FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 9, 2019
CONTACT: Janet Sweeney, Pennsylvania Environmental Council
PHONE: 570-718-6507
EMAIL: [email protected]
Voting to Begin for Pennsylvania’s 2020 River of the Year
Harrisburg, PA – The public is invited to again vote online for the 2020 Pennsylvania River of the Year, choosing from among five waterways nominated throughout the state.
”Regardless of the outcome, this competition builds community support around our rivers and streams, putting them in the public limelight,” Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “This annual undertaking is much more than a public vote gauging popularity of Pennsylvania waterways. All have truly unique attributes; offer incredible recreational opportunities; and bring significant boosts to local economies.”
Waterways nominated for 2020 are Brandywine Creek, Buffalo Creek, Connoquenessing Creek, Lackawanna River and Ohio River.
Nominations were based on each waterway’s conservation needs and successes, as well as celebration plans if the nominee is voted 2020 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 tenth year. The public can vote for a favorite state waterway beginning Monday, December 9, 2019 through Friday, January 17, 2020.
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 2019 designation was awarded to the Clarion River.
“We are excited to kick off, for the tenth year, the public on-line voting process for Pennsylvania River of the Year,” said POWR Director Janet Sweeney. “It is really great to see how engaged people are in campaigning for their local rivers and creeks through this unique voting opportunity for residents across the commonwealth.”
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 among many paddling trips supported each year by DCNR and POWR. An independent program, the Pennsylvania Sojourn Program is a unique series of a dozen such trips on the state’s rivers. The water-based journeys for canoeists, kayakers, and others raise awareness of the environmental, recreational, tourism and heritage values of rivers.
Visit the DCNR website to learn more about DCNR’s Rivers Program.
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