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FOR Logo Friends of the River
 The voice of California's rivers

Become a River Advocate & Whitewater Guide

CONSERVATION TRAINING THIS WEEKED: 

PDF Itinerary: April 19-21, 2013 Conservation Leadership Workshop Information

SATURDAY STARTS AT:

8:00 am in Downtown Sonora at:

Sonora Stanislaus River Museum  with Martin Blake.

68 South Washington Street, Sonora, CA 95370

Want to help preserve and restore California's rivers? Want to do something fun & exciting? One great way to be a river activist is to be a river advocate and guide for Friends of the River's Volunteer Outreach Program. For 40 years Friends of the River has trained river activists and guides. Become a river guide and river educator in our exciting hands on training! Volunteer to bring the river into the hearts of the public! Training is for private boaters or those brand new to boating—to hone skills and learn how to protect rivers. ***Now accepting applications for Summer 2013 Guide Trainings*** Click here to download the 2013 application (pdf). The Volunteer Outreach Program is supported by 200+ river activists and whitewater guides who are dedicated volunteers for Friends of the River. The Volunteer Outreach Program strives to enhance public awareness about rivers and water resources, to make river running accessible and enjoyable, and to raise money to support Friends of the River's statewide river conservation and water policy reform efforts.

 

 Volunteer Outreach Program River Advocate & Whitewater Guide Training

Guide Training Ad

 

The Friends of the River Volunteer Outreach Program sponsors guide training at the basic and advanced levels. Basic training teaches you how to be a competent and safe Class III Whitewater Paddle Guide while teaching you to be an effective advocate and activist as well. Classes are conducted both on river and off. On shore classes include seminars on conservation issues, river hydraulics, safety and rescue information, trip organization, and much more. Our training program is performed at cost in order to be as affordable as possible.  In return, the Volunteer Outreach Program asks that you make a volunteer commitment to help save the majestic rivers of the California.

The fee for the guide training course for 2013 will be $600. Commercial companies charge upto $900 just for the raft training.  With FOR you will also get conservation and river advocacy training! This program is operated at a loss - your fees just cover our costs to run the whitewater training (i.e. food, camping, equipment). If you are interested in applying, please fill out the application and email it to us by the indicated deadline. If the deadline has passed, get in touch. If class is not full we may continue to accept applications past the due date.

We plan to accept 10 candidates for the 2013 session and are only looking for conservation minded individuals who enjoy spending time outdoors and educating the public (previous rafting experience is not a requirement). We will notify applicants of our decision within three to four weeks of the application deadline. You must be a Friends of the River member to participate, so join today!

 

Logistics

 

Summer 2013

April 20 and 21, 2013 Conservation wekend training
and June 17-23, 2013 & follow up weekends

The Northern California training on the South Fork American River (Lotus, CA; 45 minutes east of Sacramento, CA) consists of one full week and one or two follow up weekend sessions. Most guides need at least 9 days of training to become proficient.

Trainees are responsible for most of the daily routine that is typical for running raft trips. During training you can expect to be busy from early in the morning until late in the evening. Flexibility and a sense of humor are crucial during training, e.g., if water flows are uncommonly low on the South Fork, we may need to change our location or schedule.

You can help us as well by recruiting your friends!  Click here to download  a basic information sheet (pdf) to email or post in your local coffee shop or other location.

 

Requirements

 

  • Good physical condition
  • Be a confident swimmer
  • CPR and First Aid Certification (to be acquired and current before training begins)
  • Desire to save rivers and educate the public

 

 

 Questions about Guide Training

Advanced Guide TrainingAdvanced Trainings are usually held in late June. The Volunteer Outreach Program hopes you choose to participate in our program and become a rafting guide and river activist. You will meet great people and have a terrific time. Our growing program provides many opportunities for our guides and their friends. If you have any further questions, please email us or contact the FOR office: (916) 442-3155 extension 211 and ask for Johnnie Carlson.

 


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