{"id":58,"date":"2023-01-27T20:50:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-28T04:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T11:03:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:03:40","slug":"who-owns-a-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Owns A River?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Who really owns a river? It\u2019s a question that has sparked debates for centuries, from California to Colorado and everywhere in between. Property owners, farmers, cities, recreationists, and wildlife all have a stake in flowing water \u2014 but when claims collide, whose rights come first?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A well-known dispute in Colorado brought this question into focus. Boaters rallied to defend their right to float the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River after a landowner claimed the water in front of his property belonged solely to him. The case highlighted a broader conflict that has been playing out for decades: do rivers belong to individuals, or to everyone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-a-familiar-struggle\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Familiar Struggle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tension between public access and private property isn\u2019t new. Courts across the country have consistently sided with boaters, anglers, and communities, recognizing that rivers are more than just a backyard feature. Still, every time the issue resurfaces, it forces us to consider what\u2019s fair and sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Economics teaches us to respect private property rights, but it also reminds us that resources like rivers carry shared value. Block a river in one place and you don\u2019t just affect a single landowner \u2014 you disrupt farms, wildlife, recreation, and the health of the watershed downstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-lessons-from-history\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lessons from History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California\u2019s own history shows how powerful a single claim could be. During the Gold Rush, settlers could alter entire rivers simply by staking land near their source, with little regard for the communities or ecosystems downstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier Spanish law, by contrast, recognized that water use on one property couldn\u2019t diminish water available to others upstream or downstream. It wasn\u2019t perfect \u2014 it didn\u2019t fully account for environmental impacts \u2014 but it acknowledged a crucial truth: you can\u2019t change a river in one place without affecting the whole system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-why-rivers-matter-to-all-of-us\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Rivers Matter to All of Us<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A river isn\u2019t just water flowing through land. It carries fish upstream to spawn, provides habitat for countless species, sustains farms and cities, supports recreation, and shapes landscapes. When one person claims exclusive rights, they\u2019re not just taking a resource \u2014 they\u2019re affecting an entire community of people, plants, and animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-a-shared-responsibility\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Shared Responsibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the end, no one person can truly \u201cown\u201d a river. Too many people, communities, and ecosystems depend on its flow. Rivers are a public good, and they deserve protection that matches their importance.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"su-spacer\" style=\"height:20px\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div  class=\"related-posts\">\n   \n<h3>\nKeep Reading &#8211; There Is More to Explore:\n<\/h3> \n <div class=\"container-fluid\">     \n     <div class=\"row\">  \n     \n        <div class=\"col-sm-6\">\n         \n        <div class=\"rp-wrapper\">\n                <div class=\"col-sm-5\"> <div class=\"row\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"172\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/last-lost-river-feature-300x172.jpg\" class=\"alignleft img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/last-lost-river-feature-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/last-lost-river-feature-768x440.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/last-lost-river-feature.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n                <div class=\"col-sm-7\">\n                 <h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/the-last-lost-river\/\">The Last Lost River<\/a><\/h4>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n         <\/div>\n        <\/div> \n       \n        <div class=\"col-sm-6\">\n         \n        <div class=\"rp-wrapper\">\n                <div class=\"col-sm-5\"> <div class=\"row\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"172\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/sfa-scenery-ft-300x172.jpg\" class=\"alignleft img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"South Fork American Scenery\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/sfa-scenery-ft-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/sfa-scenery-ft-1024x587.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/sfa-scenery-ft-768x440.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/sfa-scenery-ft-1536x880.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/sfa-scenery-ft.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n                <div class=\"col-sm-7\">\n                 <h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/how-the-south-fork-become-popular\/\">How Did the South Fork American River Become So Popular?<\/a><\/h4>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n         <\/div>\n        <\/div> \n       \n        <div class=\"col-sm-6\">\n         \n        <div class=\"rp-wrapper\">\n                <div class=\"col-sm-5\"> <div class=\"row\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"172\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/tunnel-chute-gold-rush-feature-300x172.jpg\" class=\"alignleft img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"Tunnel Chute - Middle Fork American Gold Rush History\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/tunnel-chute-gold-rush-feature-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/tunnel-chute-gold-rush-feature-1024x587.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/tunnel-chute-gold-rush-feature-768x440.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/tunnel-chute-gold-rush-feature-1536x880.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/tunnel-chute-gold-rush-feature.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n                <div class=\"col-sm-7\">\n                 <h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/california-gold-rush-history\/\">Raft Through California Gold Rush History<\/a><\/h4>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n         <\/div>\n        <\/div> \n       \n        <div class=\"col-sm-6\">\n         \n        <div class=\"rp-wrapper\">\n                <div class=\"col-sm-5\"> <div class=\"row\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"172\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/What-Ive-Learned-1b-300x172.jpg\" class=\"alignleft img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"Recent Blog Posts from All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/What-Ive-Learned-1b-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/What-Ive-Learned-1b-1024x587.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/What-Ive-Learned-1b-768x440.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/What-Ive-Learned-1b-1536x880.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/What-Ive-Learned-1b.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n                <div class=\"col-sm-7\">\n                 <h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/what-california-rivers-taught-me-in-59-years\/\">What California Rivers Taught Me in 59 Years \u2013 Watch &#038; Learn<\/a><\/h4>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n         <\/div>\n        <\/div> \n                  <\/div>\n<\/div> \n    <hr \/>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"su-spacer\" style=\"height:20px\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top: -2px; margin-left: 15px; \"><em><small>Updated from the original post published on January 26, 2006 by Robyn S.