Articles - American Whitewater

Local Governments Protect Crystal River from New Dams and Transmountain Diversions (CO)

June 17, 2026

Five Colorado governments and water entities have entered into a landmark intergovernmental agreement to protect the Crystal River from mainstem dams and out-of-basin water diversions. The agreement is the result of a recommendation made by the Crystal River Wild and Scenic and Other Alternatives Steering Committee in March 2024 as one of three potential long-term preservation measures. American Whitewater has been coordinating this group since 2023. The agreement, signed by the Colorado River Water Conservation District, Gunnison County, Pitkin County,

New River West Virginia Cartoon Otter Spring Update

Spring Stewardship Update 2026

June 17, 2026

We know that having safe access to public lands and clean water means everything to you and your family. Having intact and protected rivers is something you hold close to your heart as an American. Take a look at our 2026 Spring Stewardship Update and see just a few of the ways your support of American Whitewater protects rivers and creeks in national parks, forests, and other public lands. You should know, we have big challenges to solve for 2026,

Secure Rural Schools Act: How a Niche Federal Law Benefits Our Rivers

June 17, 2026

There is a little-known federal program that brings funding and multiple benefits to our rivers and public lands. It is called the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, originally enacted in 2000, though the title only tells part of the story. In recent years, American Whitewater has played a critical role in ensuring that the federal dollars made available through this program go directly to benefiting healthy rivers and river recreation opportunities. Back in the early 1900s, the U.S.

Cataract Canyon Takeout Ramp Upgraded and Open

June 16, 2026

Floating through Canyonlands National Park on the Colorado River is a desert river runner’s dream. However, for over 20 years, getting your boat and gear off the river has been difficult and dangerous. Earlier this month, the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, in partnership with Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Utah Public Lands Policy Coordination Office, hosted a ribbon cutting at the new and greatly improved North Wash Boat Ramp. If you’ve put off a Cataract trip in

Federal Funding for Colorado River Instream Flow Rights Arrives

June 16, 2026

The Colorado River District announced last Friday that the Bureau of Reclamation will move forward with a $40M award to go towards the District’s purchase of the Shoshone hydropower water rights. The announcement puts the total fundraising for the water rights at $97M of the $99M price tag. The Colorado River District has been working tirelessly to make these water rights permanent. Because of the senior nature of these water rights, water use up and down the Colorado River has

Don’t Miss Fox River Whitewater Release Opportunities in 2026 (WI)

June 9, 2026

Boaters have four opportunities each year to enjoy whitewater releases on the Kaukauna reach of Wisconsin’s Fox River. Under the recreation plan for the Badger-Rapide Croche Hydroelectric Project, Kaukauna Utilities coordinates with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide whitewater boating flows in the natural river channel below Kaukauna Dam on four designated Saturdays each year when river flows and notification requirements are met. 2026 Release Dates and Notification Requirements Whitewater release opportunities are scheduled for four Saturdays in

Tuolumne Access Restored! Lumsden Road Repaired and Open (CA)

May 22, 2026

Access to the Wild & Scenic Tuolumne River at Lumsden Road was restored on May 14th of this year following several years of closure. American Whitewater has been working tirelessly, alongside numerous partners, to advocate for repair of the road since it washed out during severe winter storms in the winter of 2022-23. The infamous Cherry Creek run is back and the Main Tuolumne is better than it’s been in recent times. We want to show immense appreciation to the

Working to Restore Boating Opportunities and Spring Flows on the Lower McCloud (CA)

May 20, 2026

For many whitewater boaters, the lower McCloud River is legendary. Flowing from the glaciers and volcanic springs of Mount Shasta through the eastern edge of the ancient Klamath Mountains, the river cuts through a remote, forested canyon that largely escaped gold mining and development. The run below McCloud Dam is one of California’s classic multi-day wilderness trips. But most of the time, there is not enough water to boat it. The reason is the McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project, Pacific Gas &

Border Wall Plans Ignore Bedrock Laws, Threatening Boating and Public Safety in Big Bend (TX)

May 13, 2026

Update: The administration has drastically expanded its disregard for our bedrock environmental laws to push forward border wall construction in the greater Big Bend region. In February, they waived dozens of environmental laws for areas upstream from Big Bend National Park. Over the last two months, they have now also bypassed protections for a 60-mile section of the Big Bend Wild and Scenic River and for Big Bend National Park itself. Many of the bypassed laws, including the Wild and Scenic

Billionaires Get Their Way Over Coloradans: Legislature Fails to Address River Access

May 13, 2026

May 13th marked the end of the 2026 legislative session in Colorado, and it came without a bill to secure safe and lawful river passage in Colorado. American Whitewater, working with the Responsible River Recreation Alliance, has been advocating for river access legislation for the past year and a half and we aren’t giving up. The unsettled law around stream access in Colorado is a decades long fight, and we still need your help. We are building a movement of

Justin Macklin on Tiger Creek, Photo Credit Forest Kan

2026 NF Mokelumne Recreational Flow Schedule (CA)

May 12, 2026

The Devil’s Nose, Tiger Creek, and Electra Sections of the North Fork Mokelumne River have annually-scheduled releases as a condition of Pacific Gas & Electric’s Mokelumne River Hydroelectric Project. These releases are scheduled each year by American Whitewater and partners. Although Devil’s Nose Flows occur earlier in the year, Tiger Creek and Electra flows are commonly scheduled later in the year, in order to maximize recreational opportunities for the whitewater community. 2026 Recreational Release Dates for Electra May 16th and

San Joaquin Horseshoe Bend Forecast–May 15-17, 2026

May 12, 2026

Recreational flows are currently forecasted for the Horseshoe Bend Reach of the San Joaquin River beginning Friday, May 15, below Southern California Edison’s Big Creek No. 4 Project. These boating opportunities are the result of years of work by American Whitewater and others to ensure spring spill flows on the San Joaquin River translate into meaningful whitewater recreation opportunities. Through ongoing implementation of the project’s Long-Term Operating Rules, spill flows are managed in a way that supports boating while balancing

Holtwood Whitewater Park up for Review and Comment (PA)

May 8, 2026

The owners of the Holtwood Hydropower Project on the Susquehanna River are seeking a new 30-50 year federal license for their project. American Whitewater is working closely with local boaters to ensure that recreation and river ecology are addressed in the new license. Over a decade ago, we negotiated a whitewater park below Holtwood Dam as mitigation for a massive expansion of the hydropower operations that damaged and dewatered rapids. If you’ve used the Holtwood Whitewater Park, we encourage you

Nolichucky Litigation Ends, River Spared Worst Harm

May 8, 2026

In March of 2026, at our request, a court dismissed a case brought by American Whitewater and American Rivers that sought to protect the Nolichucky River from riverbed rock mining. The suit was filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) against the US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the US Army Corps of Engineers over their acquiescence to a railroad company’s active quarrying of rock from the riverbed to use in the reconstruction of its adjacent

Building Organizational Resilience Through In-Person River Time

May 7, 2026

In the last week of April, American Whitewater’s board and staff gathered on the Rio Chama in New Mexico for our annual team retreat. The Chama is one of the most stunning and remote river corridors in the Southwest and it was a great setting for our work together. Our strategy is explicit that between flights to DC and hundreds of zoom calls a year, time on the water, in community, is how we stay grounded in our mission and

South Fork Silver Creek below Ice House (CA) – Release Update

April 15, 2026

Each year, American Whitewater’s advocacy helps create a mix of scheduled and opportunistic whitewater opportunities on South Fork Silver Creek below Ice House Reservoir—one of California’s most unique, dam-controlled Class IV runs. For boaters willing to track conditions and stay flexible, the combination of planned releases and snowmelt-driven pulse flows can significantly expand the boating season on this reach. The Upper American River Project (UARP), owned by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, schedules and operates this flow regime. Ice House

Black Canyon of the Bear to Flow All Summer (ID)

April 14, 2026

The Black Canyon of the Bear River is going to flow all summer and likely next summer as well. PacifiCorp has advised American Whitewater and other stakeholders that they are beginning a multi-year project to replace the infrastructure that diverts the water from Black Canyon of the Bear to the generation turbines. The Grace hydro diversion dam (near Grace, ID) will be taken out of service in the next couple weeks, and all flows will remain in the canyon river

Tell Congress to Protect Clean Water—Invest in Permitting Capacity, Not Rollbacks

April 14, 2026

If you’ve ever flipped in a rapid, taken a swim, or boated after a solid rain, you already know this: clean water matters. We’re making it easy to take action right now. Tell your reps in Congress what you already know: clean water matters. Whitewater boaters are immersed in rivers when flows rise—exactly when pollutants are most likely to enter waterways and be flushed downstream. At the same time, dams divert water, often lowering natural flows, degrading water quality, and

American Whitewater Weighs in on Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon Dam

April 13, 2026

In March, American Whitewater submitted technical comments on the future of Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams and the associated impacts to water management across the Colorado River Basin. The federal government, through the Bureau of Reclamation, is charged with determining how the Colorado River’s largest dams will operate after current operating guidelines expire this year. These decisions will have direct impacts on the Grand Canyon and numerous upstream reaches of the Colorado River Basin, including canyons with world-class recreation opportunities.

Defending Oregon’s Rivers and Advancing New Protections on the Klamath

April 13, 2026

In response to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) beginning a sweeping revision of its management plans in western Oregon, American Whitewater is urging the agency to evaluate newly free-flowing segments of the Klamath River for Wild and Scenic eligibility, to designate the Upper Klamath River Canyon as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and to balance their timber production ambitions with protection of our intact ecological resources and recreation experiences. The Resource Management Plans (RMPs) under revision apply across

Help Secure Safe and Lawful River Passage in Colorado

April 13, 2026

The Colorado legislative session is set to end on May 13th, giving us just about a month to pass legislation that would secure safe and lawful river passage. We are still working hard to make this happen, and right now is the time to support this work by sharing your voice with your representatives. Donations are another critical way to support our advocacy, and our partner, Colorado Whitewater, has extended the timeline for meeting our goal of $10,000 in matching

American Whitewater Advocates for Wild, Healthy Rivers in DC

April 13, 2026

In late March, American Whitewater staff traveled to our nation’s capital to advocate for place-based river protection legislation and smart management of our public lands and rivers. As part of Wild and Scenic Rivers Hill Week, American Whitewater and our partners had nearly 70 meetings with congressional offices, in addition to meetings with the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. To make the most of our trip, our staff had additional

Spring Journal Available in New Reader, Submit Your River Stories

April 1, 2026

The only thing boaters like almost as much as boating is talking about it. And the American Whitewater Journal is the perfect place to tell your river stories! You can contribute your stories, imagery, art, poetry, recipes, questions, safety issues, and more. Use our online submission form or email editor@americanwhitewater.org with ideas for a contribution. You can also email any question you want to ask us and we’ll print an answer to the best of our ability in our Ask

Put Your Refund Where the River Is

April 1, 2026

It’s spring! Which means boating is ramping up in many parts of the country … and also, it’s tax season. For some people, this may mean you might suddenly have a few hundred dollars you weren’t counting on. There are always ways to spend your refund … new gear or gas money for spring paddling trips. But give American Whitewater the price of one of those gas tanks, and your refund ends up doing something you’ll still care about in

American Whitewater Brings Boaters’ Voices To Senate Hearing

April 1, 2026

American Whitewater recently submitted testimony in the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Water and Power Subcommittee to ensure that the perspective of the whitewater community is represented in decisions that shape river flows, dam operations, and long-term river health. The subcommittee, led by Chairman Senator John Hoeven (ND) and Ranking Member Senator Ron Wyden (OR), recently held a hearing on several water and hydropower bills that could affect rivers across the country. Following the hearing, American Whitewater traveled to Washington,