Articles

American Whitewater partners with Riverlink and the Nantahala Outdoor Center for a river cleanup on the French Broad River.   Each May lovers of rivers and music gather on the banks of the French Broad River to celebrate the mountain lifestyle at the French Broad River Festival. The festival gives back to the community by raising funds for the river stewardship work of American Whitewater and various local charities.  At the 2009 French Broad Festival American Whitewater is partnering with

Last week Senator Feingold (D-WI) reintroduced the Clean Water Restoration Act (CWRA), S. 787.  This bill is a reaction to law suits that potentially weaken the reach of the Clean Water Act to exclude many headwater streams.  CWRA would:  (1) reaffirm the original intent of Congress in enacting the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the United States; (2) clearly define the waters of the United States

American Whitewater has joined the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in their Green Power Partnership. AW has purchased enough renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Clean Currents, a leading supplier of wind energy credits, to offset energy usage in our national office. Global warming and air pollution threaten the future of our rivers. Coal for power plants comes from across the US. In the east, it is often mined through Mountain Top Removal, an environmentally destructive practice that is harming communities and

New for 2009, all members who join AW as Platinum Paddlers ($250 Level) will get a custom AW Thin Skin from Immersion Research.   What a sweet deal, you get to support your favorite river-saving non-profit, and get a great piece of gear at the same time. Plus, you can’t get this AW-IR shirt anywhere else, it’s an exclusive product only available to our Platinum Paddlers. A big thanks goes out to Immersion Research for providing this to our members!

April 4, 5 and 11, 12Saturdays at 500 cfs and Sundays at 700 cfs With rain in the forecast for the southeast, Tallulah season is right around the corner! Releases begin at 9:30 am and all boaters must start down the stairs by 3:00 pm to beat the flow down to the lake. You will need to sign a waiver at the top of the stairs to be permitted to paddle the river. Please continue to park across the road

Dillsboro Dam, located on the Tuckaseegee River, is the cornerstone of a comprehensive Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing process that includes whitewater releases on the Cascades and Upper Nantahala (Class IV+ – III) as well as scheduled boating flows on the West Fork of the Tuckaseegee (Class IV). These releases have been delayed due to the ongoing dispute over the removal of Dillsboro Dam.   The following story appeared in the April 2 edition of The Sylva Herald:    

American Whitewater would like to recognize Molly Buirgy as our April Volunteer of the Month.   As a fan of healthy rivers and river trips, Molly didn’t hesitate to invest her energy over the past several months in helping AW undate it’s inventory of whitewater rivers in Colorado. She has been a long-time advocate for monitoring water quality in Colorado’s rivers, and has recently started to explore Colorado’s headwater rivers and creeks with her family and friends.  In the past

Today, President Obama signed the Omnibus Public Lands Bill into law.  This action officially designates 86 new Wild and Scenic Rivers and provides robust protection for well over 350,000 acres of public lands.    American Whitewater and many of our partner organizations actively participated in the development of several of the individual Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River proposals that were part of the Omnibus Bill and advocated for its passage. The hard work and collaboration that went into this

Building off Statewide Traditions Legislation Will Protect Washington’s Most Popular Backcountry Recreation Areas Seattle – Today Senator Murray and Congressman Reichert introduced joint legislation (“Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act” H.R. 1769 and S. 721) that will help ensure the future of some of Washington’s most popular backcountry recreation areas by designating more than 22,000 acres of wilderness adjacent to the existing Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. The legislation will also protect nearly 30 miles

The US House of Representatives just passed the massive Omnibus Public Lands Bill which has already passed the Senate.  The bill will now go to the Whitehouse for President Obama to sign into law.  The Bill will protect hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands, and directly protect many world class whitewater rivers.  This is great news for the places we paddle!   The Omnibus bill will designate new Wilderness Areas in West Virginia, Virginia, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and