Dear friends of JRBP,

Do you remember when you first started caring about your local water? Maybe you grew up in a family that spent time floating nearby rivers. Maybe a different passion eventually connected you to water, something like native gardening or hunting and fishing. Maybe an educator or nature-themed magician came to your school and got you interested. All of us have something that originally piqued our interest in rivers and streams.  For some people in the Ozarks, the James River Basin Partnership (JRBP) gets to be that initial connection to water quality. Whether its students learning about watersheds during a class field trip, volunteers experiencing a river cleanup for the first time, or ecotourism floats on and around the James River. Our staff and board members have a deep respect for our local water resources and consider it an honor to connect so many with our watershed.

Last year we set exciting goals for education and outreach in 2023, including expanding our reach to more communities in the watershed, especially rural schools. I am proud to say we met and exceeded those goals, thanks in part to generous supporters of the Education Outreach Fund, which we started last year. Funds are used to support us in reaching communities that we do not have existing grants or contracts to cover our work, and for expanding our capacity to do more in the communities we currently serve. So far in 2023, JRBP has had over 3,277 contacts with students and has worked with 1,652 members of the public. That is more than double the reach from last year! We are excited to keep growing in 2024. Will you help support our expanded outreach and education work?

This was my first full year in my position as Education Outreach Coordinator, and the connections I get to make with students and adults alike is fulfilling a life-long dream of mine. There is nothing like helping a kid catch their first fish, watching someone navigate a canoe on their first float trip, or experiencing an elementary school classes excitement during a field trip. Working at JRBP has been a dream job in many ways, but what makes it extra special is getting to do all this work alongside our dedicated Board of Directors, members, volunteers, and supporters.

All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extend allowed by the IRS. Contact your financial advisor for more information.

See you on the river,

Brooke Widmar
Education Outreach Coordinator