Protecting the waters, woodlands, and wildlife of the New River Watershed
for 50 years! 1975-2025
| | | The New River Expedition celebrates 50 years of protection in the New River watershed. | | |
You are invited!
Please join us on the banks of the New River from 1:00 - 5:00 PM at NEW RIVER’S EDGE in Pembroke, Virginia & celebrate 50 years of protecting the NEW RIVER, and the founding of the National Committee for the New River! This is a FREE EVENT!
New tees, new hats, and new decals will be available to purchase!
Come early * and enjoy the toys New River's Edge has to offer!
Float or kayak the New River - cost is just $25 pp to play with the toys.
Annual Meeting is open to everyone and FREE!!
Bring your family and friends. Please register all guests.
Please register by July 13, 2025
*Tubes and kayaks available 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
| | New River Expedition 2025 | | |
Join the New River Expedition, a paddling adventure and peer-to-peer fundraising event that gives paddlers a way to protect the New River watershed while having an adventure on the New. We're celebrating by doing 50 miles on the New River for our 50th Birthday! Each paddler that completes 50 miles receives a special edition paddle medallion.
Our staff will be paddling four different sections of the New River throughout the summer to highlight what they are passionate about in the watershed. You can sponsor one of our staff by looking on the leaderboard for their names. All our staff trips will be highlighted on social media.
We sincerely hope you join us this summer.
For the NEW!
More info and registration HERE
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New River Expedition begins with a bang!
We are excited to see the paddlers - solo or teams - joining in the fun of our New River Expedition! We've had two teams complete over 50 miles already, and one team knocking on the door. Our thanks to everyone who has, is, or will be paddling for the New in this Expedition!
In an overnight trip, the Lansing Lady Paddlers,(pictured above) a group of 21 women led by Ann Rose, the River Warrior, paddled 18 miles each on the North Fork of the New River in Ashe County, NC. Their Team Total is 378 miles. This team raised $5,745 for the New River Conservancy.
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Team Big Bear’s New River Expedition include Damon Bungard, son Barrett Bungard, and Ralph Robertson. They each paddled 17.1 miles in Giles County, VA, for a Team Total of 51 miles. They raised $125 for the New River Conservancy.
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Team Helton Knob Hellbenders include Mike and Karen Papp. They have each paddled 47.42 miles for a Team Total of 94.84 miles. In several trips, the Papps paddled the North Fork, the South Fork and the New River in Ashe County, NC. They have so far raised $1,160 for the New River Conservancy.
Register to join below!
| | Please welcome our new team members! | |
Kathleen Armstrong
Director of Trail Planning and Community Engagement
Kathleen has spent her whole life on the New River- up and down the banks, sunning on big rocks, counting macro invertebrates and soda bottles, floating on the currents, and finding nourishment on the water. Her first experience with the New was very close to the headwaters in Southern Ashe County, before she could even walk.
In the subsequent years she has kept a close connection to the New.
Kathleen attended Appalachian State University where she explored the history of the region through academic pursuits in the Arts, Sustainable Development, and Appalachian Studies. Captivated by the complexity and abundance of the Appalachian Mountains, she sought to dedicate her life to the enrichment and enhancement of this very special place.
More Here
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Will Sowards
NRC Clean Up Coordinator
Will was born in Virginia. Since he was a young boy, he has been fascinated by the natural world and how it works. One of his earliest memories is time spent on the river, smallmouth fishing and camping with his dad. He has always recognized the true value of the outdoors and never misses an opportunity to share that with other people.
More HERE
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Celia White
NRC Clean Up Coordinator
Celia is happy to say she has never had to work indoors a day of her life. In the many corners of the world she has called home, she has been a naturalist, a land manager, and a top-tier moss
appreciator, from the rural mountains of Western Massachusetts to the hills and valleys of Italy (her favorite place), the deserts of Saudi Arabia, the Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria, the pine savannas and bayous of the Deep American South, and of course the New River Valley.
More HERE
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Sydney Haney
NRC Clean Up Coordinator
Sydney used to flip over rocks at the creek’s edge when she got tired of the fish not biting and was a little bit freaked out by the things that lived underneath. That was twenty-some years ago. Since then, she has become fascinated with all the creatures in and above the water and is dedicated to protecting and conserving natural habitat for the sake of both wildlife and humankind alike.
More HERE
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Metz Prause
Water Quality Tech
Beginning as a sailing instructor at a summer day camp in Charleston and on Lake Erie. He has also assisted with environmental toxicology research at The Citadel, focusing on the prevalence and consequences of microplastics in local aquatic ecosystems. Combining this field of study with my prior work and experience, Metz became the Ecology & Conservation Area Director at Boy Scouts of America Camp Rockefeller in Damascus, Arkansas.
More HERE
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Mason Armentrout
Summer Intern
Mason Armentrout is a Bonner Scholar in the class of 2028 at Wofford College interning with NRC this summer. He says he lives for the outdoors and is happy to be helping keep it clean!
| | Esquif donates three canoes for 50th birthday | | |
A family-owned company since 1997, Esquif Canoes takes great pride in helping paddlers of every stroke experience the joy of canoeing. Their website says "We want you to be inspired by wherever you canoe takes you, whether it be time spent on rivers, lakes or ponds. Like you, we are paddlers and each of us enjoy different types of adventures with our canoe. Canoeing for you may be on a family camping trip or heading out to that secret fishing spot or maybe it’s the thrill of whitewater or the pull to more remote places with a fully-loaded tripping canoe. Every boat is built the same way today as the first boats I made for my friends and family years ago. It is built to get you on the water and home safe this season and for seasons to come. Oh yes, and we do it with a smile on our face."
In the spirit of our 50th Anniversary, and to support our Helene Recovery efforts, Esquif has donated three canoes - one for each state in the watershed. Two of the canoes are a Prospecteur 16 - a touring canoe, and a Canyon - the ultimate expedition canoe, plus a very special one for West Virginia whitewater! These canoes will be featured at different membership events throughout the year in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. We will be announcing ways to win one of these canoes in the near future, so stay tuned!
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Ribbon Cutting held for the
Lower Hardin Creek Restoration Project
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On June 23rd, 2025, the Town of Boone hosted the long-awaited ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Lower Hardin Creek Restoration Project. After many years of planning and grant writing, New River Conservancy, in partnership with the Town of Boone, Watauga County, the Watauga County School System, and the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, began construction of the Lower Hardin Creek Restoration Project in June 2024. The project marked a significant step toward restoring ecological balance in the area. It successfully restored 2,500 feet of Hardin Creek by stabilizing the stream bed, reconnecting the stream to its natural floodway, and enhancing aquatic and terrestrial wildlife habitats.
Before the ceremony remarks were made by George Santucci, Sustainability and Special Projects Manager for the Town of Boone, Will Summer, Executive Director for NC Land and Water Fund and Joe Johnson, Director of Operations and Projects for New River Conservancy. Johnson said "This is our bread and butter. Doing projects like this is really my passion. Not only are we going to mitigate floods, we're also going to help with water quality and also provide habitat for wildlife." Santucci remarked "It's nice to see something that started 15 years ago come to fruition."
READ MORE
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NEW DECALS AVAILABLE NOW ON OUR WEBSITE!
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Membership has its benefits!
Join online today, and you’ll qualify for these exciting Members-only benefits:
- Members Only Stella decal
- Special Volunteer rate of $20 per year
- Tributaries, monthly newsletter
- Valentine’s Day and Gratitude postcard
- Hands on Volunteer Opportunities
Check out our different membership levels and benefits and join us today!
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