Friends of the River protects and restores California Rivers by influencing public policy and inspiring citizen action

About Us

Friends of the River was founded in 1973 during the struggle to save the Stanislaus River from New Melones Dam. Following that campaign, the group grew to become California's statewide river conservation organization. Friends of the River is dedicated to preserving and restoring California's rivers, streams, and their watersheds; as well as advocating for sustainable water management.

Today, Friends of the River has nearly 6,000 members, 12 staff members, and a 12 member Board of Directors. The organization's 2009 budget was $1.06 million. The organization's flagship publication, Headwaters, is published bi-annually, and has a distribution of 6,000. Friends of the River is based in Sacramento with field offices in Monterey and Valencia.

Friends of the River is nationally recognized as an authority on the adverse impacts of dams on rivers and ecosystems and is the most effective grassroots organization working on behalf of rivers. Friends of the River led successful campaigns for the permanent protection of many outstanding California rivers and streams - including the Kings, Kern, Merced, Tuolumne, upper Klamath, West Walker, East Carson, Sisquoc, and Big Sur Rivers; as well as Sespe Creek and Cache Creek.

Friends of the River has helped create many watershed-based citizens' groups, among them Friends of the Trinity River, Friends of the Kern River, the South Yuba River Citizens League, the Tuolumne River Preservation Trust and the Stanislaus River Council.  We also coordinate or participate in several major statewide and national campaigns and coalitions, including:

• The American River Coalition
• The California Hydropower Reform Coalition
• The Sierra Nevada Forest Protection Campaign
• California Wild Heritage Campaign
• The Environmental Water Caucus