Articles

Today both the House and Senate took decisive, bi-partisan action to responsibly budget for the costs of suppressing catastrophic wildfires by introducing the FLAME Act (Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act), H.R. 1404.  The human-powered outdoor recreation community applauds this critical step in getting a handle on the financial impacts that catastrophic wildfires currently have on recreation and other programs.   Under the current system, about one-half of the U.S. Forest Service’s annual budget is already set aside for

Utah House Bill 187, a recent bill that would have made it illegal to paddle all but a short list of rivers, was voted down last week in the Utah Legislature, reintroduced, and then voted down again.  The bill would have inappropriately taken away the rights of the public to paddle rivers and streams that are part of the public trust.  The bill also went far beyond asserting new property rights and attempted to create privacy rights for people that

Act Now to Save the Mokelumne River from Proposed Pardee Expansion East Bay MUD has announced its intent to expand Pardee Reservoir as part of its latest  water plan. The expansion would flood the entire Middle Bar reach of the Mokelumne and nearly a mile of the Mokelumne above Highway 49. These miles of river are popular for fishing and kayaking, and used by local people and visitors to our area. The expanded Pardee would flood nearly a mile of

The March/April issue of the AW journal is now available online!   This issue features articles on:     * River Conservationists Discuss New Protections     * Conversing With the River     * First Descent: Carter Creek Canyon     *Whitewater Evolution: A Novelists Route from Phobia to Obsession (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) Get your journal online and save AW

KEEN, Inc. continues their partnership with American Whitewater to support river stewardship. Through KEEN’s Hybrid.Care program, American Whitewater river stewardship efforts are strengthened. This critical funding comes in a tough economic environment and helps to provide American Whitewater with the resources needed to take advantage of the many opportunities to conserve and restore America’s whitewater rivers. KEEN has been a Class V partner with American Whitewater since 2005.   To learn more about KEEN’s Hybrid.Care program, click here.

American Whitewater would like to recognize Allen Kirkwood as our March volunteer of the month.   As a river steward and whitewater community member, Allen sets a great example. He was the Silent Auction Coordinator for the National Paddling Film Festival this year in addition to his role as the Vice President and former Conservation Officer for the Bluegrass Wildwater Association.  Allen has also been responsible for organizing one of the biggest cleanups on Elkhorn Creek in Kentucky, removing over

Our May/June issue of American Whitewater is dedicated to the best of family whitewater paddling. To that end, if you have a story about growing up around rivers or exposing your own children, spouse, or parents to whitewater, we’d love to hear from you. Please take the time to send us your stories about family paddling, and please don’t forget to include digital photos, captions and photographer credits. If you have any questions about possible articles for this or another

The Utah state legislature is currently considering legislation that would radically limit the rights of the public to recreate on rivers and streams.  H.B. 187 Substitute was a knee-jerk response to a lawsuit that last summer clarified the public’s longheld right to float down rivers and streams in the state.  The Utah legislature now wants to eliminate those rights on all but a small number of rivers.  We strongly encourage Utah paddlers, anglers, and other river enthusiasts to contact their

Transport Canada is in the process of rewriting the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) to eliminate a developer’s obligation to consider impacts on navigation when building dams, bridges, causeways or other invasive structures on thousands of waterways across Canada. Transport Canada Minister Lawrence Cannon and his allies in government and industry hope to achieve this by exempting "minor waters" and "minor works" from the NWPA, and by re-defining "navigation" under the act in a way that will strip all legal

Your American Whitewater membership demonstrates your commitment as a good river steward. It can also be a tax advantage since American Whitewater dues and contributions are tax deductible. American Whitewater is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, EIN: 23-7083760 and your dues and contributions, with the exception of the retail value for any incentive gifts you may have received, are tax deductible.   If you have any questions about your tax deductible amount, contact Carla Miner carla@americanwhitewater.org or 866-262-8429.  

Department of Water Resources to shed light on proposed Whitewater Park The California Department of Water Resources will present the first report on the proposed whitewater park on February 18 at 3 p.m. at the Oroville City Council Chambers. The proposed whitewater park is part of the agreement between American Whitewater and various government and non-government organizations. Along with the $250,000 study to research the possibility of building a whitewater park below Lake Oroville. A Whitewater Park in Butte County

Last month the Senate passed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (S.22) which will protect millions of acres of federal lands and designate dozens of rivers as Wild and Scenic including several destinations enjoyed by the whitewater paddling community. This legislation will come before the House next week and we encourage paddlers to reach out to your Representative in support of the "Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009."     The Omnibus bill will designate new Wilderness Areas in

After passing in the House, an economic stimulus bill totalling $800 billion dollars is heading for the Senate. This massive stimulus package hopes to put three million people to work on short-term projects that will have lasting benefits. If passed, this bill will allocate over $3 billion dollars of funding to federal land management agencies—the same agencies that manage many of our country’s most treasured whitewater rivers. These agencies, including US Park Service, US Forest Service, and Bureau of Land

The January/February issue of the AW journal is now available online!   This issue features articles on:     * 2009 River Stewardship Priorities     * Green Race Notes     * Local’s Favorite: Great Falls, Potomac River     * The "Great Debate" where well known paddlers discuss the future of kayaking, including         – Tyler Bradt, Doug Ammons, Shane Benedict, Jamie McEwan, Eric Jackson, Patrick Camblin and more   AW members can check out the journal online at: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Journal_index_issue_1_year_2009_(You must be

In 2008 paddlers celebrated the restoration of pulse flows and awesome Class IV(V) boating opportunities to Idaho’s Black Canyon of the Bear River.  2009 will offer paddlers four scheduled dates, on which the dam owner will release boatable flows of 900 cfs, unless unforeseen circumstances make releases not possible.  Paddlers should check the website and/or flow phone prior to heading to the river.    The Scheduled Releases are on: April 12, April 25, May 31, and July 12.     

In 2006, Washington Citizens passed Initiative 937 which required utilities to obtain 15% of their power from renewable sources. The initiative was designed to encourage development of new renewable energy technologies. The initiative did not include hydropower as the state already produces approximately 3/4 of it’s electricity from hydropower. In fact, “Washington’s hydroelectric power industry is the largest in the Nation,” according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy. Under the initiative hydropower can only be counted as new renewable energy

The zebra and quagga mussels have explosive reproductive rates and can quickly carpet the bottom of lakes and slow-moving rivers, disrupting the food chain (as filter feeders they deplete the phytoplankton from the water) and clog water works.  In recent years the mussels have invaded Lake Mead and the lower Colorado River.  They have moved through the Metropolitan Water District’s Colorado Aquaduct and now have infested about a dozen reservoirs in Southern California.  The California Department of Fish and Game