoeing, swimming, and wading in the river because of sewage and pathogens. We aren’t there yet. 

Unfortunately, there are times at other national parks when visitors are restricted from using the waterways. There have been times when park rangers at the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area have limited public access due to rises in fecal coliform levels. At the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, there has been a recreational water contact advisory for boating, swimming, and fishing due to a sewage treatment plant failure. There have been fish advisories for mercury levels at Cape Cod National Seashore.

These national parks are some of the most highly protected and cherished places in our country. If they don’t meet the standards, one can only imagine what it is like for waterways that have been neglected.

Protecting the quality of water that flows through and surrounds national parks is a responsibility that lies beyond the jurisdiction of the National Park Service and rests with the states and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There is ongoing litigation between several states and EPA about how the Clean Water Act is being executed, and a lack of clarity about which waters are protected under the Clean Water Act due to Supreme Court decisions. These judicial uncertainties are leaving many waterways and wetlands exposed to pollution and degradation.

Our current Congress has acted against clean water more so than any other in history. There have been more than two dozen votes on separate amendments or bills to gut Clean Water Act protections, derail ongoing clean-up and restoration efforts, or add industry-specific loopholes to bedrock environmental laws. There have been nearly a dozen bills introduced to limit the administration’s authority to protect and restore our nation’s Great Waters and several amendments to appropriations bills to eliminate clean water funding.

Through NPCA’s leadership in the America’s Great Waters Coalition, we work to ensure that the protection and restoration of our nation’s waterways are viewed as a national priority. Without the safeguards provided by the Clean Water Act, our Great Waters, such as the Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, and Everglades, and the national parks that they support, will deteriorate, and our restoration efforts will be unsuccessful. 

As we celebrate today’s anniversary, we reflect back on how much progress has been made to clean up our waterways from the days of burning rivers. This progress must continue and not stall or reverse. Poll after poll ranks clean water at the top of Americans’ environmental concerns. We must remind our decision-makers that clean water is vital for our health, livelihoods, and economic prosperity. Hopefully, with another decade of strong support and protections we can celebrate the 50th anniversary with swimming and fishing in even more waterways in our parks and around our country.

For more information about how NPCA is working to improve the quality of our Great Waters, visit www.npca.org/greatwaters.

But threats to the health of the Great Lakes and to the 13 national parks in the watershed abound. The National Park Service battles invasive species, falling water levels, eroding shorelines, and contaminated tributary lakes and rivers, while using ever-shrinking budgets to combat these threats. A few years ago, however, an important federal funding source was established to restore the Great Lakes and improve water quality to the more than 30 million Americans that depend on the lakes for their drinking water–the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, or GLRI.

The GLRI provides about $300 million each year to many projects in cities, rivers, and harbors around the lakes. It provides the National Park Service with critical annual funding to respond to ecosystem needs in eight of our Great Lakes parks, with more than $18 million of GLRI funding currently allocated to restoration projects. And we are seeing great results.

NPCA has put together a compelling list of successful GLRI-funded projects at our Great Lakes national parks. A Sound Investment: Restoring the Great Lakes in our National Parks provides a look at six projects currently underway. Check out the Park Service’s award-winning film series, Little Things, Big Problems, funded by GLRI dollars. The films discuss the dangers of invasive species like zebra mussels and the Round Goby, how they’re impacting our Great Lakes, and how the public can help stem the spread of these invaders.

A great example of GLRI funding in action is the “Reconnecting Waterways” project at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which has created jobs for land surveyors, hydrologists, and soil scientists and has engaged hundreds of volunteers, including a group of college students helping out with assistance from NPCA. So far, nearly 55 acres of wetlands have been restored and native water birds such as coots, kingfishers, and green herons have returned to the national lakeshore after being gone from the park for more than 100 years.

At a time when the Park Service budget faces additional cuts, which can lead to smaller workforces and less ability to protect the water and wildlife in our Great Lakes national parks, the GLRI has provided much-needed jobs for the Park Service and local communities. If we cut funding for the GLRI now, it will only be more costly in the long run. Tell your elected officials to support the GLRI because it protects our national parks. Let’s tell the presidential candidates how important our Great Lakes national parks are.

-Lynn McClure, Director of NPCA’s Midwest Regional Office

Learn More

Watch this seven-minute video by the National Park Service on the importance of removing invasives at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore–one of the projects funded by GLRI.

Outside judged towns by their cost of living, cultural vibrancy, job prospects, environmental stewardship, and access to the outdoors. Richmond’s top ranking marks both the James River’s comeback and an introduction to the region’s new water trail.

