One of the highlights of any Idaho river trip is the spectacular wildlife that paddlers glimpse on their way down the river.  An AW member recently shared with AW that the US Forest Service is currently considering the fate of one species of wildlife, bighorn sheep, in the infamous class III/IV Hells Canyon of the Snake.  Learn more about the issue, and send in some comments by March, 3rd. 

A mining company has proposed a large scale mining exploration operation 3 miles inside of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  The mining operation would take place in the Big Creek watershed, which enters the Middle Fork Salmon at the beginning of Impassable Canyon.  American Whitewater filed preliminary comments on the proposal this month, and will alert paddlers to additional comment opportunities later this spring. 

Last Tuesday the Waterkeeper Alliance board of directors approved an application for a new riverkeeper for the Columbia, South Carolina area.  The riverkeeper will act as an advocate for the Saluda, Congaree, and Broad rivers.  Knowing that rivers need all the help they can get, AW wrote a letter of support for the riverkeeper position earlier this month.

The Sumter National Forest announced today that the final decision on recreation uses on the upper Wild and Scenic Chattooga River is under internal review and will not be released this month as planned.  The decision is now scheduled to be released "next year."  It has been over 3.5 years since the highest office of the Forest Service ruled that the Upper Chattooga boating ban violates the Wilderness Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved the first installation of a hydrokinetic device at an existing FERC-licensed hydroelectric project, to be located on the Mississippi River.  AW is supportive of testing new hydrokinetic "damless hydropower" technology and we are working to assure that the technology will be responsibly sited and operated only in cases in which the environment and public uses will be protected.

The Outdoor Alliance submitted testimony to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee regarding investements in clean energy and natural resources projects.

Yesterday the owner of Holtwood Dam on the Susquehanna River announced that they would not move forward with their plans to install additional generation capacity to their dam. In a statement on their website, William H. Spence, executive vice president and chief operating officer of PPL Corporation stated: "As we evaluated this project in light of current economic conditions and projections of future energy prices, we reached the conclusion that it is no longer economically justifiable.”

The North Cascades region represents one of the world’s most spectacular destinations for whitewater paddlers with over 150 recognized runs on rivers and creeks that span an impressive diversity of landscapes. American Whitewater recently completed a survey of these rivers and 165 whitewater enthusiasts responded. We are documenting the use and value of these rivers to assist in efforts to protect these rivers for future generations.

At the request of American Whitewater and with some help from FERC, Kaukauna Utilities now publishes information on instream flows in the reach of the Fox River bypassed by their hydroelectric project on the Fox River. This should allow us to begin an evaluation of impacts of a proposal to expand capacity of the project and divert additional water from the river.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the regulatory agency that manages many of the leases necessary to drill for oil and gas on public land, is planning an auction of parcels in southern Utah that has the potential to impact iconic southwestern rivers. American Whitewater has joined with the Utah Rivers Council, outfitters and other business owners to protest specific parcels scheduled for auction on December 19th.

Earlier today Governor Ritter announced that the State of Colorado secured a vital delay that prevents the Forest Service’s rush to implement a new management plan for the state’s pristine backcountry roadless areas. These landscapes represent some of the most outstanding recreational assets of the intermountain West attracting visitors from around the world. These areas include some spectacular whitewater destinations such as sections of the Animas and Poudre Rivers.

Ohiopyle State Park held a public meeting to gather input and obtain feedback on a proposal submitted by the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks for private boater access to Ohiopyle Falls. American Whitewater is now asking for boater letters supporting the park proposal, which must be submitted by December 31, 2008.

Ohiopyle State Park is conducting a public open house on Saturday, Nov 22, 2008, at 1 pm to 5pm to gather input and feedback on a new proposal for private boater access to Ohiopyle Falls. The open house is a chance for the boating community to review the new park proposal, ask questions of park staff and provide comments.

AW is asking that paddlers familiar with Washington State's Sullivan Creek fill out a short online survey. American Whitewater is actively working on a process to remove, transfer, or operate two dams in the Sullivan Creek Watershed.  We have also created a video of the Gorge to share this inaccessible place with other stakeholders - enjoy!

On Thursday, October 16, 2008 the US Forest Service released the Idaho Roadless Rule, which provides management direction regarding road building and resource extraction across 9.3 million acres of public roadless lands in Idaho.  The Rule replaces the more protective 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule as it applied to Idaho’s roadless areas.    

