PA Organization For Watersheds And Rivers Announces PA Sojourn Grant Awards

The PA Organization for Watersheds and Rivers Thursday announced the recipients of the 2017 Pennsylvania River Sojourn Grants.

These grants are awarded on a competitive basis for single and multi-day paddling events on Pennsylvania Rivers. Grant recipients receive $500 for a single-day sojourn and $900 per day for multi-day sojourns.

This year’s grantees are:

-- Allegheny Aquatic Alliance for the Connie Q Canoe Trip Celebration on the Connoquenessing Creek, which will take place on June 24th and June 25th, 2017

-- Armstrong Center for Community Learning for the 20th Annual Allie-Kiski-Connie Canoe Sojourn on the Red Bank Creek, Conemaugh River, Loyalhanna Creek and the Kiskiminetas River, which will take place from May 18th through May 21st, 2017

-- Conemaugh Valley Conservancy for the Stony-Kiski-Conemaugh Rivers Sojourn on the Stony-Kiski-Conemaugh Rivers, which will take place from June 1st through June 4th, 2017

-- Endless Mountains Heritage Region for the 2nd Annual Susquehanna Student Sojourn on the Susquehanna North Branch, which will take place from May 12th through May 14th, 2017

-- First Waves for the First Waves Sojourn on the Stonycreek and Ohio Rivers, which will take place in June of 2017

-- French Creek Valley Conservancy for the French Creek Summer Sojourn 2017 on the French Creek Water Trail, which will take place on June 17th, 2017

-- Lackawanna River Corridor Association for the Lackawanna Riverfest 2017 on the Lackawanna River, which will take place on May 13th, 2017

-- Loyalhanna Watershed Association, Inc. for the 4th Annual Loyalhanna Sojourn on the Loyalhanna Creek, which will take place on May 20th, 2017

-- National Road Heritage Corridor – Mon River Town Program for the Rebel Rebel Float Trip: The Whiskey Rebellion as told by David Bowie Impersonators on the Monongahela River, which will take place on July 29th, 2017

-- Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy for the Perkiomen Creek Sojourn on the Perkiomen Creek, which will take place on June 3rd, 2017

-- Schuylkill River Greenway Association for the Schuylkill River Sojourn on the Schuylkill River, which will take place from June 3rd through June 9th, 2017

-- Susquehanna Greenway Partnership for the Pedal/Paddle on the Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and the West Branch of the Susquehanna which will take place on June 19th, 2017

-- Swatara Watershed Association for the Swatara Sojourn on the Swatara Creek, which will take place from May 6th through May 7th, 2017

-- Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition for the 23rd Annual Delaware River Sojourn “Flowing Together” on the Delaware River, Lehigh River and Lehigh Canal, which will take place from June 16th through June 23rd, 2017

-- Wildlands Conservancy for the Lehigh River Sojourn on the Lehigh River, which will take place from June 24th through June 26th, 2017

The PA Sojourn Program is administered by POWR in partnership with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.  The PA Sojourn Program is nationally unique, distributing grants across the state to local organizations and their sojourn events.

These grants support between 12 and 17 paddling events each year, encompassing over 500 river miles and 50+ on-the-water days, offering more than 100 educational programs, and engaging over 4,000 people.

Sojourns are not only a fun outdoor activity, but are also an effective tool for raising awareness about our rivers and the issues affecting them, educating and enhancing community involvement about natural and cultural resources, and promoting and encouraging watershed stewardship.

The Sojourn program serves as a bridge to bring our communities to our rivers and streams to educate them, enabling them to become lifelong stewards of these resources. River sojourns offer a different point of view on some of Pennsylvania’s treasured landscapes and historic and cultural assets.

To learn more about sojourns planned statewide this year, visit POWR’s 2017 Sojourn Map webpage.

For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the PA Organization for Watersheds and Rivers website.