A Comeback Story

Flowing through the heart of Richmond, the James River boasts a community of boaters, fishermen, bikers, and runners who all seem to know someone who commutes by kayak. For decades, the James had a reputation as one of the most polluted rivers in the country—where raw sewage ate the paint off new boats. However, Outside credits the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, which “paved the way for the James’ 13-year shutdown and the city-funded reconstruction that followed.”

This year, we mark the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and Bill Street, Executive Director of the James River Association, believes “the James is arguably the most improved river in the country.” Outside magazine details its comeback, which has made the water clean enough for the return of carp, American shad, and Atlantic sturgeon.

America’s Founding River

The James River is part of the nation’s first national water trail, the 3,000-mile-long Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, which follows the historic routes of the English explorer’s voyages on the Chesapeake Bay. Originally designated by Congress in 2006, it was expanded in 2012 to include the Upper James River Component Connecting Trail, which crosses nine counties and connects at the Falls of the James in Richmond. Both the Captain John Smith Chesapeake and Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trails allow outdoor enthusiasts to visit the 54 national park sites throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. To learn more about how this new water trail protects the natural landscape and preserves cultural and historic sites visit www.smithtrail.net. 

Learn More and Take Action

NPCA is a founding member of the Choose Clean Water Coalition dedicated to protecting and restoring water quality throughout the Chesapeake. Learn more about how NPCA is protecting national park landscapes in the Chesapeake. You can also take action to help protect the Chesapeake Bay from pollution by telling the Environmental Protection Agency you support strong federal clean-up measures.

-Edward Stierli, Steve & Roberta Denning Land Conservation Fellow

Did you know that August is National Water Quality Month? It makes a lot of sense to draw attention to the importance of having clean water during a month when people are enjoying rivers, lakes, and oceans across the country. 

Waterways in and around national parks provide some of the best recreational opportunities –whether you’re boating on Lake Powell at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, viewing the sandstone cliffs at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, snorkeling at Biscayne National Park, or fishing the Gibbon River in Yellowstone National Park.   

Unfortunately, 207 of our 397 national parks–52 percent–have waterways that are considered “impaired” under the Clean Water Act, meaning they do not meet appropriate water quality standards. The most common reasons why they fail to meet the standards include high levels of pathogens, mercury, heavy metals, nutrients, and sediment. For national parks, most of these pollutants are the result of activities happening beyond park boundaries, often from upstream or airborne contaminants. 

The National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, monitors water quality data and keeps general information such as acres of lakes, miles of streams, and even the number of waterfalls within and adjacent to each national park. They also keep track of the health of these many bodies of water. NPS makes all of this data publicly available so you can learn more about their efforts at http://nature.nps.gov/water/. You can also delve into the details on the different kinds of waterways in and around your favorite parks, including how much of this water is degraded or impaired by looking up the details at http://nature.nps.gov/water/HIS/index.cfm. 

Fortunately, identifying a waterway as impaired allows states to start more proactive pollution reduction measures, helping to reverse the damage. For example, the state of Florida is working on a plan that will store and treat water for longer periods before it flows south to Everglades National Park from Lake Okeechobee, thereby reducing the amount of phosphorus and other pollutants that enter the park from upstream agricultural areas.

NPCA works to protect and restore the waterways in and around national parks because healthy parks depend on healthy waters. As we celebrate National Water Quality Month, rest assured that as you are enjoying these late summer days on a national park waterway that NPCA is working across the country to ensure that the rivers, lakes, and oceans are in the best conditions possible. 

Join us in celebrating National Water Quality Month by taking action:

• Take steps toward cleaning up waterways in your community and conserving water in your home. The J.M. Smucker Company and its Adams, Laura Scudder’s and Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter brands are working with NPCA to encourage actions such as picking up litter along the waterline on your next hike at a park.  Just tell us how you’ll make a natural difference when you visit Make a Natural Difference online and they’ll donate $1* to NPCA.
• Get updates on water quality news and other issues affecting national parks, including ways you can take action to make a difference, by joining our online community at www.npca.org/join.
• Learn more about NPCA’s Great Waters program, visit www.npca.org/greatwaters.

*The J.M. Smucker Company and its Adams, Laura Scudder’s and Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter brands have made a combined donation of $100,000 to the NPCA, and will make a combined additional donation of up to $100,000 through April 30, 2013.

If you liked this story, you might also like:

• Focus on Water: New GeoStory Highlights Park Champions (June 20, 2012)
• Three Endangered Rivers, Countless Memories: Saving Our Nation’s Great Waters (May 23, 2012)
• Focus on Water: Protecting Our Rivers and Streams Where We Live (March 15, 2012)

In celebration of summer, we invite you to get to know 12 park champions who are restoring, conserving, and educating others about our national waters and our national parks. The stories that they tell demonstrate the range of threats to national park waters and the inspiring diversity of action that people are taking to protect and preserve our national treasures for future generations. 

