River Justice

On a warm morning in late September, volunteers and organizers gathered in a desolate cul-de-sac at the end of East Commercial lane in Sparks, Nev.

River Justice, an Indigenous-led group founded by mother and daughter water advocates Beverly and Autumn Harry, put a call out on social media for volunteers to help them clean the often-forgotten about banks of the north Truckee River on the border of Reno and Sparks. Beverly greeted the 60 volunteers with breakfast burritos and donuts, and offered unhoused passerby’s the same.

Once everyone was fed and ready to do what they came there for — removing solid waste from the Truckee River to prevent further degradation of the life-bringing watershed — Beverly and Autumn took turns educating the group about the history of the Paiute’s presence on these lands and the responsibility they all share to keep the river clean and protected.

River Justice volunteers collect trash under the Wells Avenue bridge on the north side of the Truckee River on Sept. 20, 2025. River Justice is an Indigenous-led group aimed at educating people about the local watershed and removing solid waste from the banks of the Truckee River. The Truckee River spans around 140 miles from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake, and the watershed covers about 3,000 square miles across Northern California and Northern Nevada.

River Justice cofounder Beverly Harry speaks to volunteers about the origins of the grassroots organization and the importance of collective activism. Beverly and her daughter started the group in 2021 to protect the legacy of her late husband, Norm Harry, who was a water protector for Pyramid Lake’s Paiute Tribe.

Cofounder Autumn Harry addresses the group of volunteers after her mother, Beverly Harry. As a Paiute woman, Autumn tells the group that while River Justice officially started in 2021, her ancestors have been stewards of the Truckee River for many generations before her.

Ten trash collectors were lent to River Justice by the local Patagonia outlet store, emphasizing the groups’ ability to connect like-minded community groups. A local harm reduction group was also in attendance and educated volunteers on how to properly dispose of sharps.

Volunteers pick up garbage at the end of East Commercial Lane in Sparks while being considerate not to throw away people’s belongings. Autumn and Beverly distinctly remember seeing an extraordinary amount of garbage near the Truckee River during the COVID-19 pandemic on their 100-mile round trips to Reno from where they live. They said they believe this was due to the increase in unhoused people during that time, in combination with the lack of resources for those who had lost their housing.

Autumn Harry, recovering from a recent back injury, walks around to make sure volunteers have ample trash bags. River Justice has organized around 60 of these events along the Truckee River.

A volunteer collects trash in the river on a manmade concrete slab. Autumn Harry says that it’s important to recognize that Indigenous peoples have been physically removed from the areas around the Truckee river and displaced out of the Reno/Sparks city limits. Her work leading grassroots groups like River Justice and Water Over Data Alliance, an Indigenous-led advocacy group in opposition of data centers, have helped strengthen her bond to the river.

“Before, I didn’t really feel welcomed. It doesn’t feel good to come to the river to be surrounded by concrete and development. And its just a reminder that my people have been removed from these places.”

Volunteers use their personal vehicles to bring the collected garbage to the dump after the river clean up events. The community coming together for these events is what makes them so impactful for Autumn Harry.

“We come here for River Justice, but so many of us are in many different mutual aid circles, or doing research, are students, and so by us coming here together it allows us to really build on that community aspect.”

“I’ve made so many friends from River Justice and it all started by them showing up,” Autumn Harry said.