American Whitewater is pleased to announce that our awesome team of attorneys at the law firm of Alston & Bird are our Volunteers of the Month for February, 2007. The Alston & Bird team is made up of Robert Mitchell, Trent Hamilton, Ryan Van Meter, Natalie Whiteman, and Brendan Krasinski. This team drafted numerous briefs and is leading us through a complex lawsuit in federal court – all on a volunteer basis. Their contribution to American Whitewater is staggering. Their contribution to the stewardship of the Chattooga River is equally impressive. With the help of Alston & Bird, AW has been able to keep consistent legal pressure on the first ever user capacity analysis on the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River. The results of this analysis will include a long term resource management plan for the Chattooga River that addresses all recreational uses of the corridor. This plan will protect the river from ecological impacts and will – we hope – allow the public to float down the entire Chattooga River for the first time in over 30 years.
Without the generous help of Alston & Bird, American Whitewater could never have taken this nationally significant issue to federal court. This month they join the ranks of the other Chattooga volunteers that we have recognized for their efforts, including Nathan Galbreath of the law firm Patton Boggs (who also contributed massive legal assistance, covering a four year timeframe), Charlene Coleman, and Don Kinser.
Congratulations to the A&B Team, and a huge THANK YOU from AW and the paddling community.