VANCOUVER—Rivers and streams around the world will get some extra special attention on Sept. 27 when millions of people and thousands of organizations take part in World Rivers Day (WRD).
From Canada to Cameroon, England to South Africa, and Taiwan to Serbia, WRD participants will do their bit to dole out some TLC to their local waterways.
Now in its fifth year, WRD grew from B.C. Rivers Day which was founded in 1980 by Mark Angelo, WRD chair and chair of the Rivers Institute at British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Thanks to some extensive lobbying on Angelo’s part, WRD has become an international grassroots event that is recognized by and receives support from UN agencies and other organizations involved in caring for and managing river eco-systems.
“I just think it’s wonderful to see this event that started out as a B.C. event blossoming into this incredibly successful international celebration,” Angelo says.
WRD activities include extreme clean ups, habitat enhancement programs, stream restoration initiatives, educational programs, and community riverside festivals and celebrations.
While the event provides an opportunity for people to get out and enjoy their local waterways, it also helps raise awareness of the need to take better care of river ecosystems, Angelo says.
“It focuses on the many values of our rivers; it also creates greater awareness of some of the threats facing our rivers and helps encourage people to get more involved as river stewards.”
From Canada to Cameroon, England to South Africa, and Taiwan to Serbia, WRD participants will do their bit to dole out some TLC to their local waterways.
Now in its fifth year, WRD grew from B.C. Rivers Day which was founded in 1980 by Mark Angelo, WRD chair and chair of the Rivers Institute at British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Thanks to some extensive lobbying on Angelo’s part, WRD has become an international grassroots event that is recognized by and receives support from UN agencies and other organizations involved in caring for and managing river eco-systems.
“I just think it’s wonderful to see this event that started out as a B.C. event blossoming into this incredibly successful international celebration,” Angelo says.
WRD activities include extreme clean ups, habitat enhancement programs, stream restoration initiatives, educational programs, and community riverside festivals and celebrations.
While the event provides an opportunity for people to get out and enjoy their local waterways, it also helps raise awareness of the need to take better care of river ecosystems, Angelo says.
“It focuses on the many values of our rivers; it also creates greater awareness of some of the threats facing our rivers and helps encourage people to get more involved as river stewards.”
