Vote Conestoga:

Help Lancaster’s River Shine as Pennsylvania’s River of the Year

The Conestoga River winds more than 60 miles through the heart of Lancaster County, flowing from its headwaters in Berks County down to the Susquehanna at Safe Harbor. It threads past historic covered bridges, working farms, and small towns — a living landscape of culture, recreation, and history that belongs to all of us. 

Right now the Conestoga is one of three waterways nominated for Pennsylvania’s 2026 River of the Year — and voting is open through January 16, 2026. A River of the Year designation brings attention, celebration, and new opportunities for funding and partnerships that help protect water quality, restore habitat, and expand public access. If you love paddling, hiking beside the river, historic bridges, or simply clean drinking water and healthy farms, this is an easy way to show it. 

Why the Conestoga deserves your vote: its watershed is big, important, and actively improving. The Conestoga watershed covers hundreds of square miles and drains a mix of agricultural lands, towns, and growing suburbs — which means both rich heritage and real restoration challenges. Local partners, nonprofits, and state programs have been investing in stream restorations, riparian buffers, and targeted projects (for example, substantial restoration work in the Little Conestoga watershed funded by state Growing Greener and other grants). These efforts show what collaboration can do when communities and agencies work together. 

Across Lancaster, volunteer groups and local funds are already rolling up their sleeves: river cleanups, youth education programs, volunteer Conestoga River Clubs, and grant-supported equipment and outreach help keep the river healthy and connected to people. Organizations such as Lancaster Clean Water Partners and local watershed groups are urging people to vote and to celebrate the river with events, paddles, and service opportunities if the Conestoga wins. A River of the Year title would amplify those efforts and attract more attention — and funding — to continue restoration work. 

How you can help right now

1. Vote for the Conestoga for Pennsylvania’s River of the Year (online voting is open through Jan. 16, 2026).
2. Share this post with friends, family, paddling groups, and local clubs — ask them to vote and to spread the word.  Use the QR code below to help others find the voting page.
3. Join a local cleanup, sign up for a river paddle, or support watershed groups financially or with volunteer time.

Our River of the Year campaign for the Conestoga River is deeply dedicated to the memory of Ad A. Crable III, beloved Lancaster-area journalist, outdoor enthusiast, and passionate voice for environmental stewardship who passed away in August 2025. Ad spent decades writing about rivers, outdoor recreation, and conservation for the Lancaster New Era and Chesapeake Bay Journal, inspiring countless readers to connect with and protect the natural world around them. His work helped make complex environmental issues accessible and meaningful to everyday people, and his storytelling often centered on rivers like the Conestoga that shape our landscape and community.

The Conestoga is more than a channel on a map — it’s a corridor of life, history, and livelihood. A vote is a small action with big potential: more visibility, better partnerships, and momentum for the next wave of restoration. Let’s put Lancaster’s river in the spotlight — vote Conestoga for River of the Year and celebrate what our communities can accomplish together.