Friends of the White River focus on environmental education and stewardship.

Serving the river

As a part of our mission, the Friends plan and lead various projects to improve the environment and quality of the White River.

Our signature program is River School, an on-the-water learning experience for high school students. Friends volunteers take groups of students on a river float that includes streamside classes on water quality, invertebrates, wildlife and watersheds.

Each year, hundreds of volunteers clear tons of ugly trash during our annual river cleanups on Fall Creek and White River in the spring, summer and fall. Our Calendar has the dates and details.

The Friends were the first group to sign up when the Adopt-A-River program began more than a decade ago. View a map of our Adopt-A-River section.

We spearhead projects to increase access to the river, including planning and building this platform in Broad Ripple Park and a public access in Rocky Ripple, and serving on the White River Citizens Advisory Council.

And for two decades, we have sponsored fishing events for kids, including the Kids Fishing Invitational and Fishing With PRIDE.

Other activities include restocking fish populations, clearing invasive plants from riverbanks and planting native species, as well as educational programs such as Catch & Release and Focus On Urban River Environments.

Our partners in these projects are other private community groups, government agencies and individuals who simply want to make a difference. We also recruit and encourage volunteers to help.