Friends of the Big Sioux River exists to bring awareness to the plight of our river and to inspire action among all who influence the quality of water within the watershed. This is about unifying residents and leaders within the watershed from all walks of life. Improving water quality is not about assigning blame; it’s about finding solutions in a positive and collaborative way. The opportunity i
s to bring together and deploy people from all walks of life who share a stake in the improvement of this precious resource. Stakeholders include anyone who lives, works or plays in an urban, rural, private, commercial, or government setting within the Big Sioux River watershed. Stewardship of our natural resources benefits the physical health of our people, communities and wildlife; and benefits our local economies by providing attractive recreational opportunities and quality of life appeal for residents, visitors, and workforce we are trying to recruit. In strictly environmental terms, the importance of a healthy river ecosystem is obvious. But in terms of economic development, positive press and overall good will toward this region, we need only look to similar efforts around the country to know that good stewardship of key environmental assets generates business and cultural activity: the Downtown Omaha riverfront restoration at Lewis & Clark Landing and Heartland of America Park; Baltimore’s Inner Harbor; Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie restoration; the High Line in Manhattan; Denver’s South Platte River Initiative. It starts with an understanding that we do live in and share the watershed — and with that comes both shared responsibility and shared opportunity.
