Friends of the Napa River were officially established as a 501(c)(3) organization in early 1994. The organizers had worked together through the years on many different concerns about the Napa River such as boating, fishing, flooding, watershed protection, trails, festivals and riverfront development. We are a diverse community group whose mission statement is "the community's voice for the responsible protection, restoration, development and celebration of the Napa River and its watershed."

The primary goal of Friends is to heighten the community's awareness of the river as a valuable, but impaired, resource. We advocate for the Napa River at governmental meetings when decisions are being made that affect the river. We sponsor the annual River Festival featuring the Napa Valley Symphony the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. We sponsor clean-ups and watershed hikes. We have put together educational materials to help in the schools with the "Adopt a Watershed" program. This material is also available to community organizations. We participate on local committees involving water, flooding and recreation. Many of us have been involved over the years in the planning of the flood control project in Napa with  a county-wide coalition to bring the most enlightened project possible to Napa.