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Web series takes viewers on a journey to the West’s most important rivers

| February 11, 2021 1:00 AM

PORTLAND — Western Rivers Conservancy will launch the first episode of its new web series, "Great Rivers of the West," on March 3. The eight-part series will feature live, fast-paced and highly informative slideshows by author and conservationist Tim Palmer.

Every Wednesday at 6 p.m., Pacific Time, registered viewers can get to know a different state or region on a virtual visit to the area’s keystone rivers, learning why these streams matter for fish and wildlife and how to experience them independently.

Fishpond founder and CEO Johnny Le Coq, and WRC co-founder and President Sue Doroff will kick off the episodes, and Doroff and Palmer will be available to answer questions at the end of each one.

Throughout the series, Palmer will look at top rivers across the West through the lenses of conservation and recreation — the same ones that have focused WRC’s efforts to create sanctuaries for fish and wildlife and improve recreational access to hundreds of rivers and streams for more than 30 years.

“We look at rivers through a broad filter,” said Doroff, “One that combines science and soul, wildlife and recreation. Great Rivers of the West was a tool we developed to understand the rivers of the West, and now we want to share it with everyone who wants to know rivers better, whether you’re an angler, boater, hunter, hiker or birder.”

Palmer has made the study of rivers his life’s work, paddling, photographing and writing books about them for more than four decades. He and WRC originally began producing Great Rivers of the West as a report more than a decade ago for WRC to rely on as a tool for understanding the most outstanding rivers of the West.

This year, WRC commissioned Palmer again to update the report, and this time WRC wanted to share the information with river aficionados everywhere.

“As people take to rivers and the outdoors in record numbers, there’s never been a more timely moment to release a series about experiencing, understanding and conserving the great rivers of the West,” Doroff said.

Everyone who registers for the Great Rivers of the West web series will also be automatically entered to win high-end gear from Fishpond and Sawyer Paddles & Oars, two of the series’s sponsors. Each week, at the close of every episode, a winner will be randomly selected and announced.

Those interested in registering for the series or learning more about Western Rivers Conservancy can visit westernrivers.org.