Boise River: Source to Snake
We look forward to introducing you all to Christopher Swain! He is a renowned swimmer and water quality advocate and is the first person in history to swim the Hudson River, Lake Champlain and the entire 1,243 miles of the Columbia River from British Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Swain swims to put threatened waterways squarely in the public eye, and to support water protection, restoration and education efforts. This summer, Idaho Business for the Outdoors is bringing Christopher Swain to swim the Boise River: Source to Snake.
Idaho Business for the Outdoors created this water journey to identify our river’s challenges, and to celebrate the ecological, economic and social value it provides to the many communities it sustains. Swain will start his Idaho expedition by swimming across Redfish Lake to access the trailhead to Spangle Lake, the source water for the Boise River, situated high in the Sawtooth Mountains. Idaho Business for the Outdoors will citizen scientists and support crew to join Swain and document the journey as he travels from Redfish Lake to Spangle Lake, down to Atlanta, Arrowrock, Lucky Peak, Boise and all the way to Parma where the Boise River connects with the Snake River.
Along the way, Swain will be gathering baseline data on water quality, sharing his location, personal physiology and water quality data through social media and through IBO’s mobile app. Swain will also attend community engagement events, and meet high school students from Idaho City, Mountain Home, Boise, Caldwell, Eagle and Parma. Student workshops will be inspired by the Clean Water Act and facilitated with our community partners along the river. They will focus on fishable, swimmable and drinkable water quality standards, as well as the economic and health benefits of our outdoors.
Join us this summer as we celebrate the Boise River, a resource we all share. Help us raise river quality and quantity awareness and together we will work to sustain healthy, prosperous communities along the Boise River watershed for years to come! Swain visited us earlier this month. Here are some media links we wanted to share with all of you:
