On December 5, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced the public is invited to vote online for the 2024 Pennsylvania River of the Year, choosing from among three waterways nominated throughout the state.

The nominees are the Allegheny River, the Lackawaxen River and the Youghiogheny River. 

Click Here to learn more about each river.  Click Here to vote by January 19.

“I am excited for this year’s competition and look forward to seeing which river comes out on top,” Dunn said. “This annual competition is a great way to highlight Pennsylvania’s special waterways and the benefits they bring for conservation, recreation, economic development, and so much more. We look forward to tallying up votes and announcing the 2024 River of the Year in the coming months.”

Nominations were based on each waterway’s conservation needs, successes, and programming plans if the nominee is voted 2024 River of the Year.

Selection of public voting choices is overseen by the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) in cooperation with DCNR. Dunn noted that the online public selection process continues to be increasingly popular as it enters its fourteenth year.

The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers website enables voting and offers details on nominated waterways and the River of the Year program. Voting is managed through Woobox, an online contest application restricting voting to one email address.

The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, administers the River of the Year program with funding from DCNR.

Presented annually since 1983, last year’s 2023 River of the Year designation was awarded to the North Branch Susquehanna River.

“We are excited to once again kick off the public online voting process for Pennsylvania River of the Year,” said Janet Sweeney, executive director of the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers. “As we all continue to spend more time outdoors and deepen our appreciation for the beautiful natural resources of Pennsylvania, the annual River of the Year voting process is a fun way to rally behind and support your favorite waterway.”

After a waterway is chosen for the annual honor, local groups implement a year-round slate of activities and events to celebrate the river, including a paddling trip, or sojourn.

The organization nominating the winning river will receive a $10,000 leadership grant from DCNR to help fund River of the Year activities.

The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers and DCNR also work with local organizations to create a free, commemorative poster celebrating the River of the Year.

The River of the Year sojourn is among many paddling trips supported each year by DCNR and the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers.

An independent program, the Pennsylvania Sojourn Program, is a unique series of a dozen such trips on the state’s rivers.

The water-based journeys for canoeists, kayakers and others raise awareness of the environmental, recreational, tourism and heritage values of rivers.

Visit DCNR’s Pennsylvania's Rivers Conservation Program webpage to learn more about these initiatives.

Visit Explore PA Trails and Get Outdoors PA for recreation areas near you.

Visit the PA Parks & Forests Foundation’s Events webpage and DCNR’s Calendar of Events for activities happening near you.

For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website, Visit the Good Natured DCNR Blog,  Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

[Posted: December 6, 2023]

12/11/2023