URGENT - Action Needed By Friday, May 29, to Protect Georgia's Water!

The Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), which administers and enforces regulations to prevent our waterways from being filled and piped during construction and road building, has proposed changes that would weaken protections for our rivers, streams and wetlands. The Corps has proposed a regulatory change - only in Georgia - that would allow larger, publicly-funded projects with more impacts on our waterways to be permitted with less scrutiny and limited public comment.

What you can do: E-mail Colonel Edward J. Kertis, Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, at Edward.Kertis@usace.army.mil and tell him to protect clean water in Georgia and withdraw the “Public Notice for the Issuance of Regional General permit” issued on April 29, 2009. Deadline for responding: TOMORROW, Friday, May 29.
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For more information on this issue and to take action, click here.

River Race & Festival on June 13 Offers Something for Everyone

Come out for UCR’s 7th Annual Back to the Chattahoochee River Race & Festival on Saturday, June 13. To learn about race categories and to register, click here. Pre-register through June 9 ($40 solo/$60 tandem). On-site registration ($50 solo/$70 tandem) will be available race day until 8 am based on capacity. Awards will be given in each category, plus Best Costume, Best Boat Decoration, and Team Challenge.

Don’t want to paddle? Come out for the FREE festival from 10 am - 2 pm at Roswell’s Riverside Park, featuring live music from the Watershed Project, Riverside Park’s new “spray ground,” face painting, balloon artists, vendors, environmental exhibits, and more. Click here to learn more.

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsors, 97.1 The River and WSB-TV/Channel 2!  Click here for a complete list of sponsors.

SweetWater’s Save the Hooch Campaign is Underway

To help protect the most important ingredient in the beer they brew--water from the Chattahoochee River--SweetWater Brewery is holding the Save the Hooch campaign from Memorial Day through the July 4. Save the Hooch engages beer drinkers, bar patrons, and restaurants throughout metro Atlanta in efforts to raise awareness and funds to support UCR’s river patrol and water quality monitoring programs. Find out who is participating and how you can help here.

River Discovery Series Begins June 27

UCR’ first River Discovery Series paddle trip of 2009 will be June 27 (click for details and to register). This series of five paddle trips, offered in partnership with the National Park Service, is designed for beginners and advanced paddlers alike. Together the trips run the length of the river within the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, from Bowman’s Island to Paces Mill.

For each segment, a National Park Service Ranger will acquaint paddlers with the key features of that part of the river. Although any one segment may be traveled separately, the series was designed as a whole, and a discount will be provided for those who sign up for all five trips. Learn more here.

UCR Receives 4-Star Charity Rating

Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper has received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest independent evaluator of charities. Receiving four out of a possible four stars indicates that UCR “excels, as compared to other charities in America, in successfully managing the finances of (the) organization in an efficient and effective manner.” To read about UCR on Charity Navigator, click here, and to donate today, click here.