John,

It didn’t surprise me that Dams were voted by our supporters as one of the top threats to rivers. In my years of working to restore rivers, I’ve seen dams of all shapes and sizes degrade rivers, their ecosystems and the fish and wildlife that depend on them.

There are over 90,000 dams on rivers in the U.S., many that were once at the center of a community’s livelihood but are now old, unsafe or no longer serving their intended purposes. There are also places where we now have the tools and the expertise to provide a better alternative for the benefits a dam may provide. Will you help us free more rivers?

Donate today to have your gift matched

This is the perfect time to show your support for rivers, as right now there is a match going on that will double your impact, your $50 will become $100!

Whether a dam is 210 feet tall or just 5 feet high, it can have an enormous effect on its river. Slowing or blocking a river’s flow has catastrophic repercussions on its functions and water quality. I work at American Rivers because we believe rivers should run free.

Of the 99 rivers freed last year, we were involved in 11 of them, including the Bloede Dam on the Patapsco River in Maryland, where we opened up 65 miles of river habitat and removed a dam that claimed the lives of at least nine people.

Help us free more rivers like the Patapsco, and join the community of supporters actively working to free rivers across the country.

#freerivers,