American Rivers makes it easy for you to get involved. This National River Cleanup Handbook will provide all the information you need to organize a river cleanup.
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers, and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects, and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign.
With more than 3,660,000 miles of rivers in America, almost everyone lives within a mile of a river or a stream.
Unfortunately, each year millions of tons of trash end up in our nation’s rivers.
This program was launched in 1991 to help keep our nation’s rivers clean and trash free. Since it started, more than 1,149,900 volunteers have participated in thousands of cleanups across the country, covering more than 205,500 miles of waterways. These cleanups have removed more than 17 million pounds of litter and debris from America’s rivers and streams.
National River Cleanup® provides support to individuals, organizations, and anyone interested in conducting a cleanup on their local river. If you are interested in holding a cleanup on your river, American Rivers is here to help. By registering your cleanup with American Rivers, you will receive free trash bags, assistance with online and print media coverage, volunteer promotion online and technical support.
This program is successful thanks to dedicated organizers like you and the generosity of our donors and sponsors who provide financial support, volunteer time, and online activism.
Thank you for partnering with American Rivers’ National River Cleanup for your event. We are grateful for your commitment to keeping the nation’s rivers clean and healthy for generations to come.
We combine national advocacy with field work in key river basins to deliver the greatest impact. We’re practical problem solvers with positions informed by science. With our expertise and outreach, we work to protect and restore our nation’s rivers.
Ice Age National Scenic Trail: Trail Stewardship Notebook
posted Mar 27, 2024
The Ice Age National Scenic Trail (NST) is a thousand-mile footpath highlighting Wisconsin’s renowned Ice Age heritage and scenic beauty. The Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA) and its partners can shape users’ experiences. As stewards of the land and the Trail, we can help users develop a connection with the land and create a sense of wonder — even pique their curiosity enough to further explore the Trail.
OSI Guide to Independent Stewardship for Trails
posted Mar 27, 2024
This training was developed to teach the fundamentals of basic trail maintenance to volunteers working independently in groups of three or less people. Local, state and federal land management agencies will benefit from this training because participants will gain skills that allow them to perform needed routine trail maintenance with minimal supervision and coordination.
posted May 3, 2022
This manual was created to accompany the Crew Leader training program developed by the Ozark Trail Association (OTA). It serves as an aid to volunteer Crew Leaders working with other volunteers to build and maintain single-track natural surface trails in the Ozarks region of Missouri. This manual is designed to serve as a baseline for trail construction and maintenance and as an introduction to leading small groups of volunteers on natural surface trail construction and maintenance events.
FAQ: Apps for Trail Management and Volunteers
posted May 19, 2021
Information on apps that can be used for trail management that would be suitable for volunteer-type organizations.
423 views • posted 07/26/2021
