The River Radius Podcast

Each year American Rivers, a national river focused advocacy organization publishes a list of 10 rivers that are beautiful rivers and rivers that want our engagement. These are the rivers of the 2026 Most Endangered Rivers List. American Rivers first published the Most Endangered Rivers List in 1984, and now 41 years later, they still bring to our attention ten rivers of elevated importance. This year's rivers run between 8 and 400 miles in length. My guest again this year is Chantel Dominguez from American Rivers. Chantel brings infectious optimism to the power of highlighting these rivers. 
 

GUEST
Chantel Dominguez

...

What happens when you invite the best river kayaking athletes from around the world to meet up for a 3-day race on the wild and rowdy Class 5 North Fork of the Payette River under the big sun and blue sky of Idaho? You get the North Fork Championship of 2026. After a multi-year hiatus, one of the favorite races among paddlers and fans is back, now with a solid foundation and strategic stability to return year after year. We talk with the founder of the race, James Byrd, and a board member of the newly established board of directors, Aaron...

This is our 5th of five episodes with various River Forecast Centers of the United States. In the uppermost northeast corner of the US, the Northeast River Forecast Center is bound on three sides by water: the Great Lakes to the west, Canada's lakes and bays to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The mountains of this region collect this moisture from various weather events and send that water down the river valleys. In this episode we talk with Bill Leatham, a Senior Hydrometeorologist with the Northeast River Forecast Center. This landscape is impacted by its...

The Southeast River Forecast Center hosts a landscape that has the Appalachian Mountains in the north, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to its east and the Gulf of Mexico to its south, has the Florida Peninsula jutting into those ocean waters, and lowlands between the oceans and mountains. Rain and hurricanes are powerful and important parts of the climate in the Southeast and this region has the most rivers of all the River Forecast Center domains. Did this region have a warm and dry March like much of the country did?  How was their winter precipitation?  What type of...

What will the rivers of the Colorado Basin have for flow this year? Many rivers already had one peak in March during the heat dome, and a second peak is expected in May. But as spring in the Rocky Mountains is unpredictable, it is currently snowing and raining in the northern basin. This episode is the third in a series of five interviews with the River Forecast Centers of the United States.  Our guest in this episode is Cody Moser, Senior River Hydrologist with the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. We talk through the soil moisture of 2025, the winter o...

With the unique winter and spring weather events creating a mixed snowpack and melt season, this episode talks with the California Nevada River Forecast Center to learn details about the expected river flows this spring and summer in their region, and to look at what types of precipitation might load up for the summer and fall. This is the 2nd episode in a series of five episodes talking with five River Forecast Centers across the US. The River Forecast Centers are part of the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; they track all precipitation in...

As rivers in the west fill with spring runoff, we begin a series of episodes with various river hydrologists from four River Forecast Centers across the country. In this episode, we talk with the Northwest River Forecast Center in Oregon to learn about this past winter's precipitation and what flows will emerge this spring and summer. This episode is focused on the Columbia River Basin. Our guest is Amy Burke, a river hydrologist from the NWRFC. She explains the impacts of the Atmospheric Rivers and the March heat dome. Following this episode will be companion episodes for many of...

In the State of Colorado, the couple hundred rivers and several thousand streams are extremely popular for fishing, boating, swimming, all the river things. And while people typically have access to these waterways, the laws on access in the state are not clear and could potentially lock up access when rivers run next to and through private property. Currently two groups are working to secure access for river users and a film, "Common Waters," explores a recent interaction between a landowner and a fisherman that is leveraging a push for legal clarity around this access. Two guests join us...

Rowing is loosely defined as the act, or the art, of moving a boat through water with two oars, powered by a human. As a professional river guide, Kelsey Pfendler rows boats down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. In early May of 2026, she will embark on a 2,500 mile row across the Pacific Ocean from south of San Francisco, California, to the islands of Hawaii. Kelsey will make this journey solo, taking about 80 days. Her vessel, Lily, is built for the task. She has a small cabin for sleeping and reading charts and weather and communicating with her...

The waters of the Rio Grande form the entire 1,254-mile border between the state of Texas and Mexico. Some portions of that border are open, with no physical barrier and monitored primarily by surveillance. Other sections have a full wall, with others are slated for new construction. One long stretch through Big Bend is defined by deep, rugged canyons that seem to function as a natural barrier. And it is here that survey crews are working toward the possibility of building a wall. This region is known for the Rio Grande flowing through national and state parks, Wild and...

Jess Lewis started her company, Wyld Heart Co., to support river runners in the early stages of learning to run rivers. Her work focuses on mindset and heuristics that support personal growth alongside the technical skills needed to get boats down the river, and the mental skills required to grow through the challenges and “stuck on rock” moments that are inevitable for all river runners.

