River Watch - and Listen

Great Rivers of the West

You can’t run ‘em all, but here is a suggestion for the next best thing to relieve your under-traveled life in these pandemic times. The Western Rivers Conservancy March 3 launched Great Rivers of the West, a live, online series featuring author and photographer Tim Palmer taking viewers on a visual journey to dozens of the best rivers in the western United States.

Each episode, focused on one state, has featured an engaging, fast-paced slideshow with Tim, who will tell you what these rivers are all about: Where they begin, and where they flow, the fish that make them unique and the wildlife that depends on them, and how to experience them yourself, whether by boat or on foot, with binoculars, hiking poles or fly rod in hand.

Live broadcasts are on Wednesdays at 9:00 pm Eastern through April 21. But the Conservancy is posting the shows on Vimeo afterwards, so you can catch what you missed. The shows are free, though donations of any sort are encouraged. They apparently do good work. I watched, enjoyed, and donated. Register now!

—Ed Gertler

We Are Rivers

Given that there are podcasts on just about everything, it's not surprising that there's a river podcast. Produced by American Rivers, "We Are Rivers," which is now up to Episode 35, features conversations with researchers, adventurers, writers, water experts, and artists about their connection to rivers. For more information and to listen, go to American Rivers podcast page. Also available in iTunes and Stitcher.

Whitewater Safety and Rescue

Charlie Walbridge's presentation to the CCA—"Whitewater Safety and Rescue: What We Can Learn from Our History," held via Zoom March 24—is available for viewing. Charlie tracked how safety and rescue evolved from an informal start in the 1960s to the more organized training programs that we can take advantage of today. Charlie advocated for education rather than regulation as the more effective way to improve safety, and discussed the differing ethos of paddlers and professional rescue personnel when it comes to safety and rescue.

Next Page