Kick-ass photo of Spirit Falls on the Little White Salmon River. © Erik Boomer
When you’re constantly working with a bunch of crazy cool adventurers and causes, how can you not be inspired to get out and explore?
So, we thought we’d take this week to highlight a couple of groups that exemplify the phrase “work hard, play harder.”
The Epicocity Project is best known for traveling to the most remote rivers on the planet and executing first descents down these biologically rich and endangered waterways. They bring their stories home, producing adventure media to inspire people to take action.
This week in celebration of World Water Day, Epicocity’s Andy Maser took a look at rivers in his own backyard in the Northwest.
From Andy’s Dagger Kayaks blog:
As paddlers, we have a special connection to the rivers, lakes and streams where we all love to play. We anxiously await spring runoff and consistent winter storms to fill our favorite streams with the fresh water that allows us to do what we love — get outdoors and go for a paddle…
So today, when the world is focused on our freshwater resources, let’s all take some time to think about our favorite river. Is it clean and healthy? My favorite river, the Little White Salmon River in Washington, is abnormally low because of a dismal snowpack. But it’s running for now, and I’m taking today to celebrate the fact that I’m able to paddle its cool waters.
I caught up with Andy, who said:
Looking at the meager flows in our rivers this season, it’s a good reminder that we should take every day to celebrate and protect our water and our rivers. We come to the river to be challenged, motivated and to play. We’ve made protecting the world’s waterways our life’s work, so while World Water Day gave us a day to celebrate, we’re going to go ahead and extend our appreciation to rivers every single day of the year. We’ll never stop celebrating, we’ll never stop exploring and we’ll never stop protecting our rivers.
ConservationNEXT is a community of people committed to protecting North America’s wild places. It’s the outreach arm of The Conservation Alliance, an organization of outdoor businesses whose collective contributions support grassroots conservation organizations and their efforts to protect wild places where outdoor enthusiasts recreate. Alliance funds have helped to protect more than 49 million acres of land, stop or remove 27 dams, and preserve access to thousands of miles of rivers and several climbing areas.
But last week, their mission was to protect just one place — the Ventura River and Surfers Point Beach — in the year’s first 
Backyard Collective. The Backyard Collective is a roving volunteer event that brings together outdoor industry employees and Alliance grantees for a day of hands on environmental stewardship.
In one afternoon, more than 100 volunteers from Patagonia, Deckers outdoor and Horny Toad removed nearly 4 tons of trash from Ventura River and beach
Deanna Lloyd – ConservationNEXT board member said:
The Backyard Collectives are a great way to bring outdoor industry companies together to help with an environmental service project in their own backyard. And these types of events can make a huge difference. This group of volunteers made a significant contribution to the overall maintenance and beauty of this area.”
ConservationNEXT provides people with opportunities to take online action in support of conservation. The Backyard Collective moves that action to the field, and helps people get their hands dirty in their own communities. Learn more Backyard Collectives coming to your neck of the woods!
As people in the outdoor community, we have a responsibility to protect the wild places we all love to explore. I hope these stories inspired you to keep working hard… And to get out and play even harder!
Happy Friday!