She teaches skills for all river crafts, and her favorite and most common teaching setting is in a raft, with her students rowing the boat. We talk through the details of the oar...

This episode was recorded live at the America Outdoors annual conference and is a conversation with three members from the Returning Rapids Project in Utah.  The Returning Rapids Project is documenting the changes and restoration happening to the reservoir-affected areas of the Colorado River and the San Juan River as Lake Powell continues to recede out of the river canyons it inundated with reservoir waters for the past several decades.  The deeper focus of this episode beyond this research project is the powerful observational ability of river guides who work on rivers day after day, year after year, and ho...

Rivers are always photogenic, even telegenic, and rivers often become the setting for many films. Each year since 1981, the National Paddling Film Festival (NPFF) has provided a collective presentation of river films. This year’s festival is happening on February 21, live and in person in Kentucky with a virtual streaming option available for the price of a cup of coffee. We have 3 guests bringing us details about the NPFF. Stephanie Hoelscher is the director; Devin Ashley Brown is the featured paddler in the film “Mother River” about her Mississippi River run; and Nishan Thapa is the creator of the film “...

Do you ever get those wild ideas about running a river in a unique way, but they just stay ideas, and you kinda always wish you had followed through?  This episode is about an idea that became a reality.  In November of 2001, 3 people zipped up their drysuits, pulled on their swim fins, strapped their dry bags to river boards, and slid into the Colorado River beginning a 300 mile trip where river boards were their only water craft.  Kelley Kalafatich, Julie Munger and Rebecca Rusch floated, swam, kicked and paddled their way in and down the Colorado River, successfully and joy...

Ben Stookesberry paddles kayaks in his home state of Montana, and around the world. In his teen years he learned to make home movies showing off his rollerblading moves, and in college he learned to kayak. Today he blends the paddling and film making as he runs rivers in global settings. He has created deep and lasting friendships in his travels, and returns to rivers again and again, to paddle more stretches, to learn more, and sometimes to engage in protection work. In this episode, Ben talks through all of this with us, and goes into depth about his...

Podcasting is incredibly unique and fun work that has allowed me to meet so many rivers and river people. And podcasting is a job that I really just created for myself. Yes there are other podcasts and podcasters, but by nature of the work, we are all kind of hidden in quiet places behind microphones and editing screens, so finding a podcasting friend is so helpful. Ed Roberson has built the Mountain & Prairie Podcast and we have become colleagues and friends that can support each other when we have questions and challenges. For this episode, Ed and I decided...

The Vjosa River in Albania is one of the largest of the last free running rivers in Europe and recently it was protected with the new Vjosa Wild River National Park. The Vjosa sources from the mountains of Greece and flows north through Albania where it meets the Adriatic Sea. Eco Albania has led much of the work to create this National Park and our guest Dr Olsi Nika founded Eco Albania.  Dr Nika tells us about this long and beautiful river in his home country, how people in Albania use this river, about life in Albania, and how t...

Amidst a flourish of media about Paddle Tribal Waters, a new film has published from Oregon Public Broadcasting & Jessie Sears, giving focus to the 2025 source to sea run completed by the indigenous teens of PTW. The film, “First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath”, is there to meet the paddlers at the Pacific Ocean when they complete their journey, is with them along the river and the film also engages with the families of the paddlers to hear their perceptions of their kid’s work and pursuits. And finally, the film’s producer, Jessie Sears, is a member of the Karuk Tribe fr...

In the spring of 1980, nine-year-old Bridget Crocker, while playing next to her home river, fell from a downed tree into the cold swollen Snake River — a scary swim that initiated a deep, lifelong relationship with rivers and river people. This year in 2025 her memoir “The River’s Daughter” traces a thalweg of traumas, challenges and joys that played out in both her river life and her family life. Today Bridget hosts retreats and workshops on rivers, guides on special occasions, and is creating her dream life with her family. 

GUEST
Bridget Crocker
Instagram
Book

Across the United States, 640 million acres of public land belong to all of us — rivers that still run wild, deep canyons, mountain ranges, plains, and deserts. Places where the wild things live. Places we can still visit, explore, and trust that it will be there for generations or an eon. But this year, the push to sell or transfer those lands has surfaced — sometimes openly, sometimes in quieter, less obvious ways. Why is this happening? Who’s behind it? And how do we, as citizens, stand up in simple, effective ways to keep public lands public? Our guest is Land T...

Dr. Adriana Martinez grew up in Eagle Pass, Texas, swimming and playing in the Rio Grande as a part of daily life. 10 years after getting her Ph.D and teaching university classes in fluvial geomorphology, her Texas hometown and home river became the iconic center of the modern immigration debate and the setting for the controversial river buoy border fence.  In this episode she tells us about the research she is conducting to learn how the buoy fence in the Rio Grande is impacting this river, and about growing up riverside to an international border. 