<\/small><\/em><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-author\">\n      <div class=\"container-fluid\">\r\n    <em><small>Posted on January 27, 2023 by<\/small><\/em>\r\n    <div class=\"author-bio\">\r\n\t    <div class=\"col-sm-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/lenka.png\" class=\"author-avatar img-responsive\" alt=\"Lenka Bostian Bio\" \/><\/div>\r\n\t    <div class=\"col-sm-9\">\r\n        <h3>Lenka Bostian<\/h3>\r\n\t\t<p>Lenka started working for All-Outdoors in the summer of 2005 when she followed her heart from her native Czech Republic out to California. After graduating college in Prague, she packed up her degree in International Business and moved across the pond for good. She\u2019s been part of the AO family ever since, wearing different hats along the way. Besides trail running, tennis, and traveling, Lenka enjoys rafting and camping on the South Fork with her hubby (former AO guide) and their twin boys.<\/p> \r\n    <\/div>\r\n        <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\t  \n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who owns a river? A look at the ongoing debate over public access, private rights, and why rivers matter to us all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":692,"featured_media":14818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-river-conservation-and-california-water-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.5 (Yoast SEO v28.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Who Owns A River?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who Owns A River?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Who owns a river? A look at the ongoing debate over public access, private rights, and why rivers matter to us all.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The AO Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/alloutdoors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-01-28T04:50:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-23T18:03:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/StanbridgeLowerKlamath.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"573\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lenka Bostian\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lenka Bostian\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lenka Bostian\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b311707c7563341177bab9009eb2d6c8\"},\"headline\":\"Who Owns A River?\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-28T04:50:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-23T18:03:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":415,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2006\\\/01\\\/StanbridgeLowerKlamath.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"River Conservation and California Water Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/\",\"name\":\"Who Owns A River?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2006\\\/01\\\/StanbridgeLowerKlamath.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-28T04:50:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-23T18:03:40+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2006\\\/01\\\/StanbridgeLowerKlamath.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2006\\\/01\\\/StanbridgeLowerKlamath.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":573,\"caption\":\"who owns a river\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/who-owns-a-river\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Who Owns A River?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"The All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting Blog\",\"description\":\"Read up on everything related to whitewater rafting on California rivers with All-Outdoors\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/red-logo-2022-3.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/red-logo-2022-3.png\",\"width\":200,\"height\":97,\"caption\":\"All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/alloutdoors\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/c\\\/aorafting\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/aorafting\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b311707c7563341177bab9009eb2d6c8\",\"name\":\"Lenka Bostian\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e9edf40756767ecd733e53a8fc520cea7595247d4a09bd7e899762b2cf282998?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e9edf40756767ecd733e53a8fc520cea7595247d4a09bd7e899762b2cf282998?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e9edf40756767ecd733e53a8fc520cea7595247d4a09bd7e899762b2cf282998?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lenka Bostian\"},\"description\":\"Lenka started working for All-Outdoors in the summer of 2005 when she followed her heart from her native Czech Republic out to California. After graduating college in Prague, she packed up her degree in International Business and moved across the pond for good. She\u2019s been part of the AO family ever since, wearing different hats along the way. Besides trail running, tennis, and traveling, Lenka enjoys rafting and camping on the South Fork with her hubby (former AO guide) and their twin boys.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.aorafting.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/lenka\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Who Owns A River?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Who Owns A River?","og_description":"Who owns a river? A look at the ongoing debate over public access, private rights, and why rivers matter to us all.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/","og_site_name":"The AO Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/alloutdoors","article_published_time":"2023-01-28T04:50:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-23T18:03:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":573,"url":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/StanbridgeLowerKlamath.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lenka Bostian","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lenka Bostian","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/"},"author":{"name":"Lenka Bostian","@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b311707c7563341177bab9009eb2d6c8"},"headline":"Who Owns A River?","datePublished":"2023-01-28T04:50:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-23T18:03:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/"},"wordCount":415,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/StanbridgeLowerKlamath.jpg","articleSection":["River Conservation and California Water Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/","url":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/","name":"Who Owns A River?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/StanbridgeLowerKlamath.jpg","datePublished":"2023-01-28T04:50:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-23T18:03:40+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/StanbridgeLowerKlamath.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/01\/StanbridgeLowerKlamath.jpg","width":1000,"height":573,"caption":"who owns a river"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/who-owns-a-river\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Who Owns A River?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/","name":"The All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting Blog","description":"Read up on everything related to whitewater rafting on California rivers with All-Outdoors","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting","url":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/red-logo-2022-3.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/red-logo-2022-3.png","width":200,"height":97,"caption":"All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/alloutdoors","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/aorafting","https:\/\/instagram.com\/aorafting\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b311707c7563341177bab9009eb2d6c8","name":"Lenka Bostian","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e9edf40756767ecd733e53a8fc520cea7595247d4a09bd7e899762b2cf282998?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e9edf40756767ecd733e53a8fc520cea7595247d4a09bd7e899762b2cf282998?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e9edf40756767ecd733e53a8fc520cea7595247d4a09bd7e899762b2cf282998?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lenka Bostian"},"description":"Lenka started working for All-Outdoors in the summer of 2005 when she followed her heart from her native Czech Republic out to California. After graduating college in Prague, she packed up her degree in International Business and moved across the pond for good. She\u2019s been part of the AO family ever since, wearing different hats along the way. Besides trail running, tennis, and traveling, Lenka enjoys rafting and camping on the South Fork with her hubby (former AO guide) and their twin boys.","url":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/author\/lenka\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/692"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aorafting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}