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YUBA BEAR / DRUM SPAULDING UPDATE Fordyce Creek Planned Release Schedule As part of the Yuba-Bear Drum-Spaulding Relicensing Boating Flow Study, Fordyce Reservoir drafting flows will be augmented to provide the following releases to Fordyce Creek: Date                                                            Flow, cfsThursday 8/13                                                300Friday 8/14                                                     400Saturday 8/15            

July 25th Immersion Research and Wilderness Voyagers will be hosting the 29th Annual Upper Yough Race – with the proceeds going to American Whitewater!   Challenge the exciting Upper Yough and help raise a few bucks for American Whitewater at the same time. There will be classes for everything from Wavehoppers to short boats and even a team class for three paddlers where at least one must be female. What’s more is each racer gets a cool t-shirt and everyone

The Chelan Gorge Recreational Releases present whitewater boating opportunities that will be available for two weekends this July. American Whitewater has invested more than a decade of effort into bringing this opportunity to the paddling community of the Pacific Northwest, and we are excited to kick off the first weekend of releases. During the relicensing process several parties including the utility raised serious objections to whitewater recreation on this reach given the hazards of the gorge. The utility, federal regulators,

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)  

AW is asking you to make a special effort on a critically urgent matter. Certain members of the legislature and the administration are attempting to pass a combined water bill package through the legislature that will provide for a "water czar" and tens of billions of dollars in fees and bonds to construct a peripheral canal and more dams. We are very concerned as to the implications this may have on the delta.    So what to do?  There is a rally and press

The State Legislature has proposed amendments to Senate Bill SB 14 and AB 64 that would allow Hydropower to be imported from out-of-state sources (including Canada and Mexico), as well as change the mega-wattage RPS qualifications for existing Hydropower in both California and out-of-state sources from 30mw to 50mw.  Under existing conditions, California utilities are required to derive 20% of their power from renewable energy sources (Wind, Solar, and Hydro at 30mw or less).  Changing the mega-wattage standard wouldn’t create

Come see American Whitewater at this year’s Deerfield Fest July 25th in Charlemont, MA.   After 15 years, Deerfield Fest keeps gettting better! The fest will have no shortage of things to do and will feature vendors, food, boats, a silent auction, plus – and most importantly – the chance to begin or renew an AW membership! Not to mention all the proceeds of the event go towards funding American Whitewater’s river stewardship.   Check out the Deerfield Fest event

American Whitewater would like to recognize John Regan as our July volunteer of the month. John did the tractor work spreading gravel and brush-hogging to help, along with others, in maintaining the Upper Yough access area. This acess area, owned by the State of Maryland, has been maintained by American Whitewater volunteers for the last 8 years. John has been instrumental spearheading this work so all paddlers can enjoy the excellent Upper Yough. Thanks John!     In recognition of

  Get your journal online and save AW money!   (In order to read the online version, you must be registered with the AW website and have your membership account associated with your website user account) The online journal includes all of the color photographs and provides earlier distribution. If you would be interested in no longer receiving printed copies of the magazine and solely reading the publication online, please email info@americanwhitewater.org. Your email should include your name and address

Keep this number for assistance in the Great Smoky Mountains Nation Park – (865) 436-1230. This number connects to the Park Dispatch Office and should be used in non-emergency situations. For boaters who regularly paddle in the Park it is advisable to program the number in your cell phone. See BoaterTalk post:  http://www.boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk/1659925 June 25, 2009 – If you didn’t catch it, an overturned kayak was found just outside of the Smokies on the MP of the Little Pigeon.  It spurred

Last week FERC approved a whitewater recreation plan for the North Fork Rogue. We are pleased to be working with PacifiCorp who has committed to immediately implementing the plan and providing the whitewater recreational opportunities this summer. Whitewater recreational opportunities will be available on: July 18/19, August 15/16, Sept 6/7, Sept 26/27 Because whitewater recreation was not fully evaluated in the studies prior to licensing of this project, we successfully advocated for a complete evaluation of whitewater recreation needs at

American Whitewater is pleased to announce the 2009 release program for West Rosebud Creek, located in Montana’s beautiful Beartooth Mountains.  The Mystic Lake Hydroelectric Project has historically reduced paddling opportunities on the Creek.  American Whitewater and Beartooth Paddlers are working closely with the dam ownerand other interests on developing a water release program that mitigates these impacts by replacing lost paddling days.  We have been studying and revising the release program for the past two years and are optimistic that

This spring Lewis County PUD released a Draft Study Report for Chehalis River Water Retention Facilities. If implemented, the plan calls for the construction of two dams including a 220 foot high and 1960 foot wide dam on the mainstem of the Chehalis River and another slightly smaller dam on the South Fork Chehalis. The primary purpose of the dams would be flood control but they would also be constructed to generate hydropower. Earlier today the PUD hosted a scoping

Come see American Whitewater at this year’s Potomac Fest, July 11-12 in Great Falls, MD/VA!   Just minutes from the Nation’s Capital, the 19th Annual Potomac Whitewater Festival will be two days of fun events organized to delight beginners, experts and spectators alike. The spectacular Great Falls race, freestyle, squirt boating and boater-cross competitions will keep the most advanced paddlers entertained, while beginners will surely enjoy the Community Paddle, Slalom-for-everyone and on-water clinics. Saturday night will feature a big party

Paddlers are reminded that based on nearly a decade of negotiations and study, Idaho’s Bear River is finally benefiting from pulse flows that provide great Class IV and V boating as well as ecological benefits.  There are currently two different types of releases: scheduled and flow-dependent.  The dam owner has alerted us that flow-dependent releases are anticipated on both Saturday and Sunday of this weekend, June 13th and 14th, 2009.          Additional Information: Check out the release

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recommended ending summer whitewater releases on the Pit River (Fall River Mills to Pit 1 Powerhouse) in the interest of protecting the endangered Shasta Crayfish.  Here at American Whitewater, we believe that this recommendation has been made with little evidence showing a correlation between the releases and the dwindling crayfish population.  More importantly, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff working on this project has stated that they gave no consideration to the