After finally getting some rest and allowing the dust to settle I'm very happy to say that River Action Day was a major success. About 90 river advocates from all over the country took to Capitol Hill to be the voice of their hometown rivers in the halls of Congress. As always, this event helped raise the political profile of several important pieces of river legislation that Congress is considering, including the Sewage Overflow Right to Know Act now pending in both the House and Senate. All told, River Action Day participants attended more than 200 congressional meetings and their presence was felt and seen on both sides of the Capitol.

Congressman Tim BishopAs a testament to the effectiveness of this event and the power that a call for action coming from a member's constituents or even just individuals from their state has, Congressman Tim Bishop of NY, one of the lead co-sponsors of the Sewage Right-to-Know bill and one of last night's recipients of American Rivers' Congressional River Champions awards informed us that yesterday the bill got eight new co-sponsors! How awesome is that?

Congressman Frank LoBiondoRepresentative Frank LoBiondo of New Jersey also received a River Champions award for his leadership on the Right to Know bill as did Rep. Norman Dicks for his work or restoring a free flowing Elwha River. It'd be nice if every member of Congress showed this kind of support and leadership on legislation to protect both public health and the environment.

Dr. Joan RoseAs promised to River Action Day participants, attached below is the power point presentation, Dr. Joan Rose, of Michigan State University, gave at the River Action Day Advocacy Training session. Her presentation gives great insight into the problem of how sewage overflows and spills are the sources of many of the harmful viruses, bacteria and other pathogens that we find in out waters - not raccoons.

There is still a tremendous amount of work that needs to be done to make sure that all of the issues River Action Day participants advocated for gets done by our elected officials. River Action Day is just a starting point for engaging the Hill staff and the Members of Congress that participants met with. As the Sewage Right-to-Know bill continues to move the Slog will continue to be a place for news on the bill. I must insist that all River Action Day participants follow-up with the staff and the Members of Congress they met with.

Thanks for making River Action Day 2007 a success!

JK

(2nd UPDATE: Eureka! We finally got Dr. Rose's presentation optiimized and shrunk to a size that we can upload. Enjoy. CLick on teh link below to download the pdf version of her power point presentation)