Front Page News

American Whitewater recently submitted testimony to the Water and Power Subcommittee, Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives for their Oversight Hearing on Hydropower.

On June 23rd, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the The Raw Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act (H.R. 2452). We are now one step closer to getting the information we need when there’s a sewer spill that could affect public health, an issue of particular concern to whitewater paddlers who are in direct contact with the water every time we get on a river.

American Whitewater would like to recognize Sue and Dave Wester as our Volunteers of the Month. For many years Sue and Dave have been steadfast volunteers at both Sky Fest and Wenatchee Fest. 

While many volunteers have made these successful events, Sue and Dave have played key roles on organizing the behind the scenes details for each of these events. They have organized the raffles and auctions that have been the primary fundraisers at these events raising over $60k for AW's stewardship efforts in the PNW. In fact these efforts have been instrumental in building AW's regional program.

A big thank you to both Sue (who turns away from the camera) and Dave! As Volunteers of the Month, they will each receive an Outer Core shirt from Kokatat.

American Whitewater has launched an online survey of flow prefrences for commercial rafting on the Upper Colorado River.  The Survey is intended to compliment the 2007 survey of private boater flow preferences for the Colorado River, reaching from Kremmling to Glenwood Springs. Please share the news of this survey with commercial rafters.

In efforts to further the access of great whitewater in Garrett County, the Adventure Sports Center International (ASCI) (with the help of many local organizations and businesses), is excited to help facilitate the 2008 Savage River Releases. The Savage River Release scheduled for Sunday, July 6 is ON Time: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Volume: 1000 CFS. Read on, then come out and enjoy this very beautiful, very continuous class III+ Creek!

Today the United States Forest Service released their new proposal for management of the upper Chattooga River, and an environmental assessment of their alternatives.  There will be a 30 day public comment period.  The USFS proposes to essentially maintain their ban on boating while allowing other uses unlimited access - again without any basis whatsoever. 

The photo submission deadline for the 2009 American Whitewater Calendar has been extended!

Now you have until July 18th to submit your photos to be featured in the 2009 calendar. The 2008 calendar was such a big hit we expect this year's to be even more popular. That means your very own photo could be hanging on the walls of AW members and fans all over the country!

American Whitewater is in Washington, DC today representing the paddling community as part of River Action Day. Several Wild and Scenic River bills are being considered that are of interest to the paddling community and we encourage you to take some time to speak up for your favorite rivers.

Friends of the Cheat wants to purchase an outstanding piece of riverfront along West Virginia’s Big Sandy, one of the state's most oustanding whitewater rivers. The Redwood Creek Wines “Greater Outdoors Project” is offering a $50,000 competitive grant. Friends of Cheat applied and finished in the top 5 out of 100. We need your help! On June 15th a description of the project and a photo will be posted on RedwoodCreek.com. You can vote every day, once per person/email address through July 31st. Bookmark the site and go there daily when you check weather and river levels. Vote early and often for the Big Sandy Project. The direct link for voting is: http://www.redwoodcreek.com/greatoutdoors/voting.asp

Oregon's Department of State Land issued a final ruling and determined that the Rogue River from RM 68.5 to 157.5 (Grave Creek to Lost Creek Dam) is indeed navigable. The finding confirms that the state is the owner of the river bed, and the public has the right to use the river.

The District Engineer from the US Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled an additional THIRD public hearing to be held in conjunction with the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Northern Integrated Supply Project.The public hearing will be held MONDAY, JUNE 16th in Fort Collins, Colorado at 425 West Prospect Road. The open house will start at 4:00 pm, hearing to begin at 6:00 pm.

American Whitewater recently received a grant which provides an opportunity to explore the reintroduction of rivercane to the Cheoah River.  This grant was provided by Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources which is a Cherokee Preservation Foundation program ultimately funded by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian.  Rivercane is on the decline in the southeast due to development and agriculture.

The paddling season is cranking up across the country, and AW would like to remind paddlers to respectfully share the road, the river, and public access areas.  We have received several reports of overly enthusiastic driving threatening river access.  Take it easy out there, and check out AW's recommendations for how to stay in the good graces of the folks living near the rivers we paddle.  

Congratulations to Susan and Robert Glanville for winning the May pair of Smith Optics Sunglasses.  With generous support from Smith Optics and Small World Adventures, American Whitewater is hosting a fundraising and membership drive ending on October 1, 2008.

American Whitewater would like to recognize Michael Crane and the consulting firm Crane Associates of Burlington, Vermont as our June Volunteer of the Month presented by Kokatat.

Although this has shaped up to be a very dry year, there will be a number of paddling opportunities for boaters to take advantage of here in California.

