If you're like me, when you think of river wildlife you have iconic scenes in your mind: soaring eagles swooping down to capture fish just below the surface; beavers building a dam in the trickling current; otters frolicking with each other in the water; bears standing in rushing rapids catching leaping salmon out of mid air.

What do they all have in common? Their survival depends on healthy, freeflowing rivers to provide clean weater, homes and food.

Today we celebrate National Wildlife Day by highlighting the many species that directly benefit from our work.

Help us continue our support of the nation’s wildlife by donating to American Rivers today!!

It often goes unsaid, but our efforts to protect wild rivers, restore damaged rivers and conserve clean water have a profound impact on wildlife. Some examples include:

• Wild and Scenic designations in the Yellowstone, Flathead and Missouri River watersheds in Montana will protect the native brown bear population
• Preventing a proposed copper-zinc mine on the Chilkat River in Alaska will save the world’s largest gathering of bald eagles
• Removing dams and restoring a free-flowing lower Snake River would boost wild salmon runs and return a steady food supply to endangered orca whales
• Eliminating pollution — like we just did on the Buffalo National River this year!! — will allow river otters the opportunity to thrive

Rivers are essential to all life. Please take a moment this National Wildlife Day to show your support for rivers, the lifeblood of our ecosystems that support the entire web of life.

For the Rivers (and the animals too),