River Fields

The historic mill and waterfall at Wolf Pen Branch Mill Farm - protected forever by River Fields. 

We are an independent nonprofit with a mission to protect our beloved Ohio River, its lands, and the natural and cultural wonders that belong to us all!

This year, River Fields celebrates 66 years. Sixty-six years of protecting land and water, sharing long-forgotten histories, speaking up against harmful development, and restoring and protecting places that were nearly lost forever. But we aren't resting on our legacy - we're reaching even higher to ensure that the next generation learns about and enjoys the same wonders that ours did. And that they'll protect them, too. Because we protect what we love, we love what we know, and we know what we are taught. 

Today, we're working towards an ambitious all-time high goal for our Give for Good campaign: $32,000. We ask you to make a one-time gift to help us celebrate our 66th birthday. Whether your lucky River Fields number is $66, $660, or $6,600, we want you to be a part of hitting this thrilling precedent in our organization's history.

Young nature enthusiasts at Garvin Brown Nature Preserve.

 You make it possible to:

• Improve our beloved Garvin Brown Nature Preserve, where wildflowers, woods, wetlands and open river views are open to the public every day;
• Protect forever the 2,300 acres of forest, farmland, meadows, and waterways in Jefferson, Oldham and Shelby counties entrusted to us by landowners;
• Re-naturalize our lands along River Road over the next five years to permanently replace turf and invasive plants with native wildflowers and grasses; 
• Create engaging new nature programs for our members and our partners at the Home of the Innocents teen foster care program; 
• Serve you and the places you cherish as a trusted and informed local voice that speaks out against planned developments that don't respect our shared natural and cultural treasures;
• Partner with other organizations to promote the Ohio River Basin Restoration Plan, a long-needed and ambitious plan impacting millions of people and hundreds of miles in the Ohio River Basin

Monarch butterfly on a native buttonbush shrub at River Fields's Garvin Brown Nature Preserve. Buttonbush is a critical wetlands plant that throughout the summer provides food and habitat for pollinators like the monarch, and later in the year offers food for more than 20 different species of waterfowl.

We envision a community in which we protect the Ohio River, its lands, and our common natural and cultural heritage. We can't do it without you, so please celebrate our 66th anniversary and Give for Good on Sept. 18 by supporting River Fields with a generous, tax-deductible donation. 

Thank you for your support and your trust. 

P.S.: Want to see some beautiful places? Check out our gallery below to learn more about the lands we protect!

Ponds, streams, creeks - they're all part of the Ohio River watershed we help protect for future generations!

Happy nature explorers after an interpretive walk at Garvin Brown Nature Preserve. River Fields manages and offers public programming at the preserve, which includes wetlands, woods, wildflower meadows and unfettered river views.

A trip up Harrods Creek for our members to learn about this beautiful waterway's history and ecology

Everyone loves to learn about trees! With Bernheim Forest's Renee Frith at Wolf Pen Branch Farm in February.