Friends of the River

11/10/2026

California wouldn't be California without its rivers. 💙🌊

They give us water, grow our food, sustain wildlife, and make this state an incredible place to live. Our rivers do so much for us. It's time we do more for them. Be a friend to California's rivers.

Follow Friends of the River and help protect these incredible waterways for generations to come.

11/09/2026

🐟 One of nature’s most incredible journeys is happening right now! Each fall, Chinook salmon return to California’s rivers to spawn, continuing a remarkable cycle of life that helps sustain healthy rivers and thriving ecosystems.

💙 Want to witness this natural wonder for yourself? Read our latest article to discover where!

👇 Find the article link in the comments!

11/05/2026

🚣 The South Fork American River is one of California’s premier whitewater destinations, a vital habitat for wildlife, and an important part of the local community. But two proposed water diversions threaten to reduce river flows and put all of that at risk.

💙 Friends of the River is fighting to keep the American River flowing for people, wildlife, and future generations.

Want to learn what’s at stake and how we’re working to protect this incredible river?

👇 Read our latest article! Find the link in the comments.

rafting

11/04/2026

🔬🐟 How do dams, water management, and changing river conditions affect California’s salmon and the Bay-Delta ecosystem?

Friends of the River’s Lead Scientist, Devon Pearse, joined leading water scientists at the Bay-Delta Science Conference to explore these important questions.

💙 Healthy rivers depend on good science and decisions making to protect the ecosystems and wildlife that depend on them.

🌱 Want to learn how science is shaping the future of California’s rivers?

👇 Find the link to our latest article in the comments!

11/04/2026

Celebrate California’s incredible salmon and the rivers that sustain them! Join us at the 2026 Stanislaus River Salmon Festival Nov 14th in Knights Ferry, CA! 💙 Friends of the River is excited to once again sponsor this event and leading guided trips on the river.

Come enjoy:

🚣 Raft tours of the Lower Stanislaus River led by FOR’s volunteer river guides!

🐟 Interpretive staff from California Fish and Wildlife

🛍️ Dozens of local vendors

Bring your friends and family for a day celebrating salmon, rivers, and the communities working to protect them. We hope to see you there!

Details: https://www.facebook.com/SRSFest/?blm_aid=1165313

11/03/2026

Tomorrow, the State Water Board will make one of the most consequential water decisions in decades. Will it get it right?

As currently written, the Sites Reservoir draft water right could allow the project to harm water quality, threaten endangered species, and impact communities.

Sites Reservoir is a bad deal for Californians. It promises very little new water at an enormous financial and environmental cost. And those costs won't disappear. Californians today, and generations to come, will be left paying the price.

California deserves better. There are smarter, more sustainable ways to meet our state's water needs. We just need to prioritize them.

Read our full op-ed in Maven's Notebook:

Cutting corners leads to a bad project – we all suffer the hidden costs and damages By Keiko Mertz, Friends of the River There’s only one day remaining for the State to divert from its collision course on one of the most consequential and expensive water decisions to be made in our state in deca...

10/30/2026

A DAY OF INFAMY - Yesterday will go down as a dark day for California’s rivers and the Bay-Delta estuary. The State Water Board voted to approve Voluntary Agreements sweetheart deals that gut needed, long overdue, environmental flow improvements to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan.

But this fight is far from over. Friends of the River will continue working to challenge this decision and fight for the healthy, flowing rivers and estuary that California deserves.

‘A world of confusion and dysfunction’: California approves Newsom’s water plan despite Trump administration threats

10/30/2026

Sites Reservoir costs keep climbing. Who benefits, and what happens when water this expensive reaches farmers and communities? 💧

The numbers deserve a closer look. 👀

🔗 Get the details: https://tinyurl.com/TheDrip1027

10/29/2026

💧 Different centuries. Same story: California’s water treated as gold for someone to profit from.

Sites Reservoir is the latest chapter in a long history of turning our natural resources into commodities. But California’s rivers, wetlands, and water are worth more than a price tag.

There is no difference. The question is, who benefits, and what do we stand to lose?

📢 You can help stop Sites Reservoir before it’s too late. The State Water Board needs to hear from YOU, people who care about California’s rivers. Join our river community (virtually or in person) for public comment on November 4th!

👉 Register and learn more: https://bit.ly/4sey1hS