“Water trails are more than a geographic phenomenon; they are alive.”
~ Al Staats

The water trails movement on this continent has it genesis in North American Water Trails. Its founder, Al Staats, was also a founding board member of American Rivers. Al started the important work of providing practical advice on how to establish and maintain water trails.

Al was a visionary. He saw that one of the best ways to protect rivers is to grow the caring constituency for them through recreation enjoyment

Sadly, Al passed away all too soon in the fall of 2005. His devotion to his vision for water trails was present even in his final requests to transfer to American Rivers the infrastructure, materials, and contacts needed to continue and expand his important work.

It’s because of Al’s generous donation to American Rivers that we helping communities reconnect with their rivers and work to protect and restore them through water trails, or blue trails as we call them. We are grateful for Al’s legacy and dream of clean, healthy rivers for all to enjoy. We have a few pictures of Al doing some of things he loved

For more information and resources on blue trails, please visit www.AmericanRivers.orgorwww.BlueTrailsGuide.org.