Earth River Conservation Timeline
1990: The Cree and Inuit First Nations of Northern Quebec, were fighting the James Bay 2
Hydroelectric Project. If constructed, dams, dykes, and diversions would destroy several rivers larger than the
Colorado River in the Grand Canyon and flood an area the size of France. New York, where Earth River was based, was to be the primary purchaser of the power to be
generated by the project.
To bring awareness to their plight, the Cree and Inuit communities from the area built a giant hybrid canoe/kayak
they called the Odeyak which was dogsledded and rowed 2000 miles from Northern Quebec to New York City making
presentations in communities along the way. The last leg of the five-week journey was down the Hudson River.
Eric Hertz attended one of the lectures at the State University in New Paltz. The slides were primarily of the Cree
village of Great Whale with a few aerial shots of the proposed flooded riverscape. “What if the Cree had a way for
people to experience what was to be lost?” he thought.
At the time New York was negotiating a five-billion-dollar contract committing itself to the deal. Eric contacted the
Grand Council of the Crees in Montreal and volunteered to run rafting trips down one of the threatened rivers with
politicians, regulators, members of the media, and members of the native Cree community. The Grand Council was
curiously interested and agreed to supply the plane to find a suitable stretch of river.
May 1990: For a week Eric flew over multiple threatened rivers and tributaries in the James Bay
region before settling on a suitable stretch of the 140-mile-long Great Whale River. The Cree agreed to construct
native teepees at each camp and supply traditional food, including caribou, duck, trout, and bear. Earth River would
run and finance the expedition and work on getting New York politicians, media and environmental organizations.
In June, Eric attended a “Stop James Bay” rally in Albany, New York with a friend. “That’s Senator
Leichter,” the friend commented, pointing to a man hurrying by. “Great guy. You know he might be willing to go on
your conservation trip.” Eric followed the Senator into the four-story
Capitol and into the elevator. Five minutes later, after three up-and-down cycles with stops in between to let
people in and out, the “trapped” Senator sensed an opening and slipped out of the elevator. Somewhat deflated, Eric
hit the button to descend. As the doors began to close, a hand from outside suddenly parted them, “You know, Mr.
Hertz, I think I can get Assemblyman Hoyt to join us up there. He’s an avid canoeist.”
August 1990: In conjunction with the Cree First Nation, Earth River ran a conservation awareness
trip on the Great Whale River. Senator Leichter, Assemblyman Hoyt, senior attorneys from the Natural Resources
Defense Council, and elders from the Cree community joined Earth River clients and a documentary film crew from
Turner Broadcasting. None of the Cree or politicians had ever been in a whitewater raft and none of the river’s
Grand Canyon size rapids had ever been run.
"Dear Mr. Hertz,
We would like to thank you for inviting key personalities to partake in
the rafting trip down part of the proposed flooded section of the Great Whale River. The Cree have long
maintained the river in its natural wild state is more precious than any reservoir and hydro-electric
generating station.
The objective of the rafting trip was to create awareness and to
provoke action on the part of its participants. The trip succeeded brilliantly! By inviting key players in
the New York political milieu, you succeeded in putting a human face on the proposed destruction of one of
North America's last pristine wildernesses.
We've talked with Senator Leichter and Assemblyman Hoyt, as well as the members of Natural Resources Defense Council and according to all involved, the raft trip was the
catapulting force that brought these people together and aware of the environmental and social implications
of this project. In fact, these politicians are conducting hearings on the appropriateness of New York State
purchasing power with no environmental review.
Thank you again for all the effort you put in to make this happen.
In Gratitude,"
—Luis Eguren
Coordinator - Whapmagoostui (Great Whale) Cree Nation
“Dear Eric:
I am ever grateful to you for arranging the rafting trip to Great Whale and inviting me. It could not have
been a
more interesting and meaningful experience. Assemblyman Hoyt and I learned a great deal. Our immediate steps
we
discussed are;
1) We will schedule a legislative hearing in New York City towards the end of September,
at which we hope Mayor
Dinkins, among others, will testify, as well as representatives of the Crees.
2) We will look into proposing legislation that will force an environmental review of the
project which is
currently only required for any power New York purchases within the United States.
