Jessica's Protect Our Rivers Fundraiser

Protect Our Rivers is a nonprofit that is very special to me, because rivers are one of my favorite things... and I want to protect them! My husband, Marty, and I spend a lot of our time enjoying life on the river and we are passionate about giving back! 

Protect Our Rivers is a Colorado-based nonprofit organization that works to make a lasting impact on river health through active conservation, education and access. They organize 40+ cleanups each year, where volunteers come together to remove trash from rivers across Colorado and beyond. They also provide hands-on educational tools to teach young river stewards about micro-trash and pollution, rural and urban watersheds, river health, river conservation, and responsible recreation.

In the short time since the organization was founded, they have accomplished some amazing things.

•    Since mid-2021, Protect Our Rivers has planned and organized 70 river cleanup events across Colorado, Montana, Utah and West Virginia to remove over 45,000 pounds of trash from rivers, streams, and nearby parks. 

•    In 2022, Protect Our Rivers increased the amount of trash collected at cleanups that is diverted from landfills by 70% through composting and recycling resources. 

•    In 2022, Protect Our Rivers interacted with 5,020 people at a cleanup event or other interactive learning event and shared valuable information about watershed conservation, river ecosystem health, or human-caused problems like pollution.

•    In 2022, we helped educate over 300 young river stewards about point source and nonpoint source pollution through interactive watershed model demonstrations. 

•    In partnership with Down River Equipment (a local rafting store), Protect Our Rivers developed and distributed river recreation cards to help educate new river runners on ways to minimize their environmental impact, Leave No Trace, and recreate on rivers responsibly.