Mike McCarthy scouts the Coosawattee-Cartecay River for Paddle Georgia 2026.

Fellow River Lovers,

Georgia Rivers wrapped up the summer with many celebrations!

It was an honor to connect conservationists, leaders and outdoor recreation enthusiasts at the Georgia Rivers Gala. The Allen Family Meadow was magical and we had so much fun celebrating Okefenokee protection and the 20th anniversary of Paddle Georgia! Keep momentum from the event going and join a matching gift opportunity to protect Okefenokee's Trail Ridge from future mining.

We also hosted a Beaver Crew Celebration to congratulate the many graduates from our paddlesports training program. This year marks Georgia Rivers' fourth year of identifying emerging paddlesports leaders across our region and facilitating their training and certification to be nationally certified ACA instructors. These instructors go on to promote safety on the water and introduce more people to Georgia rivers!

Celebrations like the Georgia Rivers Gala and Beaver Crew Graduation connect us and inspire future river recreation and conservation initiatives. Thank you for celebrating with us and encouraging our work to protect and connect with Georgia rivers!

Yours in river recreation and conservation, 

Rena Ann Peck

Executive Director

Rena Ann Peck and AJC Andrew Morse called for full protection of Okefenokee's Trail Ridge at the Georgia Rivers Gala.

Highlights from the Georgia Rivers Gala

Thank you for supporting river recreation and conservation at the Georgia Rivers Gala!

You help us grow the water trail network and continue the legacy of Paddle Georgia. The reverse auction alone raised over $12,000 for youth scholarships to Paddle Georgia 2026!

We celebrated the historic victory to defeat a risky mining proposal, but Okefenokee's Trail Ridge is still threatened by mining interests. Thanks for fueling our work to keep us down at the Capitol and in the local communities to secure protection from mining on private working lands along Trail Ridge, a high priority wildlife hub recognized in the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan.

Read quotes from Okefenokee Champions who called for full protection of Okefenokee's Trail Ridge.

Fish Georgia Rivers in Piedmont Park

Georgia Rivers joined Georgia DNR and and Piedmont Park Conservancy to support Minority Outdoor Alliance's Green Georgia service day to fish and beautify Piedmont Park. 70 kids learned about invasive species and picked up rods and reels  - some for the first time! - and caught many fish in the middle of Atlanta.

Refugee Women's Network on Oconee River

Georgia Rivers ventured on the Oconee River with Refugee Women's Network to honor the memory of Margie Cohen, a long-time Paddle Georgia participant who died of cancer in 2023. The family of Margie established the Summit Foundation to engage women in outdoor recreation, especially on the rivers that Margie loved. A big thanks to the Summit Foundation, the family and friends of Margie Cohen and Refugee Women's Network!

Celebrate newly certified Kayak, River Kayak, Kayak Fishing and Adaptive Paddling instructors!

Since the beginning of the Beaver Crew “Train the Trainer” coaching program, 57 graduates have achieved national certification as an ACA Paddlesports Instructor. Of those, 27 are either paddlers of color or otherwise represent adaptive/diverse audiences. All graduates are embedded leaders in their communities, already leading on-water paddlesports programming!

In 2025, we added 16 newly certified instructors including embedded leaders in Georgia Blind Kayaking, Special Olympics, University of North Georgia Outdoor Recreation, Forsyth County Parks and Rec, River Strong, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Color My Outdoors, Middle Georgia Kayaking, Historic Banning Mills, Montgomery Whitewater, Refugee Women's Network, and a National Park Ranger from Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

Additionally, we were also able to help expand the horizons of our installed base of already certified instructors. We helped 8 experienced instructors to get instructor updates or upgrades, and we facilitated training for 11 experienced instructors to earn additional instructor credentials to teach adaptive paddling to paddlers with physical disabilities or who have vision or hearing impairments. Along the way, we helped mentor 2 Instructor Trainer Candidates on the path to be able to eventually certify new instructors themselves.

Georgia's River Recreation Economy

Outdoor recreation on rivers creates healthier people, healthier communities, and even healthier economies.

Rena attended the Georgia Governor's Tourism Conference to highlight our state's many rivers, streams and water trails that draw millions of visitors annually. In 2023, outdoor recreation tourism accounted for 2.1 percent of Georgia's gross domestic product, with boating and fishing alone generating $1.1 billion in economic activity.

Andrea attended the Outdoor Economy Conference, the nation's largest outdoor recreation-focused economic development gathering. She spoke on the panel "Building Trust: Welcoming More Seats at the Table” to share how intentional programming and leadership can offer meaningful inclusion.

Fish Georgia Rivers on the Crescent Kayak Smallie

Fish Georgia Rivers coordinator Kendon Townsel has found the Crescent Kayak Smallie to be a nimble, "swiss army knife" boat fitting for for a variety of fishing adventures.

Georgia Rivers is proud to be selected as the “cause behind the craft” for new Crescent Kayak Smallie. A portion of Smallie proceeds will support our work to protect public access to all the places we love to paddle and fish!

Paddle-a-thon concludes October 13! We are close to reaching a fundraising goal of $10,000. Help us cross over the finish line! Donate in honor of your favorite paddler.

Please submit ALL paddle trips and offline donations by midnight on October 13th!! 

You can use our Adventure Log form to turn in any paddle trip you have paddled between January 1, 2025 and October 13, 2025. Eligible trips include Georgia adventures and beyond, but every trip you log in Georgia also informs our advocacy for Georgia Freedom to Float!

Thanks to our Georgia Rivers Gala sponsors who support us year-round!

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