From Ridge to Reef: POW Launches the Water Alliance

Photo by POW Creative Alliance member Morgan Maassen

For over a decade, Protect Our Winters has proven that trusted messengers—athletes, creatives, scientists, and brands—can move the needle on climate. By sharing their stories and leveraging their platforms, POW athletes have helped influence the over 180 million Americans who recreate outside—a group that POW calls The Outdoor State—by shifting culture, shaping policy, and driving systemic solutions.

Now, with the support of our Brand Alliance partner 11th Hour Racing, we’re expanding our reach and bringing that same model to a vital, urgent space: water. This expansion is a pathway to connect with even more of the Outdoor State, people who love the outdoors, uniting them around one of the most essential resources that sustains both our lives and our outdoor experiences.

Why Water?

Water covers about 71% of Earth’s surface. Most of it is in our oceans, which absorb around 90% of the excess heat caused by global warming and roughly 30% of the carbon dioxide we produce. This has shielded us from the worst impacts, but the cost is mounting: marine heatwaves, stronger hurricanes, rising seas, ocean acidification, and collapsing ecosystems.

Snow and ice are critical parts of this system. Mountain snowpack functions as a natural reservoir, storing water in winter and releasing it gradually into rivers, lakes, and aquifers throughout warmer months. As winters begin to warm, the snowpack declines, and these steady water supplies diminish, placing added stress on the communities and freshwater ecosystems downstream.

As warming is intensifying droughts and floods, it threatens drinking water, biodiversity, and recreation. Without climate action, coldwater fish could lose 62% of their suitable habitat by 2100, wiping out beloved fishing spots and billions in recreation-driven economic activity.

“Much like those who explore our planet’s mountains and trails, those who recreate on rivers, lakes, coastlines, and oceans carry powerful stories and deep passion that can shift the climate conversation,” said Jeremy Jones, Professional Snowboarder & Founder of POW. “Beaches, reefs, and waterways are seeing the impacts of climate change coast to coast and are reshaping recreation, livelihoods, and entire communities. POW’s proven model of community leader–driven culture change, policy advocacy, and movement building presents a significant opportunity in water-based communities. This is a pivotal moment to leverage our strengths in the water space and expand our impact.”

Enter the POW Water Alliance

Our approach is simple. With a cohort of trusted messengers from water-based sports and communities, we’ll train them to tell their personal stories and influence in the climate fight, and support them in driving real change.

Surfers, paddlers, divers, anglers, and sailors carry a deep passion for the places they love: beaches, reefs, rivers, lakes, and coastlines. These communities are already seeing climate impacts firsthand. By equipping them with tools and platforms, we can:

• Expand POW’s reach to new audiences deeply connected to water.
• Push for policy wins at the intersection of climate and water.
• Support and amplify ongoing water advocacy across the country.

A Movement of Many Currents

The Water Alliance connects mountain and trail communities with those who recreate on lakes, rivers, and oceans. Recreation on and around water has deep roots in Indigenous culture, where communities have stewarded waterways for generations. POW Water reflects this through collaborations with athletes like Cliff Kapono and Mario Ordoñez-Calderón, and partnerships with organizations working at this intersection. Their leadership, knowledge, and advocacy are essential, and we are committed to supporting and amplifying them.

We’re not here to duplicate existing water conservation efforts. We’re here to add value by doing what we do best: shifting culture, elevating trusted voices, and mobilizing the outdoor community into meaningful climate action. By bringing our proven model of community leader–driven advocacy to the water space, we can help protect not just recreation, but the ecosystems and livelihoods that depend on healthy rivers, lakes, and seas.

“We are scaling that impact across new communities – all united by their connection to water and their determination to protect it. As a partner and supporter of this initiative with POW, we’re helping to shape a new narrative – one that links water, land, climate, and community in pursuit of a more sustainable future,” said Jeremy Pochman, founding POW Water partner and CEO and Co-Founder of 11th Hour Racing.

From ridge to reef, from freshwater streams to open ocean, the POW Water Alliance is here to turn passion into protection.

Meet the POW Water Alliance:

Eeland Stribling:

Eeland Stribling is an angler, educator, wildlife biologist, and stand-up comedian from Denver, Colorado. Introduced to winter sports by his mom and inspired by his grandfather, a fellow wildlife biologist, Eeland developed a lifelong passion for conservation and the outdoors.

Liz Clark:

Liz Clark is a surfer, sailor, and environmental activist who spent over a decade voyaging more than 20,000 nautical miles by sailboat, documenting her journey through writing, photography, and her bestselling memoir Swell. Now based in French Polynesia, she leads the nonprofit A Ti’a Matairea, focusing on environmental and animal welfare work.

Mario Ordoñez-Calderón:

Mario Ordoñez-Calderón is an Indigenous Mayan, Navy veteran, surfer, and climate justice advocate. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of Un Mar de Colores, he connects underrepresented youth to the ocean through surf therapy, education, and mentorship, while serving on California’s Environmental Justice Advisory Board to advance equitable coastal resilience.

Meet the whole POW Water Alliance Team!

Thank you to POW Brand Alliance Partner for Supporting the POW Water Alliance

About 11th Hour Racing:

Inspired by the dynamics of sailboat racing and the urgency for climate action, 11th Hour Racing is committed to the health and resilience of ocean systems. Supporting innovative, sustainable solutions in the maritime industry and beyond through sport, storytelling and grantmaking, 11th Hour Racing works to build healthy planetary systems and strong communities. Under the 11th Hour Racing umbrella, activities are provided through 11th Hour Racing, Inc., which serves as the impact entity and provides programmatic direction to its philanthropic partners, including 11th Hour Racing Charitable, LLC, which engages in charitable work, and 11th Hour Racing Action, LLC, which engages in social welfare programs and advocacy. Learn more at www.11thhourracing.org,”