The National Paddling Film Festival  is rapidly approaching! The fine folks who run NPFF are currently accepting films and still images. Entries are free and categories include amateur, accomplished, and professional. You still have time to enter, details below.

Last fall a diverse range of agencies and organizations expressed interest in enhancing the dam releases on the Russell Fork River, located on the border of Kentucky and Virginia. American Whitewater worked with local partners to craft a survey to inform the decision-making process and support releases that maximize benefits for paddlers and local businesses. We are pleased to share the full results of the survey, which were appreciated by the river managers. 

Wild rivers and their enthusiasts got some good news with the release of the new 15-20 year Forest plan for the Flathead National Forest. The decision newly protects 22 streams as eligible for Wild and Scenic designation, based in large part on the advocacy of American Whitewater and our awesome partners and members in Montana. These protections will serve as a vital steppingstone to the designation of some of our Nation’s most outstanding headwater streams. 

The January/February issue of the AW Journal is available in the "Library". This issue includes 'The Top Ten River Stewardship Issues of 2019’.  Read the issue now online or download your copy.

Current members - Read the issue now!
Not a current member - Join or Renew!

American Whitewater is seeking to hire a professional contract-based web programmer with significant experience in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The project involves creating and modifying GIS layers, designing and programming a web-based platform for adding new GIS features to a web-based database, and programming the efficient online display of GIS data. Initial inquiries and resumes are welcomed until January 18th. American Whitewater is an equal opportunity employer.

Earlier this month we announced that American Whitewater is close to releasing the new design for our National Whitewater Inventory (NWI). We'll be going live with the final new design of the NWI in January, but we are stoked to share the draft beta version of the site now, so our members can get a taste of the look and feel for the new site.

On December 17th 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a new license for the Poe hydroelectric project on the North Fork Feather River (CA).  This event has been long awaited by American Whitewater. AW first started working on this relicensing back in 2000. The license has been  stalled out at the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) for the past decade. The SWRCB holds the keys to what is typically the last step in the FERC relicensing process, a Water Quality Certification. The certification, a part of the Clean Water Act is important for maintaining water quality and was finally issued allowing for releases to begin February 2019. 

Earlier this month American Whitewater conducted an online survey of the paddling community regarding the management of the Lower Youghiogheny River in Western Pennsylvania. The Lower Yough is a classic whitewater river with a long season, summer dam releases, and wonderful scenery protected by Ohiopyle State Park. American Whitewater has provided the full survey results to State Park river managers to help inform their decisions. Nearly 600 paddlers completed the survey. 

Earlier this week the Tennessee Wilderness Act passed the US House and Senate as part of the Farm Bill, and now heads to the President's desk to become law. This bill has been promoted by local citizens and the Tennessee delegation for nearly a decade, and American Whitewater and many paddlers have voiced their support over the years. These Wilderness designations will protect some places that are special to paddlers.

This week the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army announced their intent to redefine the “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) that are protected under the Clean Water Act. Our preliminary read is this proposal would substantially reduce protections for headwater streams representing the source of our nation’s rivers. The proposed “revision” for the 2015 Clean Water Rule is now available for review and will soon be open a 60 day comment period when it is published to the Federal Register. We'll keep you informed. 

The online National Whitewater Inventory (NWI) is one of American Whitewater’s most valuable assets, in terms of fulfilling our stewardship goals and in encouraging the safe enjoyment of our nation’s rivers. We are constantly working to enhance the river beta our army of volunteers provides in the inventory, and the ways that beta is shared and received. Nearly two years ago, American Whitewater was awarded a grant from the United States Coast Guard to update our National Whitewater Inventory and accident database, and to incorporate a responsive design and improved user interface into our river pages. We used this grant as the basis for making design and functional upgrades across our website, the first phase of which will be released at the tail-end of December 2018.  

American Whitewater is pleased to announce our 2018 Holiday Membership Offer – a one year AW membership paired up with our 2019 AW calendar or AW Silipint Cup. . .and all for just $45! Giving a great gift and supporting your favorite non-profit at the same time. . . great river karma! 

Federal Coast Guard Law is set to change for the better, allowing throw ropes as a “type of life saving equipment,”  in lieu of throw cushions under rafting regulations on federally managed whitewater rivers across the country. On November 27, 2018, the "Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018" headed to the President's desk for his signature. 

It is looking like another great year to be a paddler in the Southeast! Over the past two decades American Whitewater has worked with affiliate clubs and partners to negotiate an awesome array of scheduled releases on river reaches previously dewatered by hydropower dams. Each year we help schedule these releases in an integrated manner that aims to maximize their recreational value. Read on to see the great line up for 2019! 

American Whitewater is set to come out swinging in 2019, protecting rivers and access, restoring flows, and creating new ways to provide the beta you need to get out and paddle, but we can’t do it without your memberships and donations to keep our work on track. American Whitewater is your true bipartisan river recreation and conservation organization working for your interests and creating opportunities for you to spend time on the river. We know that protecting and restoring rivers, and our access to them, creates opportunities to spend time on the river, and we believe that when we spend more time with rivers, we become better stewards of rivers. Take a moment to see what your contribution will support in every whitewater region across the country in our 2018 Winter Update. 

American Whitewater joins the Outdoor Alliance, Access Fund, The Conservation Alliance, and Outdoor Industry Association in support of the proposed Emery County Public Land Management Act of 2018. Legislators actively engaged the recreation community and AW has been working for several years to make sure the Act does as much as it can to protect whitewater recreation and rivers in Utah, including designating a section of the Green River as Wild and Scenic. We are happy to report that the bill is moving forward and that if passed will designate 63 miles of the Green River, including Labyrinth Canyon as a Wild and Scenic River. 

Each year American Whitewater’s membership ratifies Board of Director members to serve three-year terms. These candidates volunteer to serve on the American Whitewater Board. Current American Whitewater members can cast their votes through Midnight Pacific Time, December 15th.