The Conestoga River is in the running for River of the Year for 2026, and the Conestoga River Club and partners encourage everyone in the Conestoga watershed to vote.

The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, with funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources, awards one Pennsylvania river the status of River of the Year each year. This year, the Conestoga River Club nominated the Conestoga River to be on the ballot, with support from nearly 20 partner organizations in and around the Conestoga River watershed. The Conestoga is one of three rivers on the ballot.

Now the vote is up to the general public. People may vote for the River of the Year at https://pawatersheds.org/vote-for-a-2026-river-of-the-year/. The ballot will be open until Friday, Jan. 16, and the Conestoga River Club's goal is to get at least 10,000 votes for the Conestoga River.

If the Conestoga wins River of the Year, the Conestoga River Club will be awarded $15,000 to organize a series of activities and events throughout the year highlighting the river and providing education on its beauty, the challenges it faces, and the ways the community is taking action to care for it.