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On March 22nd, the New Hampshire Senate voted unanimously against a proposal to require a $10 per boat per year fee on all boats used in the state.  It is likely the vote came as a direct result of calls, emails, and letters from paddlers and business owners.  After careful consideration, the paddling community generally opposed the legislation.  The New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game remains in financial distress and paddlers should seek other ways of supporting the agency through

2007 was the first year for the American Whitewater wall calendar and it was a huge success, so much so that the 2007 edition sold out in record time. The 2008 print run will be substantially increased to meet demand. American Whitewater is soliciting contributions of dynamic whitewater photography for the 2008 edition of the calendar. We benefit tremendously from photographs donated by professional shooters who generously support our mission. American Whitewater is looking for photographs that capture the entire

Last year out of about 100 Pikes Peak Whitewater Club members, 43 were members of AW thanks to the efforts of Mike Brown. Mike was also instrumental in identifying a need for an AW river stewardship staff position in Colorado. Fast forward about 8 months and now the Colorado Stewardship initiative heads up the list of AW’s top 10 River Stewardship issues for 2007  and the river stewardship position was filled in March with Nathan Fey. Mike and his family will soon

American Whitewater is making membership growth and retention one of our primary focuses in 2007. Our goal is to reach a membership level of 7000 by the end of 2007. In 2006 American Whitewater increased our support from foundations, grants, and corporate partners, now we need to focus on the last piece of our funding plan, you our membership! By growing our membership base, American Whitewater can increase our representation of whitewater paddlers’ interests in river preservation and restoration. As

AW will be hosting a small celebration of whitewater boating and river conservation in downtown Missoula, MT on Wednesday, April 4th, 2007. Paddlers are first invited to the Kettlehouse Brewery for a round of incredible local brews from 5-8pm. The Kettlehouse will generously donate 50 cents to American Whitewater from each pint sold. At 8:30 pm, a block away at the Roxy Theatre (on Higgins Street), we’ll be hosting the premiere of the most recent Lunch Video Magazine. The LVM video

American Whitewater is hosting a celebration of our southeastern rivers on May 19th at Tapoco Lodge on the banks of the Cheoah River.  Join event hosts Sutton Bacon, Chris Bell, and Brian Jacobson for an enjoyable evening with guest speaker Doug Woodward author of Wherever the Water Flows.  Woodward will talk about his exploration of southeastern rivers in the 60’s and 70’s along with his role in the filming of Deliverance. The dinner at the Cheoah River will raise money

            Leaders representing over 1 million people who participate in human-powered outdoor recreational activities traveled to Washington DC late last month to roll out their policy platform for 2007. The leaders are policy staff for the Access Fund, American Canoe Association, American Hiking Society, American Whitewater, International Mountain Biking Association, and the Winter Wildlands Alliance. These non-profit groups have formed a coalition, the Outdoor Alliance, aimed at representing human powered recreationists on a national level. The Platform outlines the group’s positions on pending

On March 12th,  AW alerted paddlers to the threat of a new $10 per boat per year fee for all boats used on New Hampshire’s rivers and streams.  The bill that could create the new fee system has now passed committee and will be put to a full NH Senate vote on Thursday, March 22nd.  Paddlers are encouraged to call or write their NH senators and let them know how they feel about the new fees.  Opposition to the fees has

Last week, American Whitewater formally requested that FERC push through the delays in issuing new dam licenses for several Duke Power dams on North Carolina’s Nantahala and Tuckasegee rivers.  FERC action is needed before trail construction, recreational releases, dam removal, base flows, and other mitigation can be initiated.  Based on previous delays from multiple agencies, there will almost certainly be no new releases this year on either the West Fork of the Tuckasegee, or the Upper Nantahala.  We are hopeful however that licenses will be

Whitewater Courses and Parks 2007 is the second gathering of professionals involved in the development and management of whitewater courses and parks in the US and abroad. The first conference held in October 2005 received rave reviews for the quality of the program and the breadth of experience represented by the presenters. This year, we will both address the same popular topics and respond to the participants’ requests for additional panels. Whitewater courses and parks are being designed and built

     On Wednesday of this week, the New Hampshire Senate will consider charging a $10.00 per boat per year fee for all non-motorized boats used on any body of water in New Hampshire.  The fee will apply to NH residents and non-residents alike.  In exchange for the $10 fee, the state will issue 2 "decals" which must be stuck to the bow and stern of a boat, above the water line.        The proposed fee is intended to help rescue the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department,

It’s been less than a year since we celebrated removal of a dam on the Bear River but meanwhile an application for a new dam marches forward. On December 15th, 2006 the Twin Lakes Canal Company filed its Notice of Intent and Pre-Application Document (PAD) for the construction of the Bear River Narrows Hydroelectric Project (FERC P-12486). This project would create a 200 acre reservoir backing up to the existing Oneida Dam owned by PacifiCorp. The reservoir would inundate the

American Whitewater is excited to announce that we have hired Nathan Fey as our new Colorado River Stewardship Director. This new position builds on our regional approach, where the AW Stewardship Team is in place to lead, train and support community-based activism representing the interests of boaters and the rivers we care for.  Nathan joins the AW River Stewardship Team led by Kevin Colburn (National Director), Thomas O’Keefe (Pacific Northwest Director) and Dave Steindorf (California Director).   Nathan brings to AW

The 2007 National Paddling Film Festival in Lexington, Kentucky was full of good videos, good friends, good food, and great volunteers.  Leading the charge for such a great weekend of activities was Todd Garland who is American Whitewater’s March volunteer of the month. The National Paddling Film Festival is organized each year by a dedicated crew from the Bluegrass Wildwater Association to raise funds for river access and conservation.  In 2006 longtime coordinator of the National Paddling Film Festival Dave

Last Friday the Washington Department of Ecology issued the required Water Quality Certification Order for removal of Elwha Dam and Glines Canyon Dam on the Elwha River. The project will restore the Elwha River Ecosystem and native anadromous fisheries by removing two outdated dams that have blocked fish passage for nearly a century. In the process a free-flowing river, one of Olympic National Park’s most spectacular rivers, will be reborn. Certification is a key step in the process to begin

AW and Save Our Wild Salmon will be in Madison, WI for Canoecopia, the world’s largest paddlesport exposition (March 9-11). We will once again be joining our friends from Patagonia who have graciously offered to host us. Stop by Patagonia’s booth to learn more about AW’s projects in the Midwest and one of our key national campaigns to restore the Snake and Salmon Rivers through the coalition Save Our Wild Salmon. AW be presenting the Midwest Stewardship Roundtable. It will

Kayaker’s, Rafter’s and Canoeists wanted for the St. Patrick’s Day Opening, for a lack of another name for this informal un-sponsored event, of the Lower Cispus take-out on March 17th. The plan is to leave the Mt. Adams Café in Randle, Washington (located at Highway 12 milepost 115) at 11:00 am sharp! For those unfamiliar with the area, we will caravan to the put-in at Twin Cedars about one mile above the Iron Creek Campground and shuttle vehicles to the

The 24th Annual National Paddling Film Festival happens February 23rd and 24th in Lexington, KY.  Two nights of paddling films, live music, a Silent Auction, and more, with Guest Host John Grace of Lunch Video Magazine.  Details can be found at www.surfbwa.org/npff.