Recreational releases on the Upper Nantahala and West Fork of the Tuckasegee are currently being held up by a local County's opposition to removing Dillsboro Dam on the Tuckasegee River. As resolution nears, opposition to releases on the West Fork of the Tuck is heating up.  Regardless, it appears that 2010 may be the year that sweeping river restoration initiatives occur on the Tuckasegee River.  We have posted a West Fork video to remind paddlers why this project is so important. 

Right now the largest land and river protection bill in recent history is in the US Senate, awaiting action. The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2008 (S. 3213) represents a legislative package that will protect several rivers and headwater streams that the paddling community enjoys. AW encourages you to contact your Senators. 

A report released yesterday by American Whitewater finds that the flows mandated for the Saranac River's High Falls Gorge will likely fail to restore basic ecological functions to the river.  The report critiques the mandated flows using an analytical tool developed by the Nature Conservancy that compares human caused changes in certain aspects of flows that are ecologically important.

Friends of the Cheat, with the help of whitewater paddlers throughout the region, constructed a new parking area along the Big Sandy Creek in Rockville, West Virginia. This will provide secure public access to this popular whitewater run. The location is on river left, just upstream of the Rockville Bridge. There's space for over 30 cars here, and we hope that this will relieve congestion on busy spring weekends. The road from the bridge to the lot was also widened and greatly improved. Future plans include trails to several different spots along the shore.

An alternative to Wild and Scenic River Management is currently being developed for the Upper Colorado River, that would provide water for growing populations in Colorado, while permanently protecting the iconic river's threatened fish and wildlife habitat, riparian systems, and the world class whitewater from Gore Canyon to Glenwood Canyon. American Whitewater is working to ensure that environmental and recreational flow needs are protected under the new management alternative.

The health of the Tuolumne River is at risk from a San Francisco proposal to take significantly more water from the River. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is proposing to divert up to 25 million more gallons of water per day from the Tuolumne, enough to fill 1,000 swimming pools, every day.

Colorado- While the US Army Corps of Engineers is drafting the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the enlargement of Gross Reservoir in Boulder County, Colorado, Denver Water is taking comments on their proposed changes to the reservoir's FERC license, including tree removal, relocating recreation facilities, and hydropower generation.

Comments on the FERC License amendment associated with Gross Reservoir Enlargement Project are due September 29th, 2008.

The US Army Corps of Engineers has announced a 45-day extension of the comment period to the pending Section 404 Permit application and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP). The new expiration date for the comment period is September 13, 2008. 

Removal of the Dillsboro Dam is one step closer. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued more approvals connected with Duke’s plans to remove the Dam on the Tuckaseegee River in western North Carolina.

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.

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.

Today Congressmen Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) announced their plan for increasing Wild and Scenic Rivers in Oregon this year. Their vision includes adding 79.6 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers on the Mt. Hood National Forest and 142.9 miles of tributaries to the Lower Rogue Wild and Scenic River.

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.

Construction of Elk Creek Dam in the Rogue River basin was halted in 1988. Since that time the dam has remained as a barrier to fish and navigation. This week the Army Corps of Engineers awarded a contract to notch the dam this year.

American Whitewater is pleased to announce a fun new interactive website focused on the impacts dams have on rivers, as well as river restoration opportunities.  The new interactive website, www.dameffects.org, was launched today by the Hydropower Reform Coalition.  HRC steering committee members have spent several months developing the content of the website and we are thrilled with the outcome. Take a tour!

Paddlers have been negotiating a new release schedule on Maryland's Upper Youghiogheny River with Brookfield Power and other stakeholders for over one year.  The results have just been released in a new permit for the operation of the Deep Creek Dam.  This year, and for the foreseeable future, paddlers will be treated to upper Yough releases on every Saturday from mid-June through mid-September!

The report on paddling access to the Ausable River has finally been issued: late, incomplete, biased, and erroneous.  All of the data in the study support year round paddling access, and the data is generally accurate and defensible.  The dam owner, New York State Electric and Gas, has maintained its position however that no access should be allowed to the beautiful Class IV river.  It is now up to FERC, and AW and KCCNY will be filing comments this week  requesting year round access.