American Rivers Awarded an Orvis Grant to Help Restore California’s Yuba Watershed

Washington, DC – American Rivers, the leading conservation organization fighting to protect and restore the nation’s rivers, announced a $15,000 grant from The Orvis Company to help preserve the Yuba River Watershed, one of the last strongholds for wild, self-sustaining, threatened salmon and steelhead runs.

The Yuba watershed, located northeast of Sacramento, California, encompasses more than 850,000 acres from the peak of Mount Lola in the Sierras at more than 9,100 feet to the Yuba River’s confluence with the Feather River in the Central Valley.

The Yuba watershed has the potential to provide vast amounts of clean water, however, Sierra meadows have been degraded due to past land use including road building, mining, and grazing.  American Rivers is working to assess the damage to the meadows and restore those of highest priority.  Healthy meadows will retain floodwaters, provide slow releases of cold water, and improve habitat for native fish and other wildlife. 

The Orvis Company, a long-time support of American Rivers, is the oldest mail order company in the US and donates 5 percent of its pre-tax profits annually to protect nature.  In addition to this grant, The Orvis Company has sponsored American Rivers’ landmark report America’s Most Endangered Rivers™ for the last two years.  Currently, The Orvis Company is running a photo contest with profits benefitting American Rivers.

”Orvis’ support is critical in our efforts to restore the Yuba River Watershed,” said Rebecca Wodder, president of American Rivers. “We are grateful for Orvis’s ongoing commitment to our work in restoring and protecting the nation’s rivers and communities.”