Patagonia: A Proud Partner in River Conservation

We’re incredibly grateful for Patagonia’s support, which has been instrumental to Science on the Fly since the very beginning. From the pivotal grant they awarded in 2019 to help launch our program, to motivating anglers to become community scientists, their partnership has been a cornerstone of our success. Patagonia’s unwavering commitment to river conservation has helped us to collect crucial river data and motivate more people in protecting the waterways we all rely on. Simply put, Patagonia helped kickstart Science on the Fly—believing in our mission from day one and supporting our journey forward. We’re excited to share a quick Q&A with our conservation partner, Patagonia!

Photo By Nick Blixt of Patagonia.

What is considered Patagonia’s home river?

Patagonia is based in Ventura, California, and while the company has long been active in protecting and restoring its local home waters, it’s lucky to also have employees, corporate offices, and retail stores spread around the globe that are active in protecting their own waters. For example, the European team in Amsterdam last year led a push to stop the devastating impacts of open-net pen aquaculture in Iceland and beyond driving wild salmon populations to the brink.

Patagonia has done a lot for our rivers and for the environment. Is there a river story that helped shape the fundamental values of Patagonia?

The importance of clean water, free-flowing rivers, and healthy populations of wild fish have been core to the company since it was founded more than 50 years ago. One of the earliest environmental campaigns the company ever took part in was in the early 1970s, when a development plan was proposed that would have channelized the Ventura River, devastating already depressed wildlife and fish populations and destroying the local surf point. Before the creation of two dams, the Ventura River supported runs of nearly 5,000 southern California steelhead as recently as the 1940s, and resilient fish still return to this day. At the time, a young graduate student successfully led a grassroots effort to defeat the development plan, eventually founding the NGO Friends of the Ventura River. This was an early lesson for the company that laid a blueprint for supporting grassroots organizations that can make a major difference.

Science on the Fly has seen this support from Patagonia since the early days. It’s true, it can make a major difference— for our program, for our rivers, and for the community that recreates in and around the river ecosystem. What motivates Patagonia to continue supporting Science on the Fly?

Amid the climate crisis, the issues facing our rivers and wild fish populations are profound and overwhelming. Science on the Fly is the best example of community science at work, involving anglers, guides, and lodges to become stewards and take an active role in monitoring the health of their home waters. Supporting an organization that can accomplish this at scale is a no-brainer. Protecting rivers, clean water, and wild fish is critical to Patagonia’s mission of saving our home planet.

To learn more about Patagonia’s fly fishing initiatives and their ongoing commitment to conservation, visit https://www.patagonia.com/fly-fishing/.