AW is celebrating the first release on the Black Canyon of the Bear River, after over a decade of hard work.  We have created a short video of the release, and want to make sure paddlers are aware of other opportunities to paddle the Bear this summer. 

The National Park Service is purchasing property from two West Virginia landowners to improve public access to the Gauley River.  The sites, located at Woods Ferry and Mason Branch, are established put-in and take-out sites for boaters, kayakers, canoeists and rafters along the river between the public put-in at the Summersville Dam and the take-out at Swiss, almost 26 miles downstream.

The Bear River will see flows this weekend as part of the relicensing flow studies for the Yuba/ Bear River Project.  Come out and boat the release, fill out an online survey and let us know what you think of the run.

A mining company is proposing a new coal mine on a 588 acre tract of forest land near the Youghiogheny River in Pennsylvania.  The controversial mine would be adjacent to Ohiopyle State Park and would affect water quality and quantity on the Yough, Morgan Run, and on other Yough tributaries.  Comments are now being accepted on the proposed mine.

Releases have lowered to approximately 800 cfs as of Tuesday and will continue between 800 to 1000 cfs through next weekend.  Next forecast data expected shortly after May 1, 2008 and may reflect recent high winds and lack of new precipitation leading to lower releases.  Flows may rise in May, but keep reviewing updates.  The most current flows are available at Department of Water Resources site, Dolores gage below McPhee. http://www.dwr.state.co.us.  For proposed spills in May and June 

American Whitewater would like to recognize Randy Thompson from Down River Equipment, as our Volunteer of the Month.  Working with Mark Cohen of Keen Foortwear, and Jon Kahn of Confluence Kayaks, these guys put in countless hours planning and coordinating the South Platte River Clean-up in Denver, Colorado. This years event was attended by over 180 volunteers who helped remove 4000 pounds of debris and trash from the urban river corridor.

American Whitewater has reached an aggreement with Sportsman's Paradise, granting paddlers access to Wildcat Canyon. Historically, the act of floating through club property to access Wildcat Canyon has resulted in harassment by landowners, physical assault on paddlers and criminal prosecution. The new agreement secures permission for paddlers to enter and cross club property via vehicle, in order to access public lands to the north of Sportsman's Paradise property. The agreement will undergo a trial run this season, with the goal of formalizing the arrangement for 2009; ensuring many years of fantastic paddling through Wildcat Canyon.

Comments are need by May 1 on a massive, 3-decades-long, gas drilling project proposed for Desolation and Gray Canyons.  This proposed project would impact the first thirty four miles of Desolation Canyon, an area renowned for its remoteness, its unimpaired beauty and its wilderness characteristics.  The BLM anticipates major impacts if the project moves forward.

Boaters in the northeast have good reason to be excited this month. The Rio Project on the Mongaup River (NY) will reopen this month after being closed to recreation for nearly three years.  Releases will begin this month!

Yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released its Environmental Assessment (EA) of boating on the Ausable Chasm.  The EA marks a critical milestone in the paddling community’s efforts to secure access to the beautiful Class IV Ausable Chasm.  The EA fully supports year-round paddling despite the power company's request for permission to totally block all paddling.  While the access plan will require several months to implement, an interim access plan could allow paddling this summer.

Colorado - The Dolores Water Conservancy District has announced it's release schedule from McPhee Reservoir, promising flows at or above 3000 cfs in May. Release estimates are approximate and updates will be made available based on emerging weather conditions, in-flow rates and reservoir levels.

Recently the Administration has initiated a national rulemaking that will decide the fate of 9.3 million acres of backcountry areas in Idaho's national forests—representing the core of the last intact forest ecosystem in the lower 48 states and some of our nation's most spectacular backcountry paddling destinations. Watch the video and learn what you can do today to help protect these areas.

AW is pleased to announce the schedule for new whitewater pulse flows on the Black Canyon of the Bear River in Southeastern Idaho.  At the same time we would like to recognize the volunteer largely responsible for these releases.  Sixteen whitewater pulse flows could begin as early as the first weekend in April.

Ron Stewart paddled his last river on March 22nd at his home on the campus of Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN. Along the way he inspired generations and played an instrumental role in securing releases on the Tallulah River.

Yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission overturned a previous decision they had made that would have allowed the owner of the dams, flumes, and powerhouse on Sullivan Creek to simply abandon the project.  The ruling came in response to rehearing challenges filed by American Whitewater, the United States Forest Service, and the State of Washington.  The decision will likely lead to the removal of at least one severely outdated dam. 

Using data from the USFS we have published a Google Earth layer of eligible Wild and Scenic Rivers. We encourage paddlers to use this map, which can be displayed with our whitewater database in Google Earth, to learn more about their local run and agency management priorities.