Written by Mariya Chugay
World Rivers Day is an annual celebration of the world’s waterways.
Having celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2020, this day highlights the many values of our rivers, strives to increase public awareness, and encourages the improved stewardship of all rivers around the world.

Mark Angelo releases juvenile chum salmon into Guichon Creek with his grandson.
Initially founded as BC Rivers Day in the 1980s by the BCIT Rivers Institute’s own Mark Angelo, Rivers Day has since expanded to be recognized and celebrated all around the world. In support of the United Nations Water for Life Decade, World Rivers Day was established to create awareness surrounding water resources and the need to protect them. Since then, the world has been celebrating our waterways on the fourth Sunday of every September.
In the words of Angelo, “rivers are the arteries of our planet; they are lifelines in the truest sense.”