River Network

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law & Inflation Reduction Act represent the largest federal water investments in American history (over $55 billion!) – and are lifting up communities all over the country. We need to protect these essential investments – spread the word. https://lnkd.in/g3KreT7w #WaterInvestments #AmericaWinsWithWater ID 1: A carousel of seven graphics with bold text. Below the America Wins With Water logo, text reads Is this the biggest water investment in history? 2: A photo of a stack of pipes with text that reads 1. Removing millions of lead pipes across our cities 3: An aerial photo of a railroad bridge over a river with text that reads 2. Modernizing irrigation systems for more efficient agriculture 4: A photo of a wetland with text that reads 3. Wetland restoration and tree planting to build resilience against storms 5: A photo of a child with a basketball drinking from a water fountain, with text that reads 4. Upgrading water treatment facilities for cleaner, safer drinking water 6: A close-up photo of running water in a river with text that reads 5. Over $50 billion to protect America’s greatest resource: clean, cool, and abundant water. 7: Text reads We must protect the recent historic investments in America’s water infrastructure. Below, small text reads America Wins With Water.

River Rally 2026, here we come!! Mark your calendars, visit RiverRally.org for more info, and get excited for our next gathering in San Antonio, TX 🎉 #RiverRally2026 #CleanWater #HealthyRivers ID: A video of Raj Shukla (he/him), Executive Director of River Network, wearing a River Rally 2024 t-shirt and speaking to the camera. "Get ready to experience the heart of Texas for River Rally 2026! We'll be heading to San Antonio May 11th through 14th. Like a lot of urban waterways, the River Walk is a place that has to contend with all sorts of different tensions between tourism and preservation and all of the challenges that the warming world brings to our communities. At River Rally 2026, we'll dive into all the big challenges together, inspired by the San Antonio community and how it's come together around this treasure. We're already excited. I hope you can be there.”

Exciting news – applications are now open for our PAID State Revolving Funds (SRF) Advocacy Cohort! This 9-month cohort is for staff and volunteers from justice-oriented community-based organizations who are interested in collaborating with others across the country to advance equitable water policy and/or SRF reform. As a participant, you’ll be trained in SRF advocacy, build collective understanding of how SRFs can be used to address existing gaps in your state’s water infrastructure, advocate for more equitable implementation of SRF programs, and uplift state-based water and climate justice priorities. The SRF State Advocates Forum will select up to 10 individuals, and organizations will receive $10,000 to have a staff member or volunteer fully engage in this cohort. Learn more and apply: https://ow.ly/cWK650T4xlt Alliance for the Great Lakes Environmental Policy Innovation Center PolicyLink #StateRevolvingFunds #SRFAdvocacy ID: In the center of this graphic is a callout box, with bold text announcing the National SRF Advocacy Cohort and smaller text that says SRF State Advocates Forum, Nov 2024 – Jul 2025. Above and below the box, text reads Calling all staff and volunteers from Community-Based Organizations! Join this funded cohort & advance equitable water infrastructure investment in your community! Smaller stickers indicate that this is a paid opportunity, and to apply by Monday, September 9. At the bottom are logos for the Alliance for the Great Lakes, the Environmental Policy Innovation Center, PolicyLink, and River Network.

