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  With a prolonged maintenance outage at Nantahala Hydro Station and higher than expected rainfall Duke Energy is expecting to begin releasing water through a gate at the Nantahala Lake Dam on Monday, November 2, 2009.  These releases will provide additional flows in the Cascades and Upper Nantahala runs, as well as the Lower Nantahala.  Duke Energy will attempt to maintain lower flows Friday-Sunday to support "delayed harvest" fishing in the Upper Nantahala, while releasing higher flows Monday-Thursday. High inflows

Last week legislation (H.R. 1593) to protect Illabot Creek as a Wild and Scenic River passed the House of Representatives. “I thank my colleagues in the House for supporting the permanent protection of Illabot Creek,” said Larsen. “This Wild and Scenic designation will benefit not only endangered species such as Chinook salmon, but also families who hunt, fish and hike near this pristine creek. I thank Senator Murray for teaming up with me to protect this important habitat.” Protection of

It’s really rather simple – human-powered outdoor pursuits need a healthy climate.  If the climate is out of balance, then our favorite ways to enjoy the outdoors can go from being degraded to actually disappearing.  We put together a short little film that bottom lines how the human-powered outdoor community intersects with this humongous issue and hopefully energizes the community to flex some political muscle and help get the climate back on track.   Check out the film in HD

Release Dates for November 2009: 7 & 8, 14 & 15, 21 & 22   Scheduled releases occur the first two weekends in April and the first three weekends in November.  On Saturday 500 cfs is released and on Sunday 700 cfs.  Boaters are allowed on the water once the level stabilizes, which is about 9:30 am;  the water is turned off at 4 pm. All boaters must start down the stairs by 3:00 pm to beat the flow down

And the winners are:   River Gypsies Mexico Trip: Samuel Wells of Fountain Hills, AZ Small World Adventures Ecuador Trip: Helen and Gary Plummer of Salinas, CA   Thanks to all our members that joined, renewed or donated during this contest, we really appreciate your support! Of course, thanks to our industry partners who offered up all these great prizes to support our members: River Gypsies, Small World Adventures, Immersion Research, Kayak Session, Keen Footwear, Lunch Video Magazine, Smith Optics and

Location: Wild and Scenic Chattooga River, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia   Conservation-oriented kayakers and canoeists sought protection in federal court on Wednesday from an illegal decision by the United States Forest Service involving the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River.  The USFS decision, which was the culmination of a 2004 administrative appeal by American Whitewater, makes it a federal crime for paddlers to float the northernmost 21 miles of the River and its tributaries except on a limited seven-mile

Ready for your viewing pleasure, you can now purchase the American Whitewater 2010 Calendar!   A huge thanks goes out to all the many AW members who submitted their photos. Want to see your work in the 2011 Calendar? We’ll make a call for submissions starting this Spring on the AW website.   Enjoy!

American Whitewater would like to recognize Michelle "Mac" Miller as our October volunteer of the month.   Here’s what Stacey Johnson, Gauley Fest’s Volunteer Coordinator, had to say about Michelle "Mac was my right hand at Gauley Fest this year. From the second she arrived on site she was working, helping with set-up, greeting festival goers, training volunteers, and even headed into town for supplies a time or two. From 7am til midnight, or later, she worked tirelessly to help make

American Whitewater is pleased to announce Bill Cross as our 2009 River Steward of the Year. American Whitewater annually awards this honor to a single volunteer who has shown exceptional dedication to our river stewardship mission, and who has recently reached a major milestone in their efforts. Bill has been assisting AW and representing the paddling community on Oregon’s Rogue River for the past several years. Bill was the primary local advocate who brought a section of the scenic North

  Mokelumne River – Boaters NeededIf you have the day off, can get the day off, have a furlough day or can even call in sick we need boaters at the October 13th EBMUD Board of Directors Meeting where they will vote to certify the Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for their Water Supply Management Plan 2040.  As many of you already know at the centerpiece of EBMUD’s "preferred" portfolio are plans to raise Pardee Reservoir which would flood the Electra to

