USRowing and Waterkeeper Alliance announced this afternoon the launch of "Row for Clean Water" as a joint initiative to promote the importance of clean water and access to waterways nationwide. The initiative aligns USRowing organizations with local Waterkeepers in efforts to test, protect and clean up the waterways and communities where rowers are active. "Being a water-dependent sport clearly makes clean waterways a top priority for us," said Beth Kohl, Chief Marketing Officer for USRowing.
"Many of our members and organizations already have partnered with Waterkeepers in their efforts to clean and protect our waterways. To build a formal relationship between our two organizations was a natural progression of our grass roots initiatives, and we look forward to expanding it to include as many of our more than 1,200 member organizations as possible." "We are thrilled to partner with USRowing to draw attention to threatened waterways and together work to preserve and protect them for use by local communities and athletes of all abilities," said Marc Yaggi, Executive Director of Waterkeeper Alliance. A recent Associated Press analysis of the 2016 Olympic water venues drew international attention to the importance of clean water.
"Row for Clean Water" will bring awareness to issues facing waterways in advance of athletic participation and spark grassroots efforts in communities where events are held to find solutions to address the problems, educate the community about the importance of clean water and promote public access to waterways. Member clubs, such as Newburgh Rowing Club in New York, have long since formed alliances with local Waterkeepers to promote cleaner, rowable water. The Newburgh Rowing Club and Riverkeeper (a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance) have collaborated for years on many projects.
"We hold joint riverfront cleanups several times a year, attended by our members, their families and members of the community at large," said Juliana LoBiondo, General Counsel at Newburgh Rowing Club. "We collaborate with Riverkeeper in applying for grants to increase access to the Hudson River and we have a goal to create a water testing station for Riverkeeper right here at the Newburgh Rowing Club over the next year, which will be groundbreaking in terms of how much progress we can make together for cleaner water."
"Our rowing club also works with the DEC and local colleges on water testing. Just this week we hosted hundreds of local school children for a 'Day in the Life of the Hudson River' where we went out with nets and counted the eels and other waterlife. Our founder, coach Ed Kennedy, believes that stewardship of the Hudson River goes hand in hand with rowing on our majestic Hudson River. That is why the Newburgh Rowing Club and Riverkeeper have formed a community of like-minded people, committed to making the Hudson River cleaner, healthier and more accessible to a diverse section of the community." Earlier in the summer, USRowing surveyed its member organizations to create a focus group to determine the level of interest in giving to this new cause, create awareness and determine what additional programming could be created. Because of this, rowing clubs from across the country have signed up and will be matched with their local Waterkeepers this fall.
USRowing and Waterkeeper Alliance will host a roundtable discussion at the USRowing Convention in Philadelphia Dec. 3-6, to begin addressing these issues on a national level.