Seeds of ideas planted at “Carving Out Our Future” workshops on O’ahu have grown into a larger effort to perpetuate rare Hawaiian hardwood trees along with traditional carving knowledge! New federal funding will enable partners to establish five new tree planting sites across Oʻahu and strengthen the network of woodworkers on Oʻahu. Complementing this project, traditional carver Nalu Andrade will continue to host community workshops that build proficiency in carving and relationships with ʻāina (land, literal translation: that which feeds). Community carving workshops will be funded by the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife. The two projects are funded through July 2028, but collaborators intend to create a much longer-term impact. “We're not planting these trees for ourselves to use. Our hope is that these seedlings will be cared for, propagated, and eventually sustainably harvested as mature trees by our grandchildren. Along with growing trees themselves, through the practice of carving we plan to grow connections to trees that will last for generations.” - Nalu Andrade, traditional carving artist Funding for this project is provided, in part, by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program. These institutions are equal opportunity providers. Mahalo nui to Na Maka Kahiko for hosting pilot workshops this past year with Hoʻoulu ʻĀina and Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha (pictured), plus the O'ahu Department of Fish and Wildlife, Koʻolau Mountains Watershed Partnership KMWP, and Mālama Pu'uloa! River Network is highlighting this story of traditional knowledge, land stewardship, and community building in celebration of this year's Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Thank you to our collaborators on this post, Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program and the O'ahu Department of Fish and Wildlife! #DayOfTheWorldsIndigenousPeoples #IndigenousKnowledge #LandStewardship ID 1: A graphic that reads “Celebrating the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples!” Below are two photographs, one of carving artist Nalu Andrade demonstrating carving technique, and one of workshop participants carving māna ʻai bowls. Additional text reads Carving Out Our Future: Planting rare Hawaiian hardwood trees & encouraging generations of stewardship. 2: A graphic with two photographs, one of a large group of community workshop participants poses with their māna ʻai, and one of prepped strawberry guava wood "blanks" to be carved into māna ʻai at the workshop. Text reads Carving māna ʻai with strawberry guava wood! 3: A photograph of traditional carving artist Nalu Andrade, looking down at carving tools on the table he is seated at. A quote from him is overlaid on the photograph: “When we carve by hand, we bring back the tapping sounds our kūpuna heard.”

RIVER VOICES 🗣️ The August issue of River Voices is out now! In this month’s issue, you’ll find conversations on accessing federal funding with experts at American Flood Coalition (AFC), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC). We’re also announcing this year’s Wild and Scenic Stewardship Partners – and we still have funding for four more groups through our Relationship Building Awards! And don’t forget to read or listen to this month’s Meet Your Network conversation with Saraly Gonzalez, Environmental Education Director at UrbanPromise. Check out these stories and more: https://lnkd.in/g4SepnyP #WaterEquity #WaterStories #EnvironmentalJustice #EnvironmentalStorytelling ID: Graphic shows a letter popping out of an envelope that reads “River Voices.” In the center is a photograph of people working to protect the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River by hosting clean ups along the riverbanks. (Photo credit: Julia Stephens) Overlaid in the top left, text reads Aug 2024. On the right, titles of features in this issue of River Voices, displayed in boxes, read: Accessing Federal Funding: A Deep Dive, Meet Your Network: Saraly Gonzalez, and Wild & Scenic Stewardship Partners Announced!. The boxes are framed above and below by text that reads, Including… and more!

RIVER VOICES 🗣️ The July issue of River Voices is out now! Here’s what’s inside this month: highlights from the River Rally 2024 panel, Navigating Federal Funding for Local Impact; our River Rally 2024 recap video; and our first ever live Meet Your Network video with Felice Green of Milwaukee Water Commons! Check out these videos and more: https://ow.ly/HcRX50SzV2o #WaterEquity #WaterStories #EnvironmentalJustice #EnvironmentalStorytelling ID: Graphic shows a letter popping out of an envelope that reads “River Voices.” In the center is an aerial photograph from River Rally, where attendees mingle on Grand Rapids’ iconic Blue Bridge. Overlaid in the top left, text reads July 2024. On the right, titles of features in this issue of River Voices, displayed in boxes, read: Federal Funding at River Rally, River Rally 2024 Recap, and Our first LIVE Meet Your Network: Felice Green. The boxes are framed above and below by text that reads, Including… and more!

