Last week FERC approved a whitewater recreation plan for the North Fork Rogue. We are pleased to be working with PacifiCorp who has committed to immediately implementing the plan and providing the whitewater recreational opportunities this summer.

On June 18th the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a new 50 year license for several dams on the Spokane River, near Spokane Washington and Post Falls Idaho. The license is based on several years of intense negotiations between the power company, tribes, agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Spokane Canoe and Kayak Club, Northwest Whitewater Association, and American Whitewater were involved on behalf of paddlers. The results of the new license are significant, and paddlers will certainly notice some positive changes in the not too distant future.

This spring Lewis County PUD released a Draft Study Report for Chehalis River Water Retention Facilities. If implemented, the plan calls for the construction of two dams including a 220 foot high and 1960 foot wide dam on the mainstem of the Chehalis River and another slightly smaller dam on the South Fork Chehalis. This project would inundate a whitewater river along with high quality salmonid habitat.

The Washington Department of Ecology has just released an environmental review to address how sediment will be managed during the proposed removal of Condit Dam on the White Salmon River in October 2010. Comments on the review document will be accepted until July 20, 2009.

Last week Senator Feingold (D-WI) reintroduced the Clean Water Restoration Act (CWRA), S. 787. This legislation will maintain the basic protection for rivers that we all appreciate and likely take for granted through restoring the reach of the Clean Water Act to headwater streams. We would like to thank Senator Feingold for looking out for one of our most basic human needs - clean water. Please call your Senator in the next week and voice your support.

Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Dave Reichert, joined by Senator Maria Cantwell and Washington State Congressmen Jay Inslee, Brian Baird, Adam Smith, and Jim McDermott, introduced legislation today in the Senate and House that would expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area and designate both the Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers as Wild and Scenic. The Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act will expand the existing wilderness by over 22,000 acres to include important lower-elevation lands and complete watersheds.

Earlier today Congressman Rick Larsen (WA-2) and Senator Patty Murray (WA) introduced legislation to designate Illabot Creek as a Wild and Scenic River. The legislation will protect the free-flowing character of Illabot Creek. The Skagit River watershed supports one of the largest concentrations of wintering bald eagles in the lower 48 states and is a popular attraction for paddlers.

Proposals are currently being floated in the Washington State legislature to expand hydropower development in the state which could have devastating impacts on the state's free-flowing rivers, particularly on headwater streams that represent some of the region's top creeking destinations. Rivers like the Clearwater and Canyon Creek that have seen past threats would be at risk if new legislation passes to encourage development of "run-of-river" hydropower projects.

American Whitewater recently joined several organizations with an interest in stewardship and conservation of the Skykomish River Valley in requesting that Longview Timber refrain from road building or logging on key parcels in the Skykomish River valley.

AW has provided comment on the Puget Sound Partnership's draft Action Agenda for cleaning up Puget Sound in Washington State. The Puget Sound Partnership is a community effort of citizens, governments, tribes, scientists and businesses working together to restore and protect Puget Sound. The scope of this effort includes the headwater areas that flow into the Sound including nearly 100 recognized whitewater runs that are readily accessible to the paddlers of Western Washington and Southwest British Columbia.

The Park Service held two public meetings this past month and solicited scoping comments on the subject of whether to recommend the Skagit River upstream of Copper Creek as a candidate for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. While the Park Service is in the process of reviewing comments, it is not too late to weigh in. It is important for the Park Service to hear from the paddling community and those who enjoy the recreational opportunities this river offers.

North Cascades National Park is currently revising the management plan for the Ross Lake National Recreation Area, which includes the Skagit River. As part of the planning effort the Park Service has considered a request by American Whitewater to conduct a study on the eligibility and suitability of the Skagit River for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. While the downstream section of the Skagit, which is popular for eagle floats, is designated as Wild and Scenic, what many paddlers do not know is that the well-known whitewater run upstream is not currently designated.