It was with great pride and enthusiasm that American Whitewater announced Bill Cross as our 2009 River Steward of the Year. The reward for his tireless work was much more than just good river karma however, it was a brand new kayak of his choice donated by Jackson Kayaks! Bill sent this thank you note over to the folks at Jackson Kayaks and we wanted to share it here with everyone. Thanks for all your hard work Bill!
Dear Eric and Jackson Kayak Staff,
Yesterday I received one of the best Christmas presents of my life. You sent me a beautiful orange Hero, in recognition of AW naming me River Steward of the Year. I can’t thank you enough for the wonderful boat. But more than that, I want to thank you for your incredibly generous dedication to river conservation.
I’ve been doing volunteer river conservation work since I started boating in 1978, and I am deeply passionate about it. Still, as you know it can be a slow, often frustrating slog. The most recent project I worked on was a roughly 6-year effort, led by Tom O’Keefe and the incredible AW staff, to bring whitewater releases to a beautiful stretch of the North Fork of the Rogue River here in southwest Oregon. There were times when I wondered if we would ever accomplish anything, or whether I would live long enough to see any results! Sometimes it’s hard to keep the faith for so long.
But this past July my faith was restored when we finally got our first releases into Mill Creek Canyon of the North Fork. Suddenly all the effort and waiting were worthwhile, even though it was a bittersweet moment for me: I missed the opening weekend of releases as I was at a memorial service for my brother, a water and environmental lawyer who had followed our efforts with great interest. But it was a great feeling to know that at long last, boaters were enjoying the amazing scenery and whitewater of this very special place.
When Tom told me that AW was giving me this award, I was completely surprised and humbled. There are so many people doing such good work. I’m quite sure I don’t deserve this any more than a lot of other dedicated people.
But be that as it may, what I really want you to know is how much the award, and the boat, mean to me. They inspire me to keep working for rivers. After a year that had some hard times, I feel like somebody has given me a pat on the back and said thank you, and that has reinspired me more than I can say — especially when the pat on the back comes from the likes of you and Tom O’Keefe, people I respect and admire enormously. For me, that beautiful orange boat will be a tangible reminder of what an incredible community river runners are, and how deeply they care about rivers.
Thank you again so much, and all the best for 2010.
Bill Cross