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.

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.

Muddy Water Watch is a North Carolina state-wide initiative to reduce stormwater runoff from construction sites by providing training workshops and materials to help volunteers understand erosion control violations, and how they can help prevent impacts from the number one water pollution problem- sediment. A Muddy Water Watch training session taking place November 18, December 2nd and 9th from 5:30-8:30pm at Blue Ridge Community College.

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. 

The Bureau of Reclamation has released the long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Windy Gap Firming Project. The Project, proposed by the Municipal Subdistrict of Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District would move the Colorado River another step closer to being a "flat lined" river, with flows perpetually at low flow levels. The Bureau of Reclamation has scheduled two public meetings where citizens can offer written and oral comments: one in Loveland on October 7 and one in Granby on October 9.

Right now there is a proposed national rulemaking to decide the fate of Colorado's backcountry roadless areas. Rivers flowing through Roadless areas in Colorado include the Los Pinos, Piedra, Hermosa Creek, Mad Creek, Saint Vrain River, Conejos River, and Lime Creek. Many additional rivers are bordered by Roadless areas that define their superb scenery and water quality.  These include most notably the Upper Animas River, Cache la Poudre, Elk River, and the Taylor River.  The Animas, Poudre, and Taylor Rivers are commercially rafted by large numbers of citizens, supporting significant regional economies. Your comments to the Forest Service are needed by October 23rd.

On October 2, 1968, President Johnson signed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Paddlers were and continue to be among the most passionate advocates for protecting our nation's free-flowing rivers. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act remains one of our most important tools to protect our nation's free-flowing rivers and opportunities to enjoy them.

Last week at the Gauley River Festival, American Whitewater announced that Charlie Vincent was named the 2008 River Steward of the Year.  American Whitewater annually awards this honor to a single volunteer who has shown exceptional dedication to our river stewardship mission, and who has recently reached a major milestone in their efforts.  Charlie's decade of volunteer work on Idaho's Bear River successfully restored water to the river's Black Canyon this year. 

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.

The state of Illinois has proposed a new dam safety law.  The proposed law includes the establishment of a 300 ft upstream and 50 ft downstream exclusion zone around “dams” identified by the law as a threat to boaters. The law would prevent portage at many dams, effectively preventing public recreation.  It would also senselessly end use at at least one popular whitewater feature.

A new SC state Attorney General's opinion suggests that public river access at bridges, and recreational activities like fishing and boating (including scouting and portaging) within the bounds of the high water mark are likely legal activities on navigable rivers in the state.  This positive opinion is not a substitute for a definitive judicial ruling, however it will guide the officers and agents of the State in their law enforcement practices.

Tributaries of the lower Rogue River and the rivers of Mt. Hood will be the subject of a hearing today in the U.S. House of Representatives. American Whitewater has participated in outreach efforts associated with both pieces of legislation that include rivers of interest to the whitewater paddling community.

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.