3) We are sending a letter to Governor Cuomo about the issue and asking him to meet with
the leaders of the
Cree.
Best Regards,”
—Franz S. Leichter
Aug. 1991 - Aug. 1993: Earth River ran four more conservation trips on the threatened Great Whale
River. Participants slept in teepees, ate traditional Cree food, and spent the week with Cree Chiefs and Elders.
Paying Earth River guests subsidized the trip’s cost. Participants included: Native Cree elders and Chiefs, the
Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Audubon Society, National Geographic Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler
Magazine, Turner Broadcasting, Nickelodeon Television, and politicians from New York and New England states that
were slated to purchase the power from the project. Two Television documentaries and numerous magazine and newspaper
articles resulted from the publicity the trips generated. New York legislation forcing environmental review of
the project was passed spearheaded by the policy makers from the trip.
In 1994 New York got out of the James Bay 2 Project and it was abandoned.
"Dear Mr. Hertz:
It has truly been an honor for us to have spent time with you. It is a
rare and special occasion when a group of visitors can develop such a rapport with the community. I
especially thank you for leading the party and investing so much personal energy towards our goal of
stopping the Project. You have accomplished much by these rafting trips; not only in recruiting key leaders
but in organizing the logistics and leading the rafters in a maiden voyage down these rapids.
During the past year, our community has had an increasing number of
visitors come to view first-hand the people and land that will be most affected by the Hydro Complex. Before
the rafting trips we were only able to show them the first set of rapids near town and could only hope they
departed with a clear sense of the consequences we face.
The rafting trips are the best ways to understand the river's richness
and importance. As you know, if the dams are built, the land you traversed will be under 35 meters of water. This
represents a tremendous and irreplaceable loss, not just to the Cree, but to the entire world. The
ecological, social, economic and political factors all reveal this project as an irresponsible and
unnecessary scheme.
As the media continues to grow around this issue we will surely be
greeting more guests and supporters. I assure you, though, that your stay with us will always be remembered
as one full of honor, sharing and laughter. After all the words have been spoken, it is still the river, and
the traditions which arise from it, that are felt the strongest. I am pleased that we can
consider you in unity as we continue the fight.
In Brotherhood,"
—Chief Robbie Dick
Whapmagoostui Band of the Cree Nation
March 1990: Earth River ran a conservation awareness expedition with the Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC) on the imperiled Bio Bio River in Chile. The Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet had only recently
relinquished power and the Bio Bio was the first conservation battle for the fledgling Chilean democracy.
"In March, Senior NRDC staff joined Earth River Expeditions, who
donated their time, expertise and equipment for a conservation expedition down the threatened Bio Bio River
in Chile. NRDC joined Earth River on a similar trip down Great Whale River in Quebec this past summer.
'To the decision-makers, the remote Bio Bio River in Chile is an
abstraction,' says NRDC's Senior attorney, Jacob Scherr, 'To be an effective advocate, there's no
substitute for going there.' If carried out, the project's reservoirs would convert the entire area into a
series of artificial lakes, flooding temperate forests and one of the most beautiful river canyons in the
world.
The damming will have an equally profound impact on the lives of the
5,000 Native Mapuche who will be forced to relocate. Chief Jose Antolín, told the rafting group on the trip,
"We have our own way of talking to God. If we lose the land, we lose the Araucaria trees. If we lose the
trees, we lose our tradition. These are the things we have inherited from our parents. Without them our
children will be lost."
In addition to NRDC experts, the trip included Chileans representing a
range of political and cultural dispositions. A total of 49 people joined convoy, the largest rafting
expedition ever to brave the class V Bio Bio."
—Earth Advocates News letter
Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC)
Feb. 1991: Earth River ran a conservation awareness expedition on the Bio Bio River on which
commercial clients were joined Chilean television actors, musicians and artists.
“Dear Eric,
We’re thankful for your generosity and flexibility that made the Chilean
artists trip possible and so
successful. A Bio Bio River song by Inti-Illimani, a video and television spots, all came out of the trip.
Organizationally and professionally, Earth River carried the trip off flawlessly. All of us, many
who had never white water rafted, highly admired the skill, generosity and spontaneity of the guides. It was
very moving to see how solidarity, friendship and respect grew between the American guests and the Chilean.
