Western Rivers Conservancy

Memorial Day is upon us. It’s the unofficial start of summer!

Make your first gift of $35+ to Western Rivers Conservancy by May 26 and we’ll send you a very special, limited-edition hat—a one-time design made only for WRC supporters this summer.

Bonus: a generous donor is matching all first time gifts up to a total of $100k, so every dollar you donate gets doubled.

Your gift permanently protects fish and wildlife habitat, restores water to rivers and streams, and keeps wild places open to all.

Head to the link in our bio to give, and get your hat!

Last week, volunteers rolled up their sleeves and joined Western Rivers Conservancy and the USFWS out on the East Fork Carson River in California’s Eastern Sierra.

At the Park Ranch property that WRC is working to conserve, a crew of almost two dozen tackled a full day of fence removal and modification. Thanks to their enthusiasm and hard work, we accomplished even more than we planned!

Here’s what that work meant for the river:

- Relocating fencing keeps cows out of the stream and protects riparian habitat.
- The removed fencing makes it easier for people to get to the river.
- Remaining fences now have smooth top-wire instead of barbed, which will protect elk, mule deer and other animals that jump over or through the fences left in place for controlled compatible grazing.

Patagonia has been a longtime supporter of WRC, and getting to work alongside company volunteers last week was a gift. Park Ranch will now be in much healthier shape when we transfer it to Alpine County. And then it will be protected and open to the public!

Huge thank you, Patagonia! The fish, wildlife and people who love the East Fork Carson are better off because of you.

Geese gone viral? Huh. We’ve always been fans.

Happy International Beaver Day!

Let’s hear it for nature’s OG ecosystem engineers. These broad-tailed overachievers are a big reason your favorite rivers stay healthy. Their DIY building projects slow, spread and store water, creating wetlands that are critical for rearing salmon and trout as well as birds and countless other animals. Their dams make cleaner water, more nutrient dense soil and increase groundwater storage. Plus, they are just DAM cute!

Not so long ago, beavers lived in and shaped just about every western river. Aside from humans, they do more to shape their environment than any other species. It’s because of this that they are considered a keystone species—one that has an outsized part in shaping its ecosystem.

WRC has conserved potential habitat for these buck-toothed contractors, and a few recent projects really stand out:

-On McDermitt Creek in OR and NV, we built beaver dam analogues to attract more of the animals to the stream and improve floodplain habitat
-On our Big Bend project on the Columbia River in WA we conserved over three miles of river frontage with historic habitat for beaver
-On Tarryall Creek in CO, we protected a five-mile stretch of stream that includes rare beaver ponds

Head to the link in our bio to learn more about these and other projects—and maybe take a moment today to thank a beaver. They’ve definitely earned it.

We’re honored to find Western Rivers Conservancy in the pages of Rebecca Solnit’s new book, The Beginning Comes After the End.

In October 2024, Solnit joined the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and Western Rivers Conservancy on the banks of the Estero de San Antonio for a gathering to celebrate the return of 466 acres of ancestral land to the Tribe.

We’re proud of our partnership with Graton Rancheria which made conserving this special place possible—and touched to see the story find a place in Solnit’s work. Pick up a copy and read it for yourself.

Ancient redwoods ✅ winter steelhead ✅ coastal river ✅ ancestral lands ✅

Western Rivers Conservancy is working to purchase and conserve 298-acres on California’s Sonoma coast—home to old-growth redwoods, steelhead, 1.2 miles of the South Fork Gualala River, and ancestral lands of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians.

The stretch of river running through the property is also crucial for the tiny Gualala Roach, a fish found nowhere else on earth, while the parcel’s forests provide habitat for northern spotted owls, Sonoma tree voles and the elusive ringtail cat.

Our goal is to convey the land to the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians. This will allow the Tribe to use Traditional Ecological Knowledge alongside current forestry methods to restore the area’s redwoods and accelerate progress toward a mature forest, which will be a huge benefit for the river system and its fish and wildlife.

Head to the link in our bio to learn more!

More fly water open on the St. Joe River!

WRC just conserved the 585-acre Fishhook Creek property—purchasing it and transferring it to the Idaho Panhandle National Forests for permanent protection.

That’s 1 mile of the gin-clear St. Joe River and 0.6 miles of Fishhook Creek, now open to wade, cast, hike, hunt and explore.

Learn more about this conservation win at the link in our bio. And be sure to check out Idaho Fish and Game’s fishing seasons and rules before planning your outing!

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Only a short time left to jump on this! —the digital fishing tool that will up your game—is supporting WRC by offering their PRO membership for just $19.99 (the lowest it’s ever been!). They’re donating everything raised during this campaign to WRC to support our work protecting the great rivers of the West. Please support this effort!

Get detailed river maps + planning tools while protecting the rivers you love. Planning your next river adventure now = fun AND impactful!

👉 Visit the link in our bio and use code WRC25.

Protect the rivers you love to explore.

Protect the Rivers That Make Your Adventures Possible ​Western Rivers Conservancy has always believed that saving rivers means protecting the lands that give them life. Through strategic land acquisition, we conserve vital habitat for fish and wildlife, safeguard cold-water sources, and ensure public access along some of the West’s most treasured r...