Like the Chemung River itself, we are resilient, but we need your help! Join our fundraising team and let’s paddle together to help raise funds to support the Chemung River Friends 2026 Program Budget.
Our mission is to protect the Chemung River Watershed while promoting the responsible recreational enjoyment of its waterways and riverbanks. We do this best by empowering our neighbors to become stewards of the river and pass that passion along to their friends and family. This takes many forms; including educational programs like our Macroinvertebrates, or Stream Bugs, Program where we teach folks all about those creepy crawly, tiny “bugs” that call the Chemung River home and how which macros indicate how healthy our waterways are; our environmental programs like the dozens of cleanups we host throughout the year to keep trash from entering our waterways and making its way down through the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and into the ocean; and our recreational programs that promote the safe enjoyment of the Chemung River through Beginner Paddling Workshops and Guided River Paddles.
One of the most impactful ways to ensure we can continue offering all of these programs, many of which are free or low-cost, is to donate now. This year we saw, like many other non-profits, a record low acceptance rate in receiving grant funding. Every program we can host is an opportunity to empower our community to take action to help protect the Chemung River. Each one of us can’t do this alone, but together we can keep this boat on course, and ensure the protection of the finite resource that runs through us and our community, the beautiful and mighty Chemung River.