Moose, Beaver (NY) Dam Relicensings Set to Begin
Federal relicensing of 21 hydropower dams in the Adirondacks begins this month on the Moose, Beaver, and Black rivers, home to iconic whitewater boating runs treasured by paddlers throughout the northeast. We've been paddling these rivers for the past four decades thanks to the efforts of dedicated paddlers including Pete Skinner and Chris Koll that resulted in historic settlement agreements providing scheduled boating releases on the Moose and Beaver. We celebrate those victories each year at Moosefest and at the Beaver River Redezvous. Relicensing of dams on this rivers is starting now, and for the next six years, AW will be at fighting to protect and expand paddling opportunities on these rivers.
To support our efforts to restore rivers and our opportunities to enjoy them, AW launched the Adirondacks River Restoration Campaign, and I'm asking for your help with our effort. We created a Website and Facebook page to highlight these efforts, provide campaign updates, a forum for sharing ideas, and a means for mobilizing our supporters to demonstrate our passion for these rivers throughout the dam relicensing process. Please visit our Website and Facebook page and signup to Get Involved with our efforts.
Adirondacks River Restoration Campaign
The mighty rivers of the Adirondack Region have been dammed and dewatered for more than a century. Once vibrant and free flowing, dams have damaged the natural river ecosystems of the region, home to diverse aquatic and terrestrial life. The Adirondack Region is renowned for its abundant recreational opportunities that have provided economic benefits to communities for over a century, yet these dams have reduced boating and fishing opportunities by inundating rapids, diverting flows, and dewatering natural river channels for miles. Public access to river corridors for recreation and aesthetics has been often been gated and posted, leaving entire river sections dewatered and inaccessible as communities have lost their connection to their natural resources.
The Adirondacks River Restoration Campaign aims to restore and improve river flows for aquatic ecosystems and to improve recreation opportunities across the region. With 21 hydro dams now seeking new 30-50 year federal power licenses, this is a once in a generation opportunity to improve river health and recreation opportunities. Through these efforts, we will restore flows to dewatered river reaches, improve existing flows, enhance public access, and benefit communities throughout the region. We will be joining together with public resource agencies, environmental advocacy groups, local communities, and concerned individuals to raise public awareness of the impact of hydropower dams on communities in the Adirondack Region.
For more information on the Adirondacks River Restoration Campaign or to learn how you can support our efforts, please SIGN UP HERE.