
2025 High Rock Lake Clean Sweep
Join us on Saturday, September 20th for the eighth annual High Rock Clean Sweep!
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Join us on Saturday, September 20th for the eighth annual High Rock Clean Sweep!
Celebrate fall in the Yadkin Valley at Yadktober Fest, Yadkin Riverkeeper’s signature autumn fundraiser! This family-friendly festival brings together the best of local flavor, art, and community, all in support of clean water in the Yadkin River Basin.
Join Yadkin Riverkeeper for a morning paddle on the South Yadkin River to celebrate both Great Trail State Day and Rowan Creek Week! We will meet registered participants at Hannah Ferry. Then we will shuttle to the put-in for a 2-3 hour paddle that will cover almost 6 miles of beautiful, mostly protected shorelines. The paddle will end back at Hannah Ferry just before the South Yadkin River meets the Yadkin River State Trail.
Two days in the Happy Valley region of the Yadkin River at a Music Festival at the very end of August- sign us up! The Yadkin Riverkeeper family will be camping, paddling and enjoying the sounds of talented musicians on the banks of the upper Yadkin River at the Happy Valley Jamboree!
This August, join Yadkin Riverkeeper for the return of a favorite activity, CAMPING!
We have a limited number of spaces reserved at the Pilot Mountain Campsite for Friday and Saturday nights on 8/8 and 8/9. After meeting and camping on Friday night, we’ll consolidate boats, gear, and people into a few vehicles and drive upstream to put in for a long day on the water. Once we get back to camp, we will go get the vehicles from the morning and drive them to where we want to takeout the next day (maybe Donnaha, maybe Old 421). As we enjoy dinner in the camp by the murmurings of the Yadkin as it passes by the Shoals, the full Moon will rise over the ridge behind us, lighting up the river.
Join us for a cleanup with Piedmont Land Conservancy on Saturday, July 19th! We will be paddling from Donnaha to Old 421 River Park. We have a limited number of kayaks/canoes available to use, so paddlers are encouraged to bring their own boats. More event information will be emailed upon registration. Please sign up below!
Yadkin Riverkeeper will once again be joining Waterkeepers Carolina in their Paddle Parade this summer to celebrate our Carolina rivers! They will kick off the parade with paddle events hosted by Waterkeepers during the week of Friday, June 13th through Sunday, June 22nd.
Yadkin Riverkeeper will be paddling a 4.5 mile loop starting and ending at the York Hill access in Yadkin River Park. Paddlers will paddle upstream and visit the historic Beard's Bridge (1818) pilings and explore the Trading Ford crossing used for more than 10,000 years.
We’re excited to announce the third annual Farm to Fork fundraiser and you won’t want to miss it! Join us on Saturday, June 14, from 5–8 PM at the beautiful Old Nick Williams Distillery in Lewisville for an evening filled with great food, live music, raffles, and the return of the crowd favorite: Chicken Poop Bingo!
Join Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK), the Elkin Trails Association, and other volunteers to remove debris from our Yadkin River while paddling from Crater Park to Burch (about 6 miles) near the confluence of the Yadkin and Mitchell Rivers. Registration is recommended for this event. YRK may be able to provide a limited number of boats to volunteers, but we are encouraging volunteers to BYO boat. Paddlers will meet @ Crater Park for lunch, drive to Burch Station to drop off vehicles and shuttle back to Crater to put in. Volunteers will receive a free lunch.
On May 31, Yadkin Riverkeeper will host a “Know Your Watershed” and paddle event at the RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls (645 Erwin Temple Church Rd, Woodleaf, NC 27054).
Join us on May 17th at Pilot Mountain State Park for an introduction to flat-water kayaking on the banks of the Yadkin River!
The 39th annual South Yadkin River Canoe and Kayak Race led by the Salisbury Scout Troop 448 will take place on May 10! The race will start at the HWY 601 access (8500 US-601, Mocksville, NC 27028) on the South Yadkin River and end 6 miles downstream at the Hannah Ferry Boat Ramp (955 Hannah Ferry Rd, Salisbury, NC 28144).
This has been called a training day. Upon reflection, it’s more of an orientation. The goal is to help volunteers understand roles and tasks that are needed to conduct successful paddling trips for Yadkin Riverkeeper. We will meet at Piedmont Land Conservancy’s Bashavia Creek Preserve to spend about half a day discussing the topics below. If you have your own gear, we can go to Old 421 and paddle upstream to maybe practice some of these topics.
Support the planet and celebrate with the community at the largest Earth Day Fair in the region, hosted by Piedmont Environmental Alliance. The event is FREE and open to the community.
A unique farm-to-festival benefit concert for Happy Roots, in the heart of Downtown Salisbury, celebrating music and arts, local foods, and Earth Day!
Join us for an exciting 3rd annual Lewisville Earth Day celebration, hosted by the Lewisville Environmental Conservation and Sustainability Committee, where we come together to promote sustainability, community engagement, and environmental awareness!
