RiverKids expands into Autauga County with Prattville river partnership

Prattville families now have a closer entry point into RiverKids, the Alabama 4-H paddling program that teaches youth ages 9 to 18 water safety, basic boating skills and confidence on Alabama’s waterways. The expansion into Autauga County puts Spillway Park and the Autauga Creek corridor inside a statewide network that already reaches 35 counties and more than 1,000 miles of freshwater.

The local rollout came during an event at Spillway Park, where RiverKids and the Alabama Scenic River Trail marked the county addition and pointed to the practical value of the partnership. For parents looking for summer or after-school options, the change matters because it ties outdoor education to a place many families already know: Autauga Creek, from downtown Prattville to the city’s newer recreation areas.

RiverKids has operated since 2016 and, in 2025 alone, engaged 1,008 adults and youths across 35 counties. Participants paddled 188 miles on 20 waterways and earned 58 adult-leader certifications in wilderness and remote first aid, CPR, small-watercraft operation and aquatic safety. Alabama Scenic River Trail says the program has helped more than 5,000 children feel comfortable on the water.

Andrew Szymanski, the Alabama Scenic River Trail executive director, has said the goal is to make water as accessible as possible for anyone who wants to enjoy it, with grants and partnerships helping improve launch sites, expand boat access and support work with groups such as 4-H. Emily Nichols, a natural resources extension specialist, said the programming also goes beyond paddling by introducing children to environmental learning, including macroinvertebrates and river ecosystems.

Autauga County’s new role fits into a landscape that was already changing. The City of Prattville has described Spillway Park as its newest recreational destination along Autauga Creek, and the Autauga Creek Improvement Committee received a $4,190 Waterway Enhancement Program grant for a portable kayak launch system meant to create more access points along the creek. City officials said that project was intended to benefit the Autauga Creek Canoe Trail, Spillway Park and the Creekwalk.

Alabama Recreation Trails describes the Autauga Creek blueway from the Creekwalk at City Hall to Canoe Trail Park as a four-mile route that takes about two to three hours to paddle and includes 35 geocaches. ASRT also calls Autauga Creek a day-trip route from historic downtown Prattville, a description that now fits a youth program built around getting more local children safely onto the water.