Join Zachary Damato, co-founder of Urban Rivers, for an engaging workshop, ‘Activating Our Urban Waterways (Wild Mile Case Study)’, which will focus on how Urban Rivers took a stretch of the Chicago River and transformed it into the largest floating public park in the country. For any individual from a local NGO to a water enthusiast to a city planner will benefit from this workshop. The rivers are for a variety of animals and stakeholders, and it takes a coalition to activate your urban waterway thoughtfully.
Co-founder & Director of Strategic Partnerships (Urban Rivers), Urban Rivers
Zachary Damato has spent his career on environmental issues, from food waste to healthier CPG products to river conservation. In 2009, Zachary co-founded a specialty and organic food distribution company, Norman Distribution Inc. Afterward, he worked as a mentor for Techstars and... Read More →
Tuesday May 12, 2026 3:15pm - 4:45pm CDT GorazWestin Riverwalk Wan Antonio: 420 W Market St, San Antonio, TX 78205
With extreme weather on the rise, developing a shared vision for our river corridors is more critical than ever. This session highlights the importance of uniting diverse interests to create an integrated approach to floodplain management. Panelists will showcase real-world examples of integrated floodplain management and share tools for assessing hazards and identifying multi-benefit opportunities. This session is designed for River Rally participants who are helping communities build integrated approaches or coordinating across sectors to implement holistic nature-based solutions.
Brian Murphy is River Network’s Healthy Rivers Program Director. He supports local leaders working to ensure Western communities and rivers are healthy and resilient into the future. Brian has worked in the floodplain management and watershed planning field for over 20 years. He... Read More →
This session is suited for anyone with interest in protection of rivers and the values they possess (e.g., drinking water, fish and wildlife, etc). The session will consist of a short presentation on the science behind the groundbreaking National Protected Rivers Assessment. Followed by Q&A, and a demo /interactive tutorial on how to use the Protected Rivers Explorer tool. Participants will leave with a solid understanding of the National Protected Rivers Assessment and how to put it to use in their work.
Director, Southwest River Protection Program, American Rivers
Michael Fiebig directs the Southwest River Protection Program at American Rivers, leading efforts to protect and defend the most ecologically and culturally important rivers in the Southwest U.S. by partnering with Tribes, local communities, NGOs, land managers, researchers, creatives... Read More →
Senior Director, National River Protection Program, American Rivers
David provides overall leadership and strategic direction for the River Protection conservation program. David joined American Rivers in November 1999 in the Northwest Region where he helped shape policy on river restoration, protection and federal dam issues relating to salmon and... Read More →
National River Protection Program Director, American Rivers
Personal story: My work in river conservation started in 2005. I had a summer fellowship in a chemistry lab in Austria, and after I was done, I traveled all around the Balkans. I was absolutely mesmerized by the rivers I encountered and understood that many of them would be lost in the coming years... Read More →
Wednesday May 13, 2026 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT ZapataWestin Riverwalk Wan Antonio: 420 W Market St, San Antonio, TX 78205
This session is well suited for a broad audience; anyone interested in Indigenous studies, language reclamation, history, geography, anthropology, or place-based pedagogy will benefit, while more advanced participants will also find a strong theoretical and methodological intervention. Participants will learn how Coahuiltecan toponyms can be read as archives of memory and kinship, and how naming practices can support decolonial approaches to reclamation. The session also develops skills in thinking across archival evidence, community knowledge, and more-than-human relations rather than treating land and language as separate objects of study. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of Coahuiltecan land-language-kinship and with new ways to think about sovereignty, memory, and place as lived relational practice.
Want to connect with other folks committed to safeguarding and restoring floodplains and wetlands? Join the Natural Floodplains Alliance Happy Hour!
The Natural Floodplains Alliance is a national network of over 2,500 other individuals, nonprofits, and agencies dedicated to the protection and preservation of the natural functions of floodplains. A number of network members will be present at River Rally and are hosting a networking hour: join us in person so you can meet other professionals engaged in this work, learn about our quarterly webinars, and get access to resources and training opportunities.
