Bringing Rivers to Life
America is a great story, and there is a river on every page of it.
—Charles Kuralt, American Rivers Board Member 1991-1997

Imagine a country with no rivers. Without wildlife or green landscapes. Where paddling, fishing and riverside recreation are mere memories. A country without enough clean water to drink. This country is not as foreign as we’d like to believe.

• None of America’s Rivers are now suitable for drinking.
• Forty percent of our rivers are unsuitable for fishing.
• Freshwater animals are the most threatened group of species in the country.
• Only 1% of America’s rivers are as healthy as we found them—clean, free-flowing and full of life.

Why are our rivers at risk? Dams and levees. Polluted runoff from farms and city streets. Toxic waste from industry. Relentless urban sprawl. Grazing, logging, mining and countless other threats.

What’s at stake? Rivers are the fundamental building blocks of healthy ecosystems. Threading throughout our land, they weave together the lives of plants, animals and people. They connect us as a nation, supply half of our drinking water, fuel our economy and enrich the quality of our lives.

Yet most of America’s 3.5 million miles of rivers are under constant assault. For centuries they have sustained and inspired us. Now they need our help.