About Us

The above video is of Purpose Prize Winner 2006 winner Barney Flynn (1935-2010), who co-founded River Partners. It offers a nice explanation of River Partners' mission.

In 1998 River Partners was founded by two conservation-minded farmers who believed that the fields of habitat restoration and agriculture could work together. Now a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, River Partners' mission is to create wildlife habitat for the benefit of people and the environment.

River Partners protects the environment by implementing large scale restoration projects along streams and rivers.

Our project sites span the Western United States, including the Colorado, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Merced, Otay, Tuolumne, Feather and Stanislaus rivers. See our project maps.

In fact, these riparian areas support some of the highest biodiversity of any ecosystem in California.

Restoring riparian areas helps rivers because:

• More trees capture more carbon emissions and therefore reduce the impact of global warming
• Healthy riparian areas are natural pollution filters. They improve water and air quality
• Healthy river ecosystems conserve salmon and trout fisheries, which are good for the economy
• Native plants and trees planted in floodways reduce erosion and control flood flows
• Restoration of public lands creates recreational and educational opportunities.

Elderberry Bush

Our combination of farming practices -- planting, cultivating, irrigating--with restoration ecology allows us to complete reforestation projects at low cost.

River Partners works with public agencies, local governments, irrigation districts and nonprofit organizations. We are considered a valuable partner for any company or public agency involved in habitat restoration.

We recognize that all of our on-the-ground projects - restoration, farming and land acquisitions - have neighbors and affect communities. Our goal is to balance the basic requirements of wildlife populations with the economic and recreational needs of local citizens.

Planting native grass plugs

River Partners' scientists and field technicians have planted more than half a million native trees and shrubs, bringing life back to critical riparian areas. We have developed innovative technology, making huge advancements in plant propagation and field design. We have reforested thousands of acres of riparian land, providing habitat for wildlife and improving quality of life for our communities.