American Whitewater has a long history of working in the Mid-Atlantic. Our regional conservation and access program is directed towards securing recreational releases from dams and securing public access points to rivers, which would otherwise be lost due to development. Our work on securing releases on the Gauley and Yough (both Upper and Lower) have proven integral to developing regional rural economic strategies and building sustainable commercial markets for eco-tourism opportunities. We are lucky that West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland have fairly strong navigability and public access laws; however we are vigilant for any legislation that would reduce the public right to float. We are also increasingly concerned about the state of water quality in the Mid-Atlantic and the effect of surface mining and extractive mountain top mining removal in which unusable dross is simply pushed into sensitive headwaters streams and creeks.
Earlier this month the National Park Service released their new draft management plan for the New River Gorge National River. The analysis accompanying the plan explores five alternatives representing different strategies that are all targeted at protecting the ecological, cultural, historical, and recreational values of the river corridor. The Park Service has selected their prefered alternative and has requested public comments on their draft plan and analysis between now and April 1, 2010.
Keith Pitzer, executive director of Friends of the Cheat since 2001, died on the morning of December 22nd following a year and a half long battle with cancer. Under his leadership, Friends of the Cheat expanded its efforts to restore, preserve, and promote the outstanding natural qualities of the Cheat River Watershed, one of the country's most important whitewater paddling venues. A former Cheat River guide and manager, he was long-time friend of American Whitewater who worked closely with us on many projects. On December 1st, co-founder and past president and executive director Dave Bassage was named interim director to keep the organization moving smoothly forward.
American Whitewater received an open letter to boaters from the National Park Service outlining Gauley River access for 2009. For the last decade AW has leased the open field at Mason Branch for private boater parking - we are leasing the field again this year. These are your AW dues at work!
American Whitewater has joined the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in their Green Power Partnership. AW has purchased enough renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Clean Currents, a leading supplier of wind energy credits, to offset energy usage in our national office.
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!
February 2010 |
||||||
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
31
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
|
28
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
| 2010 Webster Wildwater Weekend |
Webster Springs,WV
starts 04/10/10 add to personal |
| Gauley Releases |
Summersville,WV
starts 09/10/10 add to personal |
| Gauley Release |
Summersville,WV
starts 09/10/10 add to personal |