Articles

A landmark legislative battle is playing out right now in the state of Utah regarding the rights of paddlers to traverse the state’s rivers.  A 2008 court case clarified that existing Utah law supports the public’s right to fish and paddle rivers, including the right to touch the bed and banks.  In response, legislators have sought to pass new laws that redefine the rights of the public. As these bills have progressed, one bill has pulled forward as the most

A landmark legislative battle is playing out right now in the state of Utah regarding the rights of paddlers to traverse the state’s rivers.  A 2008 court case clarified that existing Utah law supports the public’s right to fish and paddle rivers, including the right to touch the bed and banks.  In response, legislators have sought to pass new laws that redefine the rights of the public. As these bills have progressed, one bill has pulled forward as the most

American Whitewater asks that you Contact Colorado’s State Legislators and Urge them to Add Private Boaters to the “River Outfitter Bill”.The Colorado Legislature is considering a bill (House Bill 1188 or the “River Outfitters Bill”), which helps protect the rights of commercial boaters to float on commercial sections of river, and also increases the safety of boaters by decriminalizing incidental contact with land to portage obstacles. HB-1188 is a good bill, but doesn’t go far enough! Navigation and safety should

The Colorado legislature is considering House Bill 10-1188 (HB-1188), legislation that attempts to clarify Colorado’s river access laws.  As written, HB-1188 is limited to commercial outfitters and sections of river that have been commercially rafted.  On Monday, February 8th, the House Judiciary Committee approved an amended version of House Bill 1188 by a 7-3 vote. AW and Colorado Whitewater have contacted the sponsor of HB-1188, Representative Kathleen Curry (I-Gunnison) asking that the Bill be amended to include private boaters.  For

American Whitewater would like to recognize Theresa Simsiman as our February Volunteer of the Month!     Theresa Simsiman has been a whitewater paddler since 1999. In that short time she has made many significant contributions to rivers in California.  In addition to being an active member of the whitewater community near her home in Coloma, Theresa decided that she wanted to give something back to this sport that she loved so much. In 2005, Theresa became involved in the relicensing

American Whitewater would like to recognize Theresa Simsiman as our February Volunteer of the Month!     Theresa Simsiman has been a whitewater paddler since 1999. In that short time she has made many significant contributions to rivers in California.  In addition to being an active member of the whitewater community near her home in Coloma, Theresa decided that she wanted to give something back to this sport that she loved so much. In 2005, Theresa became involved in the relicensing

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has released the whitewater park feasibility study on the Feather River in Oroville California.  Included in the study was Phase I and Phase II, the study is part of the settlement agreement signed in 2006. Developing a whitewater park in Oroville was an idea first suggest by American Whitewater as a means of mitigating the lost whitewater opportunities that were flooded when lake Oroville was created.  Although the settlement agreement did not require

Public hearings have been scheduled later this month regarding a new draft water quality permit for Blue Ridge Paper Products, which discharges tens of thousands of pounds of pollutants into the Pigeon River (NC/TN) each year.  The debate over the effluents of the paper mill has been extremely controversial over the past few decades, and this new permitting process marks a significant opportunity for progress.  Paddlers are encouraged to attend the hearings, learn more about the issue, and voice your

The Jan/Feb issue of the AW Journal is our CREEKING ISSUE featuring: * Top Stewardship Issues 2010 * Losloera * Searching for the Edge of the World * A Southern Creekin‘ Road Trip * Little Paddler, Big Creek . . .plus much more! Want to read the AW Journal online: You need a current membership and you must be registered with the AW website and have your membership associated with your website user account. Current members – Read the Creeking

In this entry, LVM’s John Grace sits down with AW’s Kevin Colburn and Jeff Paine to talk about the status of paddling the headwaters of the Chattooga River – and why it’s so important to paddlers even if they live nowhere near it. This was recorded in mid-December 2009 so doesn’t touch on the most recent developments, but it gives a great, quick overview on the issue.     Chattooga Access Update from Lunch Video Magazine on Vimeo.    

New for 2010, anyone who joins American Whitewater at our Explorer level ($500) will receive this great Keen backpack with AW logo.   This backpack has a ton of cool features including: 100% recycled aluminum components 100% recycled interior liners 100% recycled molded rubber bottom 15.4" padded laptop sleeve Adjustable shoulder straps Breathable molded foam back panel Draw-cord closure Interior zippered pocket Mesh cell phone and MP3 player pockets on shoulder straps Stowable shoulder strap tail Additional info on the

It was with great pride and enthusiasm that American Whitewater announced Bill Cross as our 2009 River Steward of the Year. The reward for his tireless work was much more than just good river karma however, it was a brand new kayak of his choice donated by Jackson Kayaks! Bill sent this thank you note over to the folks at Jackson Kayaks and we wanted to share it here with everyone. Thanks for all your hard work Bill!   Dear

Yesterday, Superior Court Judge Zoro J. Guice Jr. rejected all remaining challenges made by Jackson County (NC) against Duke Energy’s efforts to remove Dillsboro Dam on the Tuckasegee River.  It is extremely likely that the ruling is the final decision on the fate of Dillsboro Dam, as Duke was already poised to begin the removal of the dam early this year based on their orders from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).  A Duke representative indicated earlier today in the