After months of work, the Conestoga River made the 2026 ballot Tuesday. The Conestoga now competes in a monthlong public vote against two other state rivers. If the Conestoga wins, Roy said he and other conservationists in Lancaster County will dedicate the award to Crable and use some of the $15,000 prize to memorialize him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came out of retirement for me, to tell this story of our river. We\u2019re going to win it for him,\u201d Roy said. \u201cThere is no question.\u201d<\/p>\n
HOW TO VOTE<\/p>\n
The online polls for Pennsylvania\u2019s 2026 River of the Year are open until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.<\/p>\n
Voters can choose between the Conestoga River, Lower Schuylkill River and Chillisquaque Creek, which flows through Northumberland and Montour counties. Local groups supporting the winning river must host a full calendar year\u2019s worth of events, including a River of the Year guided paddling trip.<\/p>\n
People can visit pawatersheds.org\/vote-for-a-2026-river-of-the-year\/<\/a> to read about the nominees and submit their votes. One vote per email address is permitted, according to a state press release<\/a>. The Conestoga led the polls with 85% of the vote as of Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n Getting on the ballot<\/p>\n The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers has hosted the annual Pennsylvania River of the Year award since 1983 in an effort to promote conservation efforts for the state\u2019s waterways. Last year, the Delaware River earned the title for the third time with 2,962 votes.<\/p>\n The Conestoga River has never won. Still, Roy said he feels confident about the club\u2019s odds. The Conestoga River Club\u2019s goal is to earn 10,000 votes, more votes than the total cast for all rivers on the 2025 ballot.<\/p>\n In its nomination filing, conservation advocates wrote that the Conestoga River is \u201cthe cultural backbone of Lancaster County.\u201d The Conestoga, a 60-mile tributary of the Susquehanna River, has several of its own tributaries around the county, including Cocalico Creek, Lititz Run, Little Conestoga Creek, Mill Creek and Muddy Creek. The Conestoga\u2019s challenges, including nutrient and sentiment pollution and failing water quality standards, have meant yearslong conservation efforts by groups across Lancaster County.<\/p>\n About 20 organizations and dozens of individuals helped the Conestoga make the ballot, according to Malinda Harnish Clatterbuck, executive director of the Conestoga River Club. The river has made it to the polls before, but Clatterbuck said it feels like now is the time for the Conestoga to win it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Conestoga River Club really needs to get on the map to highlight the importance of the Conestoga River in our community,\u201d Clatterbuck said. \u201cWe depend on the river for the quality of our life here.\u201d<\/p>\n Amanda Goldsmith, a watershed specialist at the Lancaster County Conservation District, said celebrating the river means celebrating the conservationists, farmers and local land owners who continue to protect the river. A win could reinvigorate and fund the uphill battle to repair the Conestoga.<\/p>\n Other environmental advocates agree. Fritz Schroeder, president of Lancaster Conservancy, said the Conestoga inspired his personal journey into conservation, with hours spent paddling the lower section of the river.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be in the running for Pennsylvania\u2019s River of the Year is significant,\u201d Schroeder said in an email, \u201cand we can use our entire community\u2019s support in voting for this recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018A very good and loyal friend\u2019<\/p>\n Crable wrote about the Conestoga an uncountable number of times over the course of his 37-year journalism career, ranging from stories about divers winching a 1-ton dumpster from the water to the river\u2019s pollution problems.<\/p>\n One of those stories came when Roy founded the Conestoga River Club, a nonprofit focused on educating the public about the river and conserving it, in 2020<\/a>. Now, Roy said he hopes to make 2026 a year that Crable would be proud to write about.<\/p>\n \u201cAd was the first one to introduce me and the club concept to the community,\u201d Roy said. \u201cHe was a very good and loyal friend to our efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n Crable considered the Conestoga River a friend, too. Jen Kopf, Crable\u2019s wife of 27 years, said he loved to power walk the Conestoga Greenway Trail and marked the seasons by tracking the geese and ducks that stopped over. Crable\u2019s family still thinks of him when around the Conestoga, which Kopf can see from the upstairs window of the home they once shared.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just enjoyed having its presence so near,\u201d Kopf said by email.<\/p>\n If the Conestoga wins the competition, the $15,000 grant will help fund the Conestoga River Club and its partners\u2019 typical calendar of events, including river cleanups, floats, Lancaster Water Week events, educational events, field workshops, safety clinics, river mapping initiatives and more. The river\u2019s nomination form also pitches a potential commemorative poster, documentary and interactive online map of the river. Clatterbuck said she hopes the win could be a catalyst for the public learning more about the Conestoga.<\/p>\n The money could go toward a new program, too: the Ad Crable Environmental Writing Lecture, an annual series that would bring an environmental journalist to the county to discuss the media\u2019s role \u201cin water quality advocacy and holding polluters accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n The club is also considering a physical memorial for Crable by one of the river\u2019s launch sites, Roy said, though he said he isn\u2019t certain exactly where it would go yet.<\/p>\n Kopf said Crable would be thrilled to receive the dedication, but she knows he would be quick to point out all the other people in Lancaster County working to support the Conestoga.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it\u2019s to clean up its banks, or track the water quality, or advocate for the kayakers, canoeists and fishermen who use it and also appreciate what it brings to the area, there are so many people who take care of the river,\u201d Kopf said by email. \u201cHe\u2019d be blown away to be singled out of that group for the recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n PARTNERS PUSHING FOR RIVER OF THE YEAR<\/p>\n The Conestoga River Club, a nonprofit dedicated to education and conservation of the Conestoga, has led the push to win Pennsylvania\u2019s 2026 River of the Year. But more local conservation partners involved themselves, too.<\/p>\n The partners listed on the river\u2019s nomination form include:<\/p>\n Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay<\/p>\n Lancaster Clean Water Partners<\/p>\n Lancaster County Conservation District<\/p>\n Lancaster Conservancy<\/p>\n Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association<\/p>\n Susquehanna Valley Chapter of Team River Runner.<\/p>\n People with questions about the Conestoga River Club and its efforts for Pennsylvania River of the Year should contact Malinda Harnish Clatterbuck, executive director, at malinda@conestogariverclub.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n