Articles - American Whitewater

April 15, 2009

AW Membership Benefits Help save and preserve rivers all over the US Help to secure recreational releases on rivers Protect your river access rights, locally and nationally Receive the AW Journal, in print, or online Save with discounts from many national and local vendors Save 10% on purchases from the AW online store Online access to the AW Journal, including back issues Membership dues and donations are tax deductible The satisfaction that you’re speaking up for rivers How to

New AW and LVM Video Podcast Up: The Tallulah (GA)

April 15, 2009

American Whitewater Board Member Rich Bowers and AW’s Jeff Paine talk with John Grace over at LVM about securing releases on the Tallulah Gorge in Georgia. Hot on the heels of our last video podcast on the Cheoah River in NC, this podcast tells the story of one of American Whitewater’s early successes securing recreational releases on the Tallulah Gorge. Highlights include video from the past weekend’s release and Rich telling the story of a power company official’s change

April 15, 2009

Renewing Your AW Membership Remember: renewing early simply extends your membership an additional year from your expiration date, that way you won’t “lose” any part of your current membership. How to Renew Online: americanwhitewater.org/membership By phone: 1-866-BOAT-4-AW Donating All donations to AW are tax deductible and go a long ways to protecting our rivers! Please consider donating today.

Montana Passes Strong Stream Access Law

April 14, 2009

Yesterday Montana Governor, Brian Schweitzer, signed into law a stream access bill that passed the Montana House and Senate with strong bipartisan support. The law recognizes that both rivers and roads are public highways and that the public can legally travel from one to the other. At the same time the law meets landowner interests of protecting their land and livestock through attaching access-friendly fences to county roads and bridges through the public easement. “It’s been 24 long years

2009 Clif Bar Flowing Rivers Campaign

April 14, 2009

American Whitewater and Clif Bar are pleased to announce the 7th annual Clif Bar Flowing Rivers Campaign, pledging $2,500 to American Whitewater Affiliate Clubs for river stewardship work. Funding for this very effective program is provided by Clif Bar. American Whitewater Affiliate Clubs have the opportunity to apply for one of two $1,250 grants. Grants will be distributed to clubs for projects that promote river stewardship, conservation, access, and/or safety education on our nation’s rivers. This program provides our

Holtwood Project Back on the Table (PA)

April 13, 2009

For almost two years American Whitewater and several paddling clubs and businesses carefully reviewed a proposal to modify the Holtwood Hydroelectric Project on Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River and worked to minimize and mitigate the proposed impacts to paddling resources. Then, in a surprise turn of events, in December of last year the power company withdrew its proposal based primarily on the prevailing financial issues. Last week, the power company resubmitted their proposal to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and requested

Survey of Instream Flow Needs for Recreation on the Fox River

April 11, 2009

Currently Kaukauna Utilities is applying for a new license to increase capacity at the Badger Rapide Croche Hydroelectric Project. As proposed the project would significantly reduce flows in the natural river channel, impacting whitewater boating opportunities on the Fox River. In order to develop a more complete record on which to base decisions, American Whitewater is collecting data on use of this reach. We are working with the National Park Service Hydropower Assistance Program in conducting this survey, preparing a

April 9, 2009

Website User Vs. Member Website User: A free account with the American Whitewater website that allows you to do things like post photos and provide edits to river descriptions. This kind of membership does not financially support American Whitewater’s mission. Member: With this kind of membership you financially support American Whitewater’s mission to protect and restore America’s whitewater rivers and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely. You will also receive the American Whitewater Journal. You can join as a

The Last Descent DVD – Proceeds Support American Whitewater!

April 9, 2009

The recently released DVD, The Last Descent, is donating 100% of its profits to river stewardship groups – including American Whitewater! Follow a team of more than 10 world class paddlers and producers as they travel the globe seeking to "raise public awareness of some of the world’s most beautiful, culturally rich and ecologically significant rivers that are threatened by large scale hydropower projects." This DVD features some amazing rivers being paddled for what could be, sadly, their last

April 9, 2009

Join AW and Manage Your Account Online Saving rivers is just one of the many benefits to being an American Whitewater member. Please join today!

April 9, 2009

Manage Your Membership Online Your website user account is not linked to a dues paying membership account. If you’d like to manage your AW membership with this website user account please link your accounts. If you’re not a dues paying American Whitewater member you can join online.

April 9, 2009

Email Verification Periodically we request that non-members verify their email address with us. It is a quick and painless process that can be done here. However, you can bypass verification by becoming an AW member. If you proceed without verifying your email address you may lose your ability to post in our forum, upload photos, leave comments, and receive gauge notifications.

April 9, 2009

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April 9, 2009

Summary Thank you for joining the American Whitewater website! A summary has been sent to the email address you provided. As you use the AW website please consider joining as a member to support AW’s mission. If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

April 9, 2009

Member Benefits Explained Post Photos and Video on Website Post in Forums Receive AW Beta Protect Rivers and River Access Receive AW Journal Exclusive Vendor Discounts 10% Discount in AW Store Download AW Journal Plus More… Membership Rewards Explained Save rivers and get awesome gear, free! Membership has its rewards. Ender Club ($100): Ender Club T-ShirtPlatinum Paddler ($250): IR Thin SkinExplorer ($500): Watershed Dry-BagLifetime ($750): NRS Duffle BagLegacy ($1,000): Kokatat Pants and ShirtStewardship Club ($2,500):

April 9, 2009

Member Benefits Explained Post Photos and Video on Website Post in Forums Receive AW Beta Protect Rivers and River Access Receive AW Journal Exclusive Vendor Discounts 10% Discount in AW Store Download AW Journal Plus More… Membership Rewards Explained Save rivers and get awesome gear, free! Membership has its rewards. Ender Club ($100): Ender Club T-Shirt Platinum Paddler ($250): IR Thin Skin Explorer ($500): Keen-AW Backpack Lifetime ($750): NRS Duffle Bag Legacy ($1,000): Kokatat Pants

April 9, 2009

Why Donate to American Whitewater Your donations directly fund American Whitewater river stewardship projects. On each project we work on, we seek land conservation, public river access, stream flow information, and flow releases that benefit the aquatic ecosystem as well as recreation. We have a proven track record of success with each of these goals. These enhancements create a triple bottom line: they result in healthier rivers, they provide local communities a sustainable economic base and they provide opportunities for

April 9, 2009

Summary Thank you for joining American Whitewater as a member! A summary of your membership has been sent to the email address youprovided. If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

French Broad River Cleanup

April 9, 2009

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

Clean Water Restoration Act Reintroduced

April 8, 2009

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 Joins the EPA Green Power Partnership

April 7, 2009

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

Image for Cool New Platinum Paddler (50) Reward from Immersion Research

Cool New Platinum Paddler ($250) Reward from Immersion Research

April 6, 2009

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!