What an awesome day on the river! We hope it was an enriching and relaxing experience for everyone who joined us at our Lower Etowah River Day Paddle on May 10, hosted by the Georgia Conservancy’s Generation Green. Between the beautiful weather, good conversations, and getting to experience one of Georgia’s most biologically important rivers together, we’d definitely call this one a success.
Thank you to Generation Green for hosting this experience and for helping create more opportunities for young professionals to explore Georgia’s rivers and connect with others who care about the future of our state. Generation Green (or “Gen Green”) is our young professionals group—a diverse and growing network of changemakers, adventurers, and advocates, ages 25 to 45, who believe conservation is more than a cause—it’s a way of living with intention and impact.
The Lower Etowah is a great example of how accessible Georgia’s rivers can be while still supporting an incredible amount of biodiversity and cultural history. This section of the river is considered beginner-friendly, but it still features many defining characteristics of Piedmont rivers, including shallow shoals, exposed rock formations, abundant bird and fish habitat, and variable current dynamics. The Etowah watershed itself is also nationally important from a biodiversity standpoint, supporting dozens of native fish species along with freshwater mussels, turtles, amphibians, and aquatic insects that depend on healthy flowing water systems.