So you’ve got a crazy whitewater story to tell, but you’re just not sure how you might get it out there? Chances are our January/February issue is for you. Canoes, Kayaks, Rafts–anything goes. If it’s got a fast-moving stream or river at its heart, your tale of adventure/misadventure probably belongs in our upcoming Creekin’ issue, so just put pen to paper (actually, we prefer Microsoft Word files) and shoot it on over to us. You can send all material directly

Thanks to the awesome work of AW’s many supporters, American Whitewater has won New Belgium Brewing’s $10,000 Skinny Dip for a Cause grant!   The final voting results put AW ahead of the closest contestant by almost 1000 votes. No doubt a testament to the wonderful support we’re so honored to have from our members.   If you weren’t already aware, Skinny Dip For A Cause is New Belgium‘s advocacy and awareness initiative for water conservation, clean water, and saving

The 2009 Whitewater Symposium will be held at Zoar Outdoor on the Deerfield River in western Massachusetts. The Symposium seeks to advance the sport of whitewater paddling by bringing together key players from all aspects of the whitewater spectrum including freestyle, river running, racing, rescue and playboating. It is an opportunity for paddlers to exchange ideas about trends in equipment, instruction and technique. For the paddling public and active instructors, the Symposium provides an all-inclusive package of technique instruction, dryland

Another year, another awesome American Whitewater Gauley Fest presented by Subaru! Gauley Fest is of major importance to AW as it’s our biggest fundraising event. All the funds raised at this national level event go back to funding AW’s River Stewardship work all over the United States. As important as this event is, however, the 8 full-time staff members of AW simply couldn’t do it alone. This year, nearly 250(!) volunteers helped out. Led by our longtime Volunteer Coordinator, Stacey

The headwaters of our nation’s most iconic southwestern rivers originate in Colorado’s Roadless areas and Wilderness, flowing from 14,000-foot peaks towards 13 states and Mexico. Rivers offer a unique way to experience the Colorado Plateau by water offering unique corridors of travel, few of which have eluded road building, railroad building, logging, and settlement.  The last remaining wild rivers are invaluable to Americans who prefer to experience nature in their canoes, kayaks and rafts, and they offer protection for endangered

  VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!     Show your support of American Whitewater and your love of the Feather River by volunteering some time at the Festival! People are needed to help at the sign-up booth for the races, to sell AW memberships, and to help judge slalom gates during the race. An hour or two of your time will really help and every effort goes to support the Feather River releases! Please call Lisa or Roland at 530-892-8923 Thanks! And, see

Great news, this year’s American Whitewater Gauley Fest presented by Subaru will feature an awesome AW Members-only game of Rock, Paper, Scissors for over $3,500 of awesome gear (including a new Liquidlogic kayak!). Woody Callaway of Liquidlogic kayaks will be heading up this fun and friendly "competition" that’s open to AW members only. Stop by the Liquidlogic booth at 9:15PM to participate, just make sure your membership is current by then, otherwise you can’t play and win!   How the

American Whitewater would like to recognize Bob Taylor as our September volunteer of the month.   Bob has been a major volunteer dedicating hundreds of hours over the years to Deerfield Fest benefiting AW. He’s worked tirelessly with all aspects of the festival from electrical, field setup, booth work and cleanup. Moreover, Bob is well known in the local paddling community as an excellent boater who’s always willing to help teach beginning boaters the ropes. On top of all that,

As you probably already know, AW is holding a huge summer-long membership drive with monthly winners through September and two grand prizes being drawn in October.   The contest is simple and you can still be a part of it:   Only open to members of American Whitewater Members Joining or renewing your membership with AW gives you one chance to win Every $10 donation (by a current member) equals one chance to win (i.e. $100 = 10 chances)