GUEST

...

Tim Palmer has spent much of his life floating down, writing about, and photographing America’s rivers. With 34 books and scores of awards to his name (including the first-ever lifetime achievement award presented by American Rivers), he’s one of river conservation's most seasoned voices. In this episode, guest host Clark Tate joins Tim to talk about a recent run down the newly dam-free Klamath, his lifelong bond with Pennsylvania’s Youghiogheny River, the origins of America's flood management system, the benefits of giving rivers the room they need to run when the waters inevitably rise, and how increasingly severe flo...

This September brings the one year anniversary of Hurricane Helene and the powerful flooding that pounded Southern Appalachia. Incredible work has been to remove the bridges and cars and houses and trees that filled up the rivers. And more work continues today and for the next 18 months to clean up the remaining smaller trash. In this episode we learn about these details and how some communities did not flood because dams were removed prior to Helene, and how more dams are being removed post Helene.  Our guests are Hartwell Carson and Andy Hill from Mountain True in North Carolina. 

After incredible collaboration and momentum at the Snake River amongst several tribes and two states to create a legitimate pathway for the 4 Lower Snake River Dams to be breached and therefore allow the anadromous Salmon, Steelhead and Lamprey of the basin to avoid extinction, the collaboration has been cancelled by the current presidential administration.  Why?  What comes next?  Our guests are full of passion and wisdom for this story: Kayeloni Scott from the Columbia Snake River Campaign and Libby Tobey from the Grand Salmon Project. 

GUESTS
Kayeloni Scott
Columbia Snake River Campaign

Libby Tobe...

For 40 years, American Rivers has published its annual Most Endangered Rivers list — a powerful statement sparking awareness and action to restore waterways across the country. In this 40th anniversary episode, we talk with Chantel Dominguez from American Rivers to explore this year’s list, river by river, moving through the challenges they face and the tangible solutions for each. We also revisit three rivers from last year’s list to learn about their increasing health and vitality.

Thumbnail pic credit:  Sinjin Eberle, American Rivers

EPISODE SPONSORS

Denver Area Nissan Dealers
@nissanusa

Ov...

Every year, we ask one big question: What is a River? This year, the currents brought us to Dr. Robert Macfarlane—writer & professor—and his newly released book, Is A River Alive?, Dr Macfarlane joined us to explore that very question. From the chalk streams from his home in England to rivers across three continents, Macfarlane pursues his answers. In this episode, we move through his global journey, his new water literacy, and why he calls himself a teacher first.

GUESTS

Dr Robert Macfarlane, University of Cambridge

Dr Robert Macfarlane, Wikip...

In this episode, we dive into About Damn Time, Dana Romanoff’s powerful film that follows Cindell “Dellie” Dale and a crew of boatwomen as they navigate handcrafted wooden dories down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. They spent 17 days and 277 miles running the river and filming the story. Their journey becomes a vivid exploration of women reshaping a river culture long dominated by men. We ask: How did they work together to tell this story? What wisdom flows from these women to the next generation of dory guides? And why is the dory the most poetic boat ever b...

Every July, more than 500 paddlers push off from Kansas City down 340 miles of massive Missouri River current, paddling day and night across the state in one of the world’s longest nonstop river races. This is the MR 340, an event of endurance, suffering and transformation. From solo racers chasing records to 10-person canoes grinding it out over four brutal days, every paddler faces the same river. In this episode, we sit down with Kate Mansker, a racer from the very first MR 340 in 2006 who still holds course records, and Steve Schnarr, the race director who steers the chaos behind th...

Live from the River Management Society’s Annual Symposium in Ashland, Oregon, we bring you a live conversation with Paddle Tribal Waters. This powerful project is paddling the entire length of the Klamath River from its headwaters to the Pacific Ocean during the summer of 2025. We dive into the vision and logistics behind this month-long river journey. Hear how Paddle Tribal Waters is weaving together stories of ecology, culture and river life. 

SPONSORS

Northwest River Supplies
@nrsweb
Facebook

American Whitewater
@americanwhitewater
Facebook
 

HOST
River Mana...

Katie Veteto is a river guide with quiet calculated confidence and a sharp eye for water. Within a few years she was navigating one of the most difficult crafts on the river—the massive sweep boat. NRS's new film Driving Sweep, directed by River Radius Contributing Host Greg Cairns, follows her journey of learning, doubt, and determination as she takes on a role historically dominated by men. Through her story, the film offers a powerful reflection on resilience, mentorship, and making space in wild places.

