Today is World Water Day--Celebrate a River!

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.

The freshwater that feeds our rivers also sustains our lives--we drink it, use it to irrigate fields and water gardens, use it to manufacture goods and extract minerals from the Earth. This supply is limited though, and through our activities we are able to literally remove water from the water cycle, to make it completely unusable anymore. And because of rapid population growth, industrial production and climate change, thousands of people now die every day because they can't access safe drinking water.

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.

Some stuff to check out:
1. Download "Water: Our Thirsty World" the latest issue of National Geographic Magazine for free: http://ow.ly/1pz6c
2. Check out a story I did on the Bolivian Water Crisis for Wend Magazine. Millions are poised to become refugees in the next 20 years as their glacial water source disappears: http://www.wendmag.com/404/bolivia
3. Dream Result is inspiration to get outside and celebrate rivers! Nice job Rush and Tyler.