The ARKANSAS RIVER COALITION, Inc.
Welcomes You!
If you live (or have lived) near
the Arkansas River as it traverses the Rocky Mountains, Central Plains and
hardwood forests, or are otherwise interested in its past, its uses or its
potential for the future, we want you to be a part of our organization as we
strive to meet our goals! We feel there is a terrific future ahead but it
will take lots of work and people to make it happen.
On this
web site you will find listed some of our goals, activities,
articles about the
river/river quality, concerns, etc., and some tips about how you, as an individual,
can help improve our river. Join with us now and become
part of our efforts!
The Arkansas River Coalition
is an organization working to protect, restore and improve the quality of the
groundwater and surface water of the entire Arkansas River Watershed. By
focusing on the health of this valuable resource, we can better guide our
decisions regarding how we manage our environment in the future. By
providing information, sound science, and hands-on assistance, we hope to help
individuals and community groups become effective river conservation leaders.
The Arkansas River Coalition
was incorporated in 1998 as a 501(c)3 organization.
Click here to donate or join.
About the
Arkansas River:
The Arkansas River is one of the most historically and economically important
rivers in the United States. From 1820 to 1846, it was the boundary
between the United States and Mexico. Native Americans hunted along
its length and early explorers followed it westward. It dates back
to the Pliocene epoch, has a length of 1,450 miles and is the longest tributary
in the Missouri-Mississippi system, and is the 4th longest river in the United
States.
The
Arkansas River has three faces. It is first a wild mountain stream
full of rapids and, in Colorado, provides some of the best white water rafting
in the country. It was part of the old Santa Fe Trail through Kansas,
where it becomes a typical braided prairie river meandering across the
flatlands. As it moves south into Oklahoma and Arkansas, it becomes a
significant river for barge traffic as well as for recreation. From there
it travels through hardwood forests and empties into the Mississippi.