All
are going to contribute to the preservation campaign, many of them very concretely. I’m thankful to
have been on the trip and am appreciative that you made it happen.
Respectfully,”
—Katherine Bragg
(Director Grupo de Accion por el Bio Bio) (GABB)
Nov. 1993- Present: Earth River acquired sensitive property on the Futaleufu River
for conservation. After a protracted fight, the Bio Bio in Chile was buried under a series of lakes. The Native
Mapuche who live in the Bio Bio Valley had never been issued “legal” government titles. A land speculator
“purchased” all the property in the area and made a fortune selling it to the power company. Refusing to allow this
to happen to the Futaleufu, Earth River, with the help of some generous clients, began purchasing miles of
significant properties along the river, including the dam site. These acquisitions would ensure the properties would
be pace into a conservation trust keeping them out of the hands of developers. To date, 16 kilometers have been
acquired.
“We are being led by Earth River Expeditions, which started running outfitted trips down the Futaleufu in
1991.
Based in upstate New York, the organization has been buying up property along the Futaleufu to keep it out
of
the power company’s hands.”
—David Rakoff
Outside Magazine
May 2000: Earth River traveled to Newfoundland to take activists and local policymakers down
the Main River which was threatened with clear cut logging. A local guidebook rated the river as moderate Class IV
difficulty. When the Earth River guides arrived, they concluded that the river was too high to safely run. To the
chagrin of the organizers, the rafting trip was delayed a week while waiting for the water to drop to a safe level.
When the trip was finally run, the publicity generated brought much needed local attention to the threat. The Main
was never logged.
“The Main’s ancient forest and intact ecosystem has remained free from invasive pests and fire since it was
established after the retreat of the glaciers thousands of years ago.”
—Grand Canadian Newsletter
June/July 2000: Earth River did a first descent through
Headwall Canyon in British Columbia, a pristine valley with thousand foot water falls and multi-thousand foot
granite walls. After the expedition, Eric Hertz discovered the Canyons diverse old-growth forest of pine, spruce,
cedar, fir and hemlock, was slated to be clear cut. Earth River invited senior staff from NRDC and National
Geographic Television and the Actor, Richard Dean Anderson to join a conservation trip in order bring attention to
the situation. The following winter, the National Geographic special from the trip was shown in Vancouver, bringing
attention to the plight of the valley. Later that year it aired in U.S. and Canadian.
“Headwall Canyon is one of the great wonders of the world.”
—National Geographic Explorer Television
Aug. 2004: Earth River ran a conservation awareness trip on the threatened Magpie River in
Quebec where a series of dams were planned. Participants included Canadian activists and environmentalists. A
subsequent press conference in Montreal after the expedition was attended by Canadian television which aired the
footage from the trip across Canada on the nightly news.
“Mr. Hertz,
We would like to thank you for all Earth River’s actions regarding the Magpie River. Trips like this are
essential in helping people to discover the wonders and greatness of Quebec's rivers like the Magpie. The
publicity generated form the trip has been instrumental in our effort to protect the river. We believe that
reaching people and raising awareness is the key to saving our collective natural patrimony.”
Sincerely,
—Michel Gauthier
Director, Quebec Rivieres Fondation
March 2005: Earth River ran conservation awareness trip on the Futaleufu River with members of the Chilean business community and Senator Antonio Horvath, the chair of the
Environmental Committee of the Chilean Senate. A subsequent press conference in Santiago after the trip with
Senator Horvath and rafting group members, actors Dan Ackroyd and Julia Louis-Dreyfus alerted the Chilean public to
the river’s plight.
2012: Working closely with the Water Keeper Alliance, Earth River was instrumental in
forming the Futaleufu River Keeper, a local NGO dedicated to protecting the Futaleufu.
2025: Earth River began designing and building the “Sendero Futaleufu”, a linear nine-mile
wilderness trail through the largest expanse of old growth forest on the river. The not-for-profit trail, traverses
miles of conservation property Earth River and it’s clients have protected. Hikers will pay a fee to support the
project and to compensate the local trekking guides. The trail is scheduled to open in January of 2026.
