For Immediate Release
O.A.R.S. and Waterkeeper Alliance Ask River Aficionados
To Help Save Patagonia’s Wild and Iconic Futaleufú River
ANGELS CAMP, CA, March 22, 2013 – Veteran river outfitter and nature-based
adventure travel company O.A.R.S. has joined forces with Waterkeeper Alliance to ignite a social media campaign launched in mid-March to help save the Futaleufú River in Chile.
For every new fan O.A.R.S. receives on Facebook (
http://ow.ly/jbZSa) before the end of the month, O.A.R.S. will donate $1 per fan, up to $2,500, to
Futaleufú Riverkeeper to aid their efforts to fight three proposed dams along the Futaleufú River in Chilean Patagonia.
For more details on the threats to the Futaleufú, please see the O.A.R.S. blog,
http://ow.ly/jaMuu.
“Known affectionately as ‘the Fu,’ this is one of the wildest, most pristine whitewater rivers in the world,” said
George Wendt, president and founder of O.A.R.S. “We’ve witnessed the loss of too many wild rivers around the world, including in Patagonia—the Bio Bio being the highest profile river battle lost in the 1980s—and it would truly be a tragedy to lose the Fu. Thanks in advance for helping us, help the Fu.” Wendt ran the Futaleufú for the first time with his two sons in 2002.
O.A.R.S. has been offering ten-day
whitewater rafting expeditions on Chile’s Futaleufú River for 12 years. The Class IV-V river begins in Argentina’s Andes, alternating between vistas of granite cliffs, lush foliage, snow-capped peaks and towering spires, offering one of the most famous and exciting river trips in the world.
In 1978, Wendt was part of a team that completed the first successful descent of Chile’s Bio Bio River and the river quickly earned a reputation as one of world's best
whitewater rafting venues. To traverse it, a trip took seven days through some of Chile's most remote wilderness areas. Endesa, the Chilean state-run power company at that time, constructed the
Pangue Hydroelectric Plant at the confluence of the Pangue and Huiri-Huiri rivers, despite strong protests by river enthusiasts and environmentalists. With the loss of whitewater rafting and a growing tourism economy, there was also the displacement of indigenous
Pehuenche people, who had lived in the area for centuries. Local environmentalists have now engaged river conservation groups around the world to see that the same fate doesn’t face the Fu.
For more information regarding O.A.R.S. adventures around the world and to order a copy of its 2013 catalog, call 209-736-4677 or 800-346-6277, email
info@oars.com, or visit:
http://www.oars.com/.
About O.A.R.S.
Some 500,000 guests later,
O.A.R.S. has been providing whitewater rafting vacations since 1969. Over the decades the company has set the standard in first-class rafting, sea kayaking and multi-sport adventure, with destinations and unparalleled experiences on over 35 rivers and coastlines around the world. O.A.R.S. caters to active travelers of all ages and abilities with more than 75 unique itineraries, including one-day and weekend escapes. In 2012, for the sixth consecutive year,
Condé Nast Traveler recognized Mindy Gleason, O.A.R.S. Reservation Manager and International Adventure Travel Consultant, as
Condé Nast Traveler’s standalone Top Travel Specialist in the River Rafting category. In 2013
Outside, America’s leading multimedia active-lifestyle brand, named O.A.R.S. one of the top two outfitters in its annual
Active Travel Awards recognition program.
