Articles

In 2007 the Forest Service began a statewide study of rivers in Utah’s National Forests to determine which are suitable for protection, and should become Wild and Scenic Rivers.  Last November the Forest Service released a Draft Enironmental Impact Statement that included its preliminary recommendations.  Unfortunately, the list or rivers that were recommended to be protected as Wild and Scenic Rivers was woefully inadequate.  In their Draft EIS, the Forest Service recommended only 24 non-controversial river segments to become Wild

Yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released its Environmental Assessment (EA) of boating on the Ausable Chasm.  The EA marks a critical milestone in American Whitewater’s decade-long effort to secure paddling access to the beautiful Class IV Ausable Chasm, which is boatable nearly every day of the year.  Access is currently blocked by New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) and NYSEG’s proposal was to continue this total prohibition on paddling for the next 30 years.   FERC received

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commmission (FERC) will be holding a site visit and public scoping meetings for the Holtwood Hydroelectric Project on Pennsylvania‘s Susquehanna River on April 17, 2008.  The meetings are intended to help them identify the scope of issues to be addressed as they consider a proposal by the dam owner to expand their facilities and delay relicensing for 16 years.   The daytime scoping meeting will focus on resource agency concerns, while the evening scoping meeting is

2008 Forecasted Spill Dolores River Below McPhee Reservoir (updated 3-31-08) No change to the seasonal forecast below, though new inflow forecast due later this week.  Releases this week, March 31 through Sunday April 6, 2008 will be approximately 800 cfs.  Still expecting low, 500 cfs, flows for Department of Wildlife fish surveys on April 14 – 18.  Most current flows available at Department of Water Resources site, Dolores gage below McPhee. http://www.dwr.state.co.us March 1-31 – Releases will approximate natural inflows

In 2007, the inaugural year for the South Platte River Clean-up, we saw over 160 participants and successfully removed over TWO TONS of garbage from the river way.  This was a cooperative effort amongst local retailers, manufacturers, vendor reps, clubs and non-profit organizations in the greater Denver Metro Area.   With several new partners looking to assist with the effort this year, our goal is to make a visible difference in the major waterway of the Denver area.   This year we

The annual Hoosic River Whitewater Release into the Schaghticoke Gorge will be on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM.  American Whitewater and Adirondack Mountain Club negotiated these releases in the relicensing process for this hydropower project with Reliant Energy, and the project is now operated by Brookfield Power.  The Hoosic truly has something for everyone.  It has an impressive Class V upper section and a fun Class III lower section. Schaghticoke Gorge is in Schaghticoke, New

Today Congressmen Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) announced their plan for increasing Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers in Oregon this year. Their vision includes adding approximately 132,000 acres of Wilderness, 79.6 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, and 34,550 acres of National Recreation Areas to the Mt. Hood National Forest. It also calls for over 142 miles of new Wild and Scenic rivers for Rogue River tributaries, and adds protection for the Oregon Caves National Monument. “Our

The 5th annual Riverfest will be held May 17, from 9:30 to 4:00 at the future site of the Willimantic Whitewater Park in Willimantic, Connecticut.   This year’s event will feature a Kayak Kicker Ramp. Being an entry-level ramp, and one of the few ramps on the East Coast, this is your opportunity for an airborne experience. The ramp will be open the entire RiverFest for those wishing to get as much airtime as possible.   Several paddling games will

The 5th annual Riverfest will be held May 17, from 9:30 to 4:00 at the future site of the Willimantic Whitewater Park in Willimantic, Connecticut.   This year’s event will feature a Kayak Kicker Ramp. Being an entry-level ramp, and one of the few ramps on the East Coast, this is your opportunity for an airborne experience. The ramp will be open the entire RiverFest for those wishing to get as much airtime as possible.   Several paddling games will

On Friday, March 28th, hundreds of people gathered to watch the breaching of Milltown Dam just upstream of Missoula, MT.  The dam had impounded the confluence of the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers for a century.   During that time the dam trapped mining waste from upstream that contained toxic chemicals like arsenic.  The pressure of the reservoir drove arsenic into nearby wells, and to top it all off the dam was deemed a high risk for failure.   Based on nearly