*Yadkin Riverkeeper is a chosen charity organization for this event, and will receive a $25 donation for each volunteer we register for CraftHalf. Please consider volunteering through the link below!
Come enjoy an early paddle on the Yadkin River with the Yadkin Riverkeeper and hosted by the Town of Lewisville. The section from Old 421 to Huntsville access is so close and yet feels so far away. Paddling it in the early spring is a great way to see further into the woods before the foliage cloaks the landscape. This easy paddling will have a few quick spots but leaves much time to enjoy the natural area so close to Winston-Salem and Lewisville.
Join Yadkin Riverkeeper and TEEM (Temple Emanuel, Parkway United Church of Christ and Unitarian Universalist Fellowship) for a screening of the critically acclaimed documentary American River! We will also have an introduction and a Q&A with the producer of the film, Scott Morris!
What’s going on in our local waterways? Join a panel-style discussion about the State of Our Water. The panel will include:
Yadkin Riverkeeper, Edgar Miller
Winston-Salem Forsyth County Utilities Public Information Officer, Gale Ketteler
Winston-Salem Forsyth County Utilities Deputy Director, Bill Brewer
Town of Kernersville Stormwater Manager, Wendi Hartup
Forsyth Soil and Water Conservationist, Alexander Kiser
Come out with Yadkin Riverkeeper for a cleanup of Salem Creek. Gloves, trash bags, and a limited number of trash grabbers will be provided. So bring your friends and meet us at the Anderson Building parking lot (WSSU campus)!
Our meeting will be held at Footnote Coffee and Cocktails in downtown Winston-Salem. The program will include board member elections and the State of the River report by Riverkeeper/Executive Director Edgar Miller, with project updates from Riverkeeper Assistant Nicole Eastman and Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator Ward Swann.
Whoa! Don’t put those canoes and kayaks away just yet! Come join us for a Fall paddle on Tuckertown Reservoir, an undeveloped wilderness, riverine lake formed by the Yadkin River. We will be celebrating the Great Trails State Day by paddling from two of our newest accesses for the Yadkin River State Trail. We will paddle 4 miles from Bringle Ferry to Flat Creek and see what fall colors may be on display. Also, a great stretch of river to see herons, osprey and bald eagles. Paddle from 1-5 PM, shuttle included.
This is an 80’s music party, with entertainment by Craig Vaughn and will include complimentary pizza and drinks, as well as a host of local groups sharing their work and information to the public! Along with our Voter Empowerment Registration Tool, we plan to have mail-in registration forms for anyone who may not have a DMV connection. Our goal is to register as many people to vote as possible while having a blast!
Yadktober Fest is our exciting new fall festival fundraiser on October 6th from 1-6 PM at Shallow Ford Daylily Farm! Enjoy live music, delicious food, games, and fun activities for all ages. Adult tickets include food and two drink tickets, while children's tickets come with food and two game tickets (food available while supplies last). Come celebrate the season with us and support Yadkin Riverkeeper!
We are excited to invite you to our Volunteer Appreciation Event on Wednesday, October 2nd, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM at our office, located at 846 W 4th Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101!
Join Row Co River Adventures and Yadkin Riverkeeper for a guided sunset paddle. The group will meet at the York Hill Boat Access at Yadkin River Park at 6:00pm for an easy, hour-long paddle. If you have your own equipment, you can join at no cost! This is a Rowan County Creek Week event!
Join us on Saturday, September 21st for the 2024 High Rock Lake CLEAN SWEEP!
Join Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK) as they highlight water quality through an interactive Water, Wine, and Whiskey Tasting event. This is a 21+ ticketed event. $35 for individuals and $60 for couples. Tickets include a one-year YRK membership! #rowancreekweek
Come out on a Sunday afternoon to an evening with Yadkin Riverkeeper and enjoy time by and on the water at Easy Bend River Farms!
Mark your calendars for our annual Carolina Heritage Vineyard paddle on Saturday, July 20th!
Crater Park in Elkin offers a floating dock to assist with launching, and a pleasant float down to the confluence of the Yadkin and Mitchell rivers. After the paddle, we will take out at Burch Station and walk (15 minutes) or ride up to Carolina Heritage Winery to enjoy a complimentary wine tasting, beer or non-alcoholic beverage and live music. Freshly cooked food will be available for purchase as well.
Yadkin Riverkeeper will be paddling a 4.5 mile loop starting and ending at the York Hill access in Yadkin River Park. Paddlers will paddle upstream and visit the historic Beard's Bridge (1818) pilings and explore the Trading Ford crossing used for more than 10,000 years.
Join Yadkin Riverkeeper for a FREE screening of the critically acclaimed documentary 'American River' at the historic Reeves Theater. Hear opening remarks from film director, Scott Morris. This event is made possible by the efforts of Yadkin River advocate, Rick Chatham, and the leadership team of Yadkin Riverkeeper.