Regardless of the type of ecosystem service considered, the quality of the waters of the Bistrița River are of utmost importance, beyond what is stated in the legislation. The Bistrița Aurie River springs from Rodna Mountains and ends on the confluence with Dorna River. It has a length of about 70 km, 19 tributaries on the right side and 19 on the left side, and crosses localities as Cârlibaba, Ciocănești, Iacobeni and Vatra Dornei (Donisă and Poghirc, 1968). The age of the Bistrița valley is Pliocene-Quaternary (Donisă and Poghirc, 1968). Maintaining a favourable conservation status for the riverain species and habitats included in the natural protected areas Natura 2000, namely ROSCI0010 Bistrița Aurie and ROSCI0196 Pietrosul Broștenilor -Cheile Zugrenilor, is a process strongly dependant on the river water's quality. Even though the practice of traditional rafting is almost completely extinct, the Bistrița River still hosts a series of special events for tourism and leisure, most of them in the month of August: River Rafting Week (beginning with the 25 th of August), National Trout Festival (when fries are released into the river for artisanal use) and river rafting in the Zugrenilor Gorge. The first two events are organized by the Ciocănești Town Hall.