The health of our national parks is directly linked to the health of the waters that surround and flow through them. From Sleeping Bear Dunes to Canyonlands, Everglades to Olympic, water is central to features, wildlife, recreation, and aesthetics and is fundamental to visitor enjoyment. 

However, beyond national park boundaries, the health of these waters is being jeopardized by urban development, degraded water quality, invasive species, altered water flows, climate change, and loss of habitat. Fortunately, these individuals are dedicated to ensuring that our Great Waters and surrounding national parks remain America’s treasures.

In partnership with National Geographic, we showcase these stories in a GeoStory—an interactive platform that combines maps with stories and photos so that viewers can visually explore places and issues. You can zoom in the map and see nearby national parks.

Explore the GeoStory here: http://www.npca.org/protecting-our-parks/air-land-water/great-waters/geostory.html

-Sarah Gaines Barmeyer, Great Waters Program Manager

American Rivers recently released its annual list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers. Although its methodology is imprecise, the report highlights real and serious threats the rivers could face this year that would change their fate for years to come.

The top three rivers hold special significance to me personally, and to the national parks that surround them.

The Potomac River

According to American Rivers, the most-endangered river in America is the Potomac River, which runs through Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.—“the nation’s river.” As a D.C. resident, I am one of the millions who depend on this river for drinking water. I also enjoy the recreational opportunities that it provides, such as hiking and biking the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park, which runs alongside the Potomac for 184 miles. And in my opinion, the best view of the Lincoln Memorial is from the Potomac, with the Washington Monument standing tall behind it.

The Potomac suffers from urban and agricultural pollution that will only get worse if Congress weakens the Clean Water Act. Since the start of this Congress, there have been more than 25 votes on separate amendments or bills to gut Clean Water Act protections, to derail ongoing clean-up and restoration efforts, or to add loopholes to bedrock environmental laws. Nearly a dozen bills to limit the administration’s authority to protect and restore our waterways have been introduced in the last five months. If stream and wetland protections are reversed, it is estimated that 10,000 miles of Potomac streams and wetlands will be in danger.

The Green River

American Rivers’ report named the Green River in Utah the country’s second-most endangered river. The Green River flows through Dinosaur National Monument and Canyonlands National Park. One of my most unforgettable national park experiences was canoeing a 52-mile stretch of the Green River, as it meandered through Canyonlands just above its confluence with the Colorado River. For four days, my husband and I embarked on this adventure through Stillwater Canyon in near-solitude, stopping occasionally for hikes to see ancient Puebloan ruins and slot canyons. One day we hiked from the river, out of the canyon, and into the Maze—the most remote district of Canyonlands. With limited water and daylight, we could only get so far before having to turn around and head back to the Green River. However, we promised each other we would return and experience this red rock wilderness properly, which we would likely access from the Green River again.

The Green River faces threats from the proposed 500-mile Flaming Gorge Pipeline, which would divert more than 250,000 acre feet of water from the Green River annually to the Front Range of Colorado.  This diversion would reduce water flow in a region that is already suffering from water shortages and high demands. It would also reduce water levels at Dinosaur and Canyonlands and impact the recreation and tourism economy, rural agriculture, native species, and downstream water use.

The Chattahoochee River

American Rivers named the Chattahoochee River in Georgia the third-most endangered river. It begins in the Blue Ridge Mountains and flows south through Atlanta and rural landscapes towards Florida. I lived in Atlanta for several years, where I relied on “the Hooch” for drinking water and recreational experiences, and worked to implement sustainable water management policies in Georgia. On days when I needed to escape the city, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area was the place to go to float downstream, hike and bike the many trails, or fly fish for trout.

The Chattahoochee River has been at the center of a “tri-state water war” between Georgia, Alabama, and Florida for more than 20 years. Rapid population growth combined with extreme droughts has put a strain on the Chattahoochee and its dependent communities. New proposals for dams upstream and downstream of Atlanta and a lack of serious commitment to water conservation only exacerbate the problems. Studies estimate that 5 million gallons of water will evaporate each day from the river if these dams move forward.

Thankfully, there is still time to inspire leaders to make decisions that will result in positive outcomes for the rivers and the people and parks that depend on them. I plan to take action so that my family and I can continue to enjoy these memorable experiences, and so future generations can as well. I encourage you to do the same.

To find out more about these and other endangered rivers, and to take action to help make a difference, visit the American Rivers website.

To learn more about NPCA’s work to protect endangered rivers and other vital waterways, visit our Great Waters program.