On July 6, 2021 in California, the County of Sonoma—in collaboration with the Russian River Confluence—announced that they will be launching the Russian River Revitalization project this summer to restore the health of the Russian River.
The campaign will engage businesses, residents and visitors in the restoration and stewardship of the river as a critical resource.
The project’s mission is to create a unified identity and platform to better communicate regional pride and advance solutions to the environmental challenges threatening the Russian River.
“This project is long overdue,” said Lynda Hopkins, Sonoma County Supervisor.
“Floods, fires and now the drought have caused enormous challenges to our local businesses and the health of our river. Sonoma County is determined to provide all the support possible to support the vitality of this delicate resource,” she added.
Local agency Catch Creative has been tapped to help strategize and develop the materials needed to inspire stewardship and engagement.
Catch Creative has extensive experience creating identities and supporting brands and organizations on the national and local level. Their experience includes working with local conservations agencies such as Ag + Open Space District and Sonoma Land Trust.
The project will be developed in collaboration with more than 22 organizations involved in the Russian River Confluence, including Sonoma County Regional Parks, Sonoma County Economic Development Board, business leaders and others from the River community.
Stakeholder meetings will be scheduled in the coming months for research and public input.
The Russian River Confluence is a collaboration of partners engaged in restoring the health and resilience of the Russian River watershed, and the communities that depend on it.
Initially launched in 2017, the organization brought together stakeholders for a series of “beyond sustainability” revitalization and resilience conversations and to tap the collective capacity of the Russian River Watershed community. After a promising start, the leadership needed to focus on fires, flood and the pandemic, yet the vision of One Watershed never dimmed and it was re-booted in 2021.
Photo courtesy of the Russian River Confluence.