On May 11th and 12th a contingent of boaters representing the Eugene paddling community gathered for a flow study on the Carmen Reach of the McKenzie River and the adjacent Smith Bypass Reach on the Smith River, both of which rarely see boatable flows due to operation of the Eugene Water and Electric Board’s (EWEB’S) Carmen Smith Hydroelectric Project. Participants in the flow study, which was conducted over two days by Confluence Research, included Kim Bates, Jason Hartz, Thomas O’Keefe, Bo Shelby, Steve Stuckmeyer, and Jim Reed. The study, being conducted as part of EWEB’s relicensing of the Carmen-Smith project, was first proposed by AW, and local volunteer Jason Hartz provided significant leadership for the paddling community as the study plan was developed. A big thanks goes out to EWEB for incorporating the whitewater study into the suite of relicensing studies underway this year, and for providing the water necessary for the study. The US Forest Service, the agency with management authority over the river, also provided crucial support. A full report on the study from Confluence Research, through EWEB, will be available later this year. Stay tuned for more details on this river and a future opportunity for public input (see relicensing website).