Friends of the River Foundation

Friends of the River (FOR) was founded in 1973 during the struggle to save the Stanislaus River from New Melones Dam. Following that campaign, we grew to become California's only statewide river conservation organization.

FOR is dedicated to preserving and restoring California's rivers, streams, and their watersheds as well as advocating for sustainable water management. We believe that healthy rivers are critical to a climate resilient water future in California and the solutions must be equitable, timely, practical, and nature-based.

FOR advocates on behalf of rivers with accountable state and federal agencies, local water districts, and various other entities to ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations.