Our volunteer of the month is Rob Smage, a key member of AW’s Stream Team who volunteers his time to maintain and enhance our National River Database. In recognizing Rob we acknowledge the contributions of all our volunteers who have made this project so successful. What started out over a decade ago as a database of whitewater resources on a set of floppy disks is now a truly interactive database that all our members can contribute to. The database provides paddlers with information on rivers across the country but also functions as a key conservation tool by documenting the resources our public waterways provide. Due to the efforts of individuals like Rob our information is now widely used by agencies that manage public waterways, congressional staffers researching legislation that will affect rivers, and the general public. We have even developed formal partnerships to provide information on recreational resources for agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and we are exploring additional partnership opportunities. Thanks to the efforts of Rob and others our database has grown to over 5000 river reaches and while Rob is one of our most dedicated volunteers on the project we have well over 100 volunteers who regularly contribute. Next time you see Rob thank him for his contribution and the leadership he has demonstrated and if your river is not covered please consider joining the team today. It’s one easy way of volunteering for AW that provides significant benefits for our stewardship work.
