Dear River Protector,

What a historic start to the summer!

The Twin Pines mining threat is over! This is a huge victory for the Okefenokee! The Conservation Fund purchased the Twin Pines Minerals land for $60 million. Georgia Rivers played a key role by increasing public awareness and connecting top donors to The Conservation Fund. Everyone played a part in protecting the Wild Heart of Georgia! Our next step is to protect all of Trail Ridge.

Paddle Georgia 2025 was a huge success! Over 400 paddlers journeyed down the Tennessee River basin through Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Paddle Georgia. Read on for a recap with pictures!

The Georgia Rivers Gala will be September 18 at the Ivan Allen Family Meadow in Atlanta. We will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Paddle Georgia and honor Muscogee Creek canoe culture and Okefenokee champions. Our gala is growing and tickets are going fast!

Breaking news on the Okefenokee, one of our biggest Paddle Georgia trips to date, and our upcoming gala make this a very special time for Georgia Rivers. I'm honored to celebrate with you and have your support every step of the way.

Yours in river recreation and conservation, 

Rena Ann Peck

Executive Director

Celebrate Paddle Georgia and Okefenokee Protection!

Join us September 18 at the Ivan Allen Family Meadow in Atlanta to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Paddle Georgia and honor Muscogee Creek canoe culture and Okefenokee champions.

Gala proceeds will support the future of river conservation paddle trips and the protection of water trails from the Chattahoochee River to the Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trail.

To purchase tickets, sponsor or learn more, visit our event website.

Credit: Mike Luckovich/AJC

Victory for the Okefenokee!

The Twin Pines mining threat is over! This is a huge win for the Okefenokee!

The Conservation Fund purchased the Twin Pines Minerals land for $60 million.

Georgia Rivers played a key role in this land deal by increasing public awareness and connecting top donors to The Conservation Fund. Our paddle trips on the Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trails and flights over the swamp set the stage for this historic victory.

Everyone who raised their voice played a part in this success, and everyone in Georgia can celebrate this first step to protect all of Trail Ridge! The next step is to protect all land on Trail Ridge.

Keep the momentum going by giving to our Okefenokee campaign to help ensure that all of Trail Ridge and the Okefenokee Wilderness are protected from mining forever.

Our map shows the areas of Trail Ridge that are unprotected and could still be subject to mining operations. 

The Best of Paddle Georgia 2025

Over 400 paddlers journeyed down the Tennessee River basin through Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama June 15-22. Join us in reliving the best moments of Paddle Georgia!

We made the news! Watch our ingenious portage on South Chickamauga Creek and our launch from downtown Chattanooga.

Read Joe Cook's trip reflection on our blog.

Paddle Georgia 2025 was made possible through sponsorships from:

Georgia Power, Georgia DNR, Patagonia, REI,The Hike Inn, Adventure Keen , Purina, Hennessy Land Rover, Colonial Pipeline, Southern Gas, RYAM, Baxter & Harbin LLC, Mill Creek Environmental, RES, Georgia Mining Association, Stream Techs, Fruit of the Loom, Terry Pate CPA, Troncalli Subaru, John Miller Kayak Classes, Crescent Kayaks, The Canoe House, Southeast Adventure Outfitters, Wildwater, Westbrook Supply Company, Whitewater Express, Murph's Surf, Savannah Canoe and Kayak, Jim and Kim Butler and Tom Cofer/Butler Prather, Georgia Kayak Fishing, Oconee Outfitter/Ocmulgee Outdoor Expeditions, Mustang Survival, Southwire, Appalachian Outfitters, Royal Restrooms, Isdell Foundation, Café Campesino, Festive Waters, Spears Foundation, Molson Coors, EVRAH3 Water, Georgia Canoeing Association, Rock City, Ruby Falls, Tennessee River Place, Dicks House of Sport, Tennessee RiverLine, Outdoor Chattanooga, Kayaarm, Kayak Kushion, Coca-Cola, Tennessee Valley Canoe Club

It was great to be on the water with our sponsors Tennessee RiverLine, Outdoor Chattanooga, Tennessee Valley Canoe Club, Georgia Canoeing Association, and many other volunteers!

Upcoming Events

New water trails and safety features added to the Georgia River Guide mobile app

It’s time to UPDATE your Georgia River Guide in the App Store!

Paddlers seeking new river adventures can now discover 40+ water trails on the Georgia River Guide and see real-time warnings including water levels and bacteria levels recommended for recreation.

We added five new water trails: Brier Creek, Chestatee River, Ebenezer Creek, Flat Shoals Creek, and Lazer Creek.

New features include:

• Real-time warnings for low or high water based on recommended runnable levels and USGS gauges
• Real-time warnings about e coli bacteria levels based on USGS gauges
• Access to dam release schedules according to USACE and Georgia Power published dam releases
• Fishing guides

A big thanks to our interns Harshavardhan Meka and Nazim Malwan, and partners at GeoMarvel!

Congratulations to our new ACA certified instructors!

This month Georgia Rivers facilitated an ACA Instructor Certification Workshop to help leaders from three states earn national certification as ACA Level 2 River Kayaking and Kayak Fishing Instructors!

Our group included:

• Conservation Enforcement Officers and Park Rangers from Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
• a National Park Service Ranger from Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
• State Park Rangers from Tennessee State Parks
• a leader from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary - Paddlecraft Safety Division in Tennessee
• Regional and National leaders in Kayak Fishing from Georgia and Alabama

In total, we can congratulate 14 new ACA Level 1 and Level 2 River Kayaking instructors and 14 new ACA Kayak Fishing Instructors and several instructors who expanded their credentials!

Kayak Classes and Paddlesports Training Recap

We hosted many kayak skills and safety classes across the state in June:

• Rescue for Rec Boaters - Lake Day
• Rescue for Rec Boaters - River Day
• Paddle Georgia Primer
• Intro to Kayaking Savannah
• Intro to Kayaking - Acworth
• Intro to River Kayaking - Dahlonega 

Want to build your confidence on the water? Learn more about our kayaking classes!

Submit Your Adventure Logs!

Paddle-a-thon, our annual paddling competition and peer-to-peer fundraising event, is heating up! Even more paddlers will hit the water soon, and you don't want to be left behind in the competition!

Log ALL paddle trips you take using our Adventure Log form. Don't forget you can log any trips you take from Jan 1 to the end of Paddle-a-thon in October!

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