BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Wekiva Island - ECPv6.18.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Wekiva Island
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://wekivaisland.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Wekiva Island
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20180311T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20181104T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20190310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20191103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20200308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20201101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190805T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190805T235959
DTSTAMP:20210727T065315Z
CREATED:20190717T031453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210727T065315Z
UID:49112-1564963200-1565049599@wekivaisland.com
SUMMARY:Why Do We Need Wild Rivers?
DESCRIPTION:Sockeye Spawners\nA river isn’t only important to the animals who live in it\, or the people who boat on it. Its value reaches to everyone. \nEven if you’ve never felt the charge of a rapid\, or a nimble trout as it slides through your fingers\, you’re still connected to the rivers and streams that flow nearby—we all are. \nRivers are our main source of clean drinking water\, and their economic value\, environmental value\, and even aesthetic or spiritual values touch each and every American. \nOnly a fraction of one percent of America’s rivers flow freely. And it’s no surprise that those are the ones people flock to for river recreation\, and that are home to the most vibrant wildlife populations. Special protection\, such as a Wild and Scenic designation\, helps make sure rivers and their ecosystems remain free and healthy for all of us. \nHere’s why that’s important. \nA HEALTHY\, WILD RIVER MAKES FOR A CLEAN WATER SUPPLY\nWe all drink water\, and the majority of our supply comes from rivers and streams. In fact\, if all the world’s water were to fit in a gallon jug\, only a tablespoon of it would be the equivalent of the fresh water available to us to drink. \nThe health of river ecosystems directly affects the quality of the water we drink. The forest and river act as filters\, constantly purifying the water so it requires less chemical treatment and expensive filtration to be clean enough to drink. \nWILD RIVERS CAN PROVIDE FLOOD PROTECTION\nA wild river that occasionally floods its banks nourishes floodplain habitat\, important for fish and wildlife. Natural floods can also keep invasive species in check and give important cues to fish that swim upstream to spawn. \nA wild river’s connected floodplains and wetlands mitigate a flood’s damage\, providing a “relief valve” for floodwaters\, protecting downstream communities. When we protect a wild river we give it room to move\, and room to accommodate floodwaters safely. \nRIVERS SUPPORT RECREATION AND TOURISM\nWhitewater rafting in Oregon\nWild rivers are fun—and fun can be lucrative. Rafting\, fishing\, swimming\, hiking and wildlife watching all draw people—and therefore money—to areas with healthy rivers. \nSometimes those are rural areas with little else to rely on for economic development. River recreation brings jobs into areas that might otherwise turn to less sustainable industries to support their economies. \nVisitors rent kayaks\, buy gas\, eat in restaurants and stay in hotels\, which all adds up to cash flowing into the community. According to a report by the Outdoor Industry Association\, outdoor recreation participants spend $86 billion annually on watersports (kayaking\, stand-up paddling\, rafting\, canoeing\, and motorized boating)\, the second highest revenue stream\, with camping in the lead at $142 billion. Watersports directly support more than 800\,000 jobs annually. \nWILD RIVERS SUPPORT THE ENTIRE WEB OF LIFE\nCountless species of fish\, birds and other animals live in and along rivers and depend on them for their food. Riverside areas in the West provide habitat for more species of birds than all other western vegetation combined. \nEighty percent of neotropical migrant species (mostly songbirds) depend on riparian areas for nesting or migration. And\, eighty percent of all vertebrate wildlife in the Southwest depend on riverside areas for at least half of their life. Rivers also connect ecosystems to one other and affect landscapes far beyond the apparent surface of the water. For example\, wetlands provide breeding areas for many migratory birds\, and rivers provide corridors for wildlife to move within and migrate as American landscapes become increasingly fenced off and fragmented. \nWithout the last remaining wild areas that rivers provide—while all around land is being developed or fenced off—species as small as crabs and as large as moose lose their ability to find food and reproduce. \nWILD RIVERS HOLD IMMEASURABLE SPIRITUAL AND AESTHETIC VALUE\nIf literature is any indication\, wild and free rivers are a key metaphor for the human experience. \nBooks have been written in honor of them. Poets use them as similes. Many religions have long held water as a part of their spiritual values. If there had been no wild and free Mississippi\, there would be no Huck Finn. The river was a symbol of freedom and opportunity. \nEven today\, whether it’s sitting by a tiny trickling alpine stream or rafting the mighty Colorado River through the Grand Canyon\, people from all walks of life find inspiration and a sense of smallness and peace with nature alongside wild rivers. \nEconomic values aside\, we are all psychologically\, spiritually connected to clean\, flowing rivers
URL:https://wekivaisland.com/event/why-do-we-need-wild-rivers/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wekivaisland.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/IMG_4630-2-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR