The ultimate purpose of the NAKED RIVERBANKS initiative is to improve conditions along our waterways. The original proposal for Naked Riverbanks was directed primarily at developed homesite property owners with neglected or abused riparian areas associated with those properties. When diving into these concerns a similar issue was noticed on production land that borders the river. NAKED RIVERBANKS 2.0 is intended to encourage all owners with riparian areas in poor condition to consider some corrective action by learning about and implementing some best management practices.
For those who own or manage such properties, one might view their tenure in such a position as being a short-term steward. How riparian areas are managed can have important and long-lasting effects on the property itself, its value in terms of money, and certainly on the associated river and the life forms that inhabit that river. Serious erosion issues affecting one property may also have a negative effect on neighboring properties.