Allegheny River Nominated for River of the Year
BoatLocal Pittsburgh
2 November 2016
http://www.boatlocal.com/pittsburgh/articles/2016/river-of-the-year-vote
The public is invited to again vote online for the 2017
Pennsylvania River of the Year, choosing from among four waterways
nominated across the state, Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced today.
Waterways nominated for 2017 are the Allegheny River (Middle &
Upper) and Brandywine, Loyalhanna and Perkiomen creeks.
“There is a spirit of good-natured competition surrounding this
selection process that rallies community support around our
deserving waterways and puts them in the public limelight,” said
Dunn. “These nominated rivers and streams showcase so many unique
natural resources, recreational opportunities and incentives
boosting local economies. They also show just how blessed this
state is with its wealth of major rivers and streams, and
committed folks willing to support them.”
Nominations were based on each waterway’s conservation needs and
successes, as well as celebration plans should the nominee be
voted 2017 River of the Year. In cooperation with DCNR, selection
of public voting choices is overseen by the Pennsylvania
Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR), an affiliate of the
Pennsylvania Environmental Council.
“The online public selection process continues to be increasingly
popular as it enters its seventh year,” Dunn said.
The public can vote for their favorite state waterway beginning
Monday, Nov. 14, through 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19. Visit 2017 River
of the Year Nominees to vote and learn about the nominated
waterways and the River of the Year program. Voting will be
managed through Woobox, an online contest application that
restricts voting to one vote per email address.
POWR, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council,
administers the River of the Year program with funding from DCNR.
Presented annually since 1983, this year’s 2016 designation was
awarded to the Susquehanna River North Branch.
“It is really great to see how engaged people are in campaigning
for their local rivers and streams through this unique voting
opportunity for residents across the Commonwealth,” said Janet
Sweeney, Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers.
“The River of the Year award energized all the organizations and
communities with an interest in the Susquehanna River North
Branch,” said Endless Mountains Heritage Region Executive Director
Annette Schultz. “We were all amazed at the volume of supporting
votes from the general public, which was a surprising new measure
of the impact and success of our work as the official Water Trail
Manager, as well as the efforts of the Susquehanna Greenway
Partnership and all of the Susquehanna River advocates and
organizations.
“In addition to the kayaking sojourns organized by EMHR, many
organizations celebrated with their own events, and the tourism
promotion agencies along the North Branch joined in to promote all
of our activities. Because of the award, the Susquehanna River
North Branch received extensive recognition and community support.
That is the reward we can all continue to celebrate.”
After a waterway is chosen for the annual honor, local groups
implement a year-round slate of activities and events to celebrate
the river, including a paddling trip, or sojourn. The organization
nominating the winning river will receive a $10,000 leadership
grant from DCNR to help fund River of the Year activities.
POWR and DCNR also work with local organizations to create a free,
commemorative poster celebrating the River of the Year.
The River of the Year sojourn is just one of many paddling trips
supported by DCNR and POWR each year. An independent program, the
Pennsylvania Sojourn Program, is a unique series of a dozen such
trips on the state’s rivers. These water-based journeys for
canoeists, kayakers and others raise awareness of the
environmental, recreational, tourism and heritage values of
rivers. For more information about the sojourns, visit the POWR
website.
To learn more about DCNR’s Rivers Program, visit the DCNR website.
For details on the River of the Year program, visit the
Pennsylvania River of the Year website.