⚠️ On June 28th, a majority of the US Supreme Court overturned another critical safeguard for people and our environment. In this outrageous ruling, the Supreme Court has given courts the power to override government agency decisions. Keep reading or swipe through this post for more background, details, and the major repercussions we are likely to face soon. → Background In 1984, the Supreme Court ruled in Chevron v. NRDC that if the language of a law is ambiguous, courts must defer to the agencies’ choice in how to carry out the law. Federal agencies’ scientific, policy, law, and technical expertise makes them uniquely qualified to implement protections passed by Congress. → What happened? In a new ruling, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the US Supreme Court has overturned Chevron v. NRDC, giving courts the power to override government agency decisions. This eliminates yet another critical safeguard for people and the environment. → Why does this matter? Now, judges, who lack agency-level scientific and technical expertise, have the power to decide what protections are warranted under federal law. The ruling will likely result in anti-regulatory interests, launching numerous challenges to agency policies. In short, the Supreme Court has ruled for polluters over people. → What can we do? We must call on Congress to enact legislation that makes it clear that agencies should be the ones developing policy to implement federal laws. Read more from EarthJustice: https://ow.ly/jcV150SxpsH #ChevronOverturned #EnvironmentalJustice ID: A series of five photos with text set against a photograph of a polluting factory. The first slide reads 6/28/24 - Chevron v. NRDC overturned. Supreme Court Majority Rules for Polluters Over People. The following four slides show the same text as the caption. Each heading in the caption marks a separate slide.

We were thrilled to spend two days in June with our inspiring and committed #EnvironmentalJustice Thriving Communities Eastern National Grantmaking Collaborative partners for priority-setting, planning, and team building. We’re honored and excited to embark on this journey with Institute for Sustainable Communities, Groundwork USA, Emerald Cities Collaborative, Trust for Public Land, and Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) to channel funding to the communities that need it most! #EJ #CommunitiesFirst ID: A photograph of a group of sixteen folks total, representing the six Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Eastern National Grantmaking Collaborative partner organizations: Institute for Sustainable Communities, GroundworkUSA, Emerald Cities Collaborative, Trust for Public Land, Urban Sustainability Directors Network, and River Network. The group, which is primarily BIPOC, is indoors, standing in front of several large poster sheets covered in handwriting and taped to the wall.

RALLY RECAP 🌊 2024 Legacy Award Celebrating this year’s Legacy Award Recipient: John Echohawk! The Legacy Award recognizes and honors the significant contributions of one individual to the waters, rivers, and people they have served over the duration of their career. A member of the Pawnee Nation and the Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) since its inception in 1970, John Echohawk has been instrumental in securing water rights for Indigenous peoples. He has played a pivotal role in nearly a third of all Indian water rights cases that have resulted in settlements. Echohawk’s dedication extends beyond legal battles. He actively serves on numerous boards focused on water conservation and Indigenous rights, demonstrating a holistic approach to protecting both the environment and tribal sovereignty. The Legacy Award is a tribute to John Echohawk’s lifelong commitment to ensuring clean water for all. Congratulations! #RiverRally2024 #LegacyAward ID: A photo of John Echohawk speaking at a podium, during the Legacy of Justice plenary at River Rally 2024. Text reads 2024 Legacy Award, John Echohawk (he/him), Executive Director, Native American Rights Fund.

RALLY RECAP 🌊 2024 Emerging Leader Next, we’d like to celebrate this year’s Emerging Leader: Hira Ahmad! Hira is a Masters Candidate in Environmental Justice and Conservation Ecology at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. As a key member of a research team investigating equitable community engagement strategies across the Great Lakes Region, she has an unwavering dedication to diverse representation and co-ownership of data and information. Hira’s ability to foster connections, plus her interdisciplinary educational background, positions her perfectly to drive positive change and mutual learning within the environmental justice sphere. She envisions leveraging the Emerging Leader platform to amplify visibility for community organizations and foster greater inclusivity within the water justice movement on a national scale. Congratulations, Hira! #RiverRally2024 #EmergingLeader ID: A photo of Hira Ahmad smiling in front of the Grand River in Grand Rapids, MI. Text reads 2024 Emerging Leader, Hira Ahmad (she/her), Masters Candidate, University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.