Articles

The upper 21 miles of the Chattooga River remain off limits to paddlers for no reason.  The US Forest Service is hosting a public hearing to accept public comments on their paddling ban and their management of the upper Chattooga River on July 10th, 2007.  Participants will have only 3 minutes to speak. Then, on July 14th, the USFS will be hosting a full day public “standards workshop” where they will begin crafting management alternatives for analysis later this summer

Clif Bar and American Whitewater are happy to announce the recipients of the 2007 “Flowing River” grants.   The Flowing Rivers campaign, a joint initiative between Clif Bar and American Whitewater, puts money in the hands of people who are protecting the rivers that are running through their backyards.  This year’s funding will support initiatives from the Foothills Paddling Club (SC) and the Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club (OR).  The Foothills Paddling Club will use its funding to enhance an access

American Whitewater and New River Academy announce a $5,000 Academic Scholarship to the author of the best original composition describing a remarkable river experience or relation based on the school slogan, “And that has made all the difference.” Have you considered attending a high school for kayakers? Are you a teen kayak student excited to earn high school credit in China and Chile and paddle amazing rivers after school? Have you had a remarkable experience related to the river that

Some paddlers may be suprized to learn that negotiations over recreational releases on the Savage River have been ongoing for months and even years.  The negotiations have finally come to fruition (while they are not over), and have resulted in the first scheduled boating releases on the iconic Savage River in over a decade.  This year’s first whitewater release from Savage River Dam is scheduled for Sunday – July 1, 2007. Due to ongoing low flow conditions in the North Branch Potomac basin,

Where: Original channel upstream from Xcel Energy’s Jim Falls Hydro Project on the Chippewa River. A spillway gate will be opened so peak flows occur at the old bridge area, midway down the channel. When: Whitewater flow releases will occur four times annually. This year’s dates are: July 14, 28 and August 11, 19 between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Description: This river segment is characterized as Class II and Class III pool-drop rapids, requiring an intermediate to advanced skill

West Rosebud Creek is a spectacular Class III/IV+ creek run in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains.  The creek boasts two sections of nearly continuous whitewater, great camping, endless hiking opportunities, and breathtaking scenery.  West Rosebud is also regulated by a dam which is currently undergoing relicensing.  The dam is managed in a way that significantly reduces the number of days of boatable flows in the creek, essentially liimiting paddling opportunities to a relatively few days when the dam is spilling, which happens

The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road above the Dingford Creek trailhead will be permanently closed to motor vehicle access, beginning June 27, 2007, according to Jim Franzel, Snoqualmie District Ranger, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.  This closure completes implementation of the 2005 Middle Fork Snoqualmie Access Travel Management Plan. “Road 56 beyond this point will become a public national forest trail open to hiker, mountain bicycle, and equestrian use only,” says Franzel.  “This road-to-trail conversion is in conjunction with the recently

We want to hear from you—and all about you and whitewater. The September/October issue of American Whitewater is devoted to women and their stories, so don’t be shy. If you are anywhere on the scale of average to extraordinary, put your thoughts and/or experiences down on paper and send them to us. We’re interested in topics all across the board. What’s it like to represent the minority gender in your sport? Do you think there will eventually be as many

The Friends of the Falls Association has completed its campaign to raise $225,000 for the design, permitting and construction of the Spokane Whitewater Park. The campaign reached its goal recently thanks to a donation of $40,000 from Teck Cominco American, a diversified mining company headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., which has a regional office in Spokane. In the Great Spokane River Gorge, one mile from downtown and next to the Sandifur Memorial Bridge, the Spokane Whitewater Park will feature two u-shaped

The Forest Service and BLM in Utah are evaluating 1000’s of river miles for potential inclusion in the national Wild and Scenic Rivers system. The agencies are currently soliciting public comment on their lists through June 30. This input will be used to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement by this fall which will be distributed for public review. A final document of recommendations to Congress will be completed next summer. Now is the time for the paddling community and

Some say that with knowledge comes power.  If this is true then the Yuba and Bear rivers in California have a powerful ally in Bob Center.  Bob is one of those rare individuals that have not only the desire but also the technical background to be a truly powerful force in river restoration.   Bob has been putting in a tremendous amount of time on the hydro projects on the Yuba and Bear rivers in California, working for both American Whitewater

Cool Helmet Cool Cause Want to donate $10 to American Whitewater and get a limited edition WRSI Camouflage helmet too??  WRSI has made it all possible. Here is how you can order one of these limited edition helmets: 1. Order right now. Just email us at sales@whitewaterhelmet.com and let WRSI know that "I want Camo!" Once WRSI receives your email, they will contact you to dial in the details and get your new helmet coming your way. Each helmet is

On Friday, May 25th, the USFS released their plan for wrapping up the user capacity analysis and updating their management of the Wild and Scenic Chattooga River, located in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The USFS stated that they have completed the data collection phase of the user capacity analysis, and that the full findings will be released later this week. The user capacity analysis was triggered by American Whitewater’s successful appeal of the 2004 decision to continue a

As millions of Americans prepare to spend their Memorial Day weekend in our national forests and the rivers that flow through them, Congress has united in a bi-partisan effort to protect those areas for future generations. More than 140 House Democrats and Republicans introduced legislation yesterday that would provide permanent protection for 58.5 million acres of pristine forest land in 39 states. This would include 9.3 million acres of North America’s only coastal temperate rainforest – Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.

Clif Bar and AW team up to promote river stewardship and safety efforts in paddling clubs. American Whitewater and Clif Bar are pleased to announce the 5th 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

The Mokelumne has scheduled recreation flows of 700cfs in the Tiger Creek reach (from Tiger Creek Afterbay to Red Corral Road) between 10am and 2pm on the following weekend dates:  •    5/19, 5/20, •    5/26, 5/27, 5/28 (Memorial Day) •    6/2, 6/3,•    6/9,  6/10 The flows are likely to be about 700cfs from 10am on the first day through 2pm on the last day of each weekend.  This class III /IV run has recreational releases because of American Whitewater’s efforts

Reclaiming the Cheoah The USDA Forest Service is working with American Whitewater to organize a volunteer work day on the Cheoah River on May 18th, 2007.  The effort will be focused on the removal of live woody vegetation from within the stream bed.  Paddlers interested in volunteering should rsvp to carla@amwhitewater.org, and should meet at Joanne’s Store along the Cheoah River at 9am on the morning of the 18th.  Volunteers should wear sturdy shoes and other appropriate clothing for rough work in a brushy and boulder-filled