Articles

American Whitewater recently filed a formal objection to the newly revised Ashley National Forest management plan. The objection challenges the Forest Service’s decision to permanently release 28 rivers and streams from protection as potential Wild and Scenic Rivers after previously finding them eligible for such protections. Only two eligible streams retained protected status in the plan. The Forest is the first to attempt this release of river protections under the 2012 planning rule, which requires protection of eligible streams. The

For the first time since 2019, boatable flows have been released from McPhee dam into the lower Dolores. A record setting snowpack in the basin has allowed for a long season with extended high flows. If you got a chance to experience this stunning river, or have a trip planned for the near future, we would love to hear more about your experience. Your responses to this survey are incredibly helpful in working with dam operators on structuring releases. Please

The Colorado Supreme Court issued their decision on the Hill v. Warsewa case after hearing oral arguments just last month. The justices unanimously found that Roger Hill did not have standing to seek a legally protected interest to pursue his claim “that a river segment was navigable for title at statehood and belongs to the State.” This question in front of the state supreme court was a narrow one. The justice’s found that he did not, that “Hill has no

Our membership is growing and so is our team! If you or someone you know would love to work with American Whitewater and help serve our members and our mission, please encourage them to apply today. The Membership & Operations Specialist is a new position that will primarily work with our Membership and Engagement Director Bethany Overfield and help support the necessary programmatic, administrative, and data management tasks associated with maintaining and growing the organization’s member and donor base. Additional

The newest edition of the American Whitewater Journal is now available online. If you’re an American Whitewater member that receives the print version of our journal, it should have landed in your mailbox last week (if not, it’ll be there soon!).  We have a wonderful team of talented folks that work on publishing this journal five times a year, but at its heart the American Whitewater Journal is a volunteer publication that relies on community members to submit their stories, photos, art

Four spots on our four-day float trip on the Rogue River in southern Oregon just opened up. Trip dates are June 20th – 23rd. This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy one of the country’s first Wild and Scenic Rivers with American Whitewater staff and similar likeminded river lovers.  As one of the original eight Wild and Scenic Rivers in the country, the Rogue is an outstanding classroom for American Whitewater’s river stewardship program. Staff shares current projects, their challenges and

Walt Harvest, a leading California kayaker in the ‘60s and ‘70’s died on May 10, 2023. He was 85. Walt built his first kayak with his father back in the 50’s when kayaks were a real novelty. He was one of the strongest kayakers in the country and a leader of the Sierra Club Bay Chapter River Touring Section on many of the early runs of now-classic rivers. Twice a national champion slalom kayaker (‘63 and ’65), he was mentioned

Put these events on your calendar this June because you won’t want to miss these fun river gatherings where you can meet up with American Whitewater staff! American Whitewater only has two Stewardship Program staff in Colorado and we love connecting with the river community whenever we can. Come find us at one of these river events to learn more about what we’re working on, become a member, and best of all have fun on the river with your friends.

Legislation raising the federal debt ceiling includes unrelated provisions weakening the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by limiting environmental reviews of federally permitted activities. NEPA is a critically important safeguard that ensures that federal agencies consider the environmental impacts of hydropower dams, pipelines, mining projects, public access enhancements, and other activities when issuing permits. The deal between the White House and House leadership would limit the scope of environmental reviews and seeks to fast track energy projects that have the

The Supreme Court today issued a decision that significantly narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act protection of wetlands adjacent to rivers. The Court ruled in a 5-4 decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency that only wetlands that have a “continuous surface connection” to a river are subject to the Clean Water Act. The decision effectively prevents the EPA from requiring a permit for filling, dredging, or polluting wetlands that are next to a river and hydrologically connected. This

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission will consider public comments submitted by May 24th about a proposed change to regulations on use of state wildlife areas (SWA). The proposed changes would restrict the use of any vessel on state wildlife area property to ones being actively used for hunting or fishing. This would affect river access such as the Granite SWA property that includes access to Pine Creek on the Arkansas. Please provide your comments by signing up and submitting

On April 14, 2023, the Bureau of Reclamation released a three-alternative plan for the short-term management of the Colorado River at Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams, and in doing so, initiated a 45-day public comment period. This is the most important and impactful time to engage on the near-term future of the Colorado River between now and 2026. We need your voice to speak up for the Colorado River itself and ensure the river isn’t just treated as a system

American Whitewater has intervened in a legal appeal brought by Great Lakes Hydro (GLHA), a subsidiary of Brookfield Renewable, challenging state authority to protect rivers at Shawmut Hydroelectric Project in Maine. Under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, states must certify that hydropower dams meet state water quality standards before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issues a license to operate the project. Maine denied water quality certification at the Shawmut project due to incomplete information on the effect

American Whitewater, along with Colorado River Outfitters Association and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, filed an amicus brief to the Colorado Supreme Court on a case the State of Colorado asked the high court to weigh in on determining an angler’s ability to wade fish in a section of the Arkansas River. The case has wound its way through state and federal courts discussing the anglers ability, or standing, to bring the lawsuit against the landowners who harassed him by throwing

The following includes the information from the Dolores River Spill team and is posted on the Dolores Water Conservancy District’s website. They update their release page every Tuesday and Thursday during a release season with a lot of information on expected flows. American Whitewater will continue to share those posts when there are significant changes is flows from McPhee dam. Please note that the Dove Creek Pump Station road is open and is currently releasing 3400 cfs from McPhee dam.

SNOTEL sites within the Dolores River watershed have reached records and the Colorado River Basin Forecast Center is predicting a most probable scenario that would provide 515,000 acre feet (af) (202% of average) to McPhee Reservoir. The reservoir sits over 50 feet below a full pool, needing approximately 200,000 af to get there. Despite the low reservoir levels, simple math indicates there will be plenty of water to release downstream. That excess water will be released from McPhee Reservoir to