GUESTS

Katie Veteto
Katie Veteto was born in Southern Ut...

Two friends become enamored with R1 rafting and together began running class 5 runs to include waterfalls. Then they decide to spend a summer R1ing and making a river film about their fun. Kenny Beauchamp and Ryan Huck tell their story of being friends, running scary fun water and learning to make a film.  

GIVEAWAY

Enter Here
 

GUESTS

Ryan Huck @hucknstuff29

Kenny Beuachamp @steep_creek_kenny

Film Acct @steep_creek_productions_llc

Website:  www.steepcreekproductions.com

EPISODE SPONSORS

This is the 3rd and last episode about the Tijuana River. The Tijuana River is a story of trade, immigration and international borders. This is a river that flows across the US Mexico border and carries pollution and sewage. Our guest is Dr Maria-Elana Giner; she served as commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission and upon request of President Trump, she resigned from this position in April of 2025. In this 3rd episode we look for solutions to this epic challenge for the US and Mexico.

CO-HOST

Ramon Chairez
Un Mar d...

Many of our favorite rivers run through public land, land that is owned and managed by the Federal Government, and so therefore owned by the citizens of the United States. There is renewed chatter in Washington DC suggesting that major sales of public lands can create significant revenue for the Federal Government. This episode hosts experts on this topic from the Idaho Outfitters & Guides Association, and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition to learn more about who wants this, why this is being considered, what are the benefits, and how listeners can engage in the process.  

GUESTS

Do you ever wonder if bots are being used to acquire river permits during the annual cancellation lotteries each year? So do we. So we built a bot to see if it works to secure permits. And we tried talking with rec dot gov to get their input. Check out this episode for a tour of bots, permits, bureaucracy and access to public rivers. 

SURVEY ABOUT THE RIVER RADIUS PODCAST

RUNOFF EMAIL LIST SIGN UP

2021 EPISODE ABOUT RIVER PERMITS
 

GUESTS

Hayden Blackford

American Whitewater

The Tijuana Rivers courses through the City of Tijuana Mexico where 2 million people live.  Several hundred thousand homes in Tijuana are not connected to the city sewage system and this leads to significant pollution of the Tijuana River.  And because the city of Tijuana butts right up to the US Mexico border, the path of the river sewage and the responsibility for managing is not always clear.  This episode goes into Tijuana to learn more about why the pollution exists, where it comes from and the status of various infrastructure tools that manage the pollution. 

CO-HO...

This episode is on site where a beautiful desert mountain river flows through an estuary and into the Pacific Ocean. Before the Tijuana River meets the ocean, it navigates through a dense urban border region with 5 million people. The outcome is a river that is carrying toxic sewage and pollution to the ocean, closing beaches and creating illness in the river and beach communities. This is the first episode in a series about this beautiful place, the epic pollution, and the incredible people who are engaged in the work to clean up this river and ocean. 

G...

River runners became paramount for river rescue in many parts of Appalachia when Hurricane Helene inflated the rivers to record levels. People were stranded in buildings, bridges blew out, and houses were swept downriver. This live episode at the America Outdoors Conference hosts 3 river runners who immediately engaged in the rescue of people stranded by the floods, and, the rescue of the rivers from their own floods. They tell the stories of their work beginning at daybreak on day 1 of Hurricane Helene. 

GUESTS

Korey Hampton
Mitch Hampton
French Broad Adventures

...

In September of 2024 when Hurricane Helene arrived in the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina, it landed where the ground and rivers were already saturated and swollen with rain. The result was “the storm of record” taking out thousands of bridges, sending thousands of landslides down the mountains and taking human life. This episode hosts the National Weather Service and the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center to explore the storm and the river reaction, and then Dr Phillip Prince goes deep in describing landslides and debris flows and their impact. 

GUESTS

Trisha...

Dr Len Necefer opens up 2025 for The River Radius. Len is the mind and perspective I wanted to welcome me and you both into this 6th season of The River Radius. We talk through the relationship of rivers and elections, of books for this year, the work and impact of Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, and other river and life layers. Len is the founder of Natives Outdoors, the Sonoran Avalanche Center, runs rivers, is articulate and intelligently humorous. This is the 2nd episode with Dr Len Necefer and both are some of my favorites. 

1S...

To move from 2024 into 2025, we have one guest in two episodes for you. Our guest is Dr Len Necefer. This is the first episode. We talk through life wrapped in intellect and self facing humor, 6th grade reading levels, native art and the modern retail market, an upriver bike ride, and river runs at the northern most reaches of the North American continent. Len is the “star” of his Outside TV show where he is riding his bike up the Colorado River from Mexico to Colorado.  He is the founder of Natives Outdoors. He served the Obama Administration in the D...