It is important, for everyone, to understand what role the Headwater's Institute plays in our White Salmon Riverfest & Symposium. But first, I'd like to share with you what the Headwater's Institute stands for.
The Headwater's Institute was formed by a small group of river enthusiasts to provide education that inspires individuals and communities to care for and connect with their watershed. HWI is a non-profit organization and consists of volunteers who organize events locally and nation-wide. HWI is supported and endorsed by American Whitewater, American Rivers, River Network and many more.
What is a watershed? We all live in a watershed. It surrounds the entire landscape between moutain ridgelines and the coastlines that surround our continents. Watersheds contain multiple layers of life which are all fundamentally connected by the water that flows through their creeks, rivers, estuaries, and wetlands.
HWI was created to assist and enhance annual educational seminars for guides and educators to teach, learn and share their common passion for rivers, coasts, lakes and their watersheds. This is where HWI comes into play on our very own White Salmon River.
By teaming up with HWI, we are given a structure which helps us put together a well-designed Watershed Education Seminar on the White Salmon River.
With HWI's support and guidance, we can join others in uniting our rivers nationwide. For example, HWI seminars are held on the American River in California, the Denali River in Alaska, the Snake and the Rio Grande, just to name a few. With HWI giving us support and structure we all have a common goal: To provide natural history, conservation, and interpretive trainings for all. These seminars encourage and promote a deeper public understanding of the importance of healthy rivers and their watershed ecosystems from ridgeline to coastline.
To learn more about the Headwater's Institute, please visit www.headwatersinstitute.org.
Last year we organized the First Annual White Salmon Riverfest and Symposium, with a turn of over 70 people (raft guides, kayakers and others). It was a very successful event and has built great momentum for the future.
So, mark your calendar for June 6th, 2007 for our 2nd Annual White Salmon Riverfest and Symposium.
Stay tuned for the next posting: "So who's organizing the event anyhow?" Meet Jaco Klinkenberg and Heather Herbeck. . . get to know a little bit more about them. Coming soon!
Heather Herbeck - hherbeck@yahoo.com
Jaco Klinkenberg - jaco@wetplanetwhitewater.com
whitesalmonriverfest@gmail.com
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