Flathead Rivers Alliance (FRA) was able to partner with Great Northern Whitewater Rafting to host a private Women's Specific River Rescue Course Aug. 17-18, 2024, out of West Glacier, MT. The course hosted 12 women over two-days led by Trainer Jackie and assisted by Trainer Mica, with dryland training at Great Northern Resort and on-river intensive training on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River whitewater section. Huge thanks to the women that showed up and for the incredible team of trainers and supporters!

Flathead Rivers Alliance is dedicated to safeguarding the 219+ miles of the outstandingly remarkable Three Forks of the Flathead River and ensuring enjoyment and access for all. Our organization cares deeply about the resource and making sure community is able to recreate on it safely and responsibly. We are noted for serving as the hub for river trip planning information with a focus on safety and deployment of over 240 volunteers annually on the river system promoting recreate responsibly and serving as citizen scientists. To improve life safety on the river we sought funding to cover registration for a private swiftwater river rescue training for six participants through Flathead Electric Roundup for Safety grant program. We received 26 applications for 10 available spots this year for scholarship and payer spots.

Our female staff members support volunteer stewardship efforts, citizen science, partner floats and other activities that require time on the river. To ensure our safety and advocate for the safety of others on the river we identified it was time for staff participate in swiftwater river rescue training. Since 2021, we have received multiple requests from women in the river community to provide scholarships to participate in an all-women's swiftwater river rescue training. The timing was deemed appropriate to coordinate an integral life saving training for our staff and women community leaders during 2024 float season. The course covered the essentials of swiftwater safety and rescue in a super supportive all women environment and empowering the river community to seek additional skills to boost river safety.

Learn more about Great Northern Whitewater Raft River Training & Safety Courses: https://greatnorthernresort.com/river-school/raft-and-guide-school/