Articles

American Whitewater is proud to announce that we will be creating a new position focused on river stewardship in Colorado.  This move marks the next step in AW’s regional stewardship model, in which regionally based staff assist the paddling community with local river conservation and access issues.  Interested qualified people are encouraged to apply, and regional paddlers are encouraged to help us support this new position through membership and donations of financial support, volunteer assistance, and in-kind services.  The position was defined by a focus group

The Feather will be flowing from late November until the end of December.  PG&E will start spilling between 600 and 900cfs on 11/16 in the Cresta reach.  These flows are projected to continue until the 22nd of December.  ***On this Sunday only, 11/19 both Cresta units will be out of service from 0700 to 1400 for a short outage. The flows in the river in the Cresta Reach will be 2300-2900 cfs during those hours.*** .  The Cresta reach is

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has just released a new 50-year hydropower license for the Chelan Hydroelectric Project (P-637). The project is at the outlet of Lake Chelan, a 1,486-foot deep, 55-mile-long natural glacial lake, that drains into the Columbia River through the Chelan Gorge. For more than 75 years a 3.9 mile section of this gorge was dewatered for most of the year, and no permanent fish habitat existed between the dam and the powerhouse. On October 8,

The majority of American Whitewater’s project work depends on the contributions of our volunteers. With only 3 stewardship staff to cover the whole nation and over 5000 whitewater river reaches we have a lot of river miles to cover. We are lucky to have an engaged membership who takes local leadership on important projects. Bill is one of those volunteers. Over the past few years Bill demonstrated local leadership in highlighting the opportunities that could be available for improved paddling

American Whitewater is extending an open invitation to our membership and supporters for an update on Mid-Atlantic project work. Patagonia, one of our oldest industry partners, will provide space for our gathering in their Georgetown Store. We recognize that the DC paddling community and our incredible network of volunteers is important to our long history of success in the region. Now that our organization is no longer based in the DC area we find it important to come back to

American Whitewater’s first annual calendar is now available for sale. This full color calendar illustrates some of whitewater’s best imagery from today’s top photographers. This calendar is perfect for the office or home wall so you can at least look at a great river even if you can’t be on one. A big thanks to Leland Davis, Evan Joseph, Al Gregory, Boyd Ruppelt, Nikki Kelly, Willie Kern, Dave Steindorf, and Kevin Colburn for contributing photos to this year calendar. All

First three weekends in November: 4-5, 11-12, 18-19. Saturdays at 500 cfs and Sundays at 700 cfs That’s right, Tallulah season is right around the corner! Releases begin at 9:30 am and all boaters must start down the stairs by 3:00 pm to beat the flow down to the lake. You will need to sign a waiver at the top of the stairs to be permitted to paddle the river. Please continue to park across the road from the put-in

Jason Robertson, who lead American Whitewater’s river access program for seven years, was recently hired by the Bureau of Land Management to lead their Wild and Scenic Rivers program.  After leaving AW in 2005, Jason went to work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration where he represented the Agency on congressional and legislative affairs for their research, climate, and education programs.  In his new position with the BLM, Jason will oversee many river management issues across the Agency’s 262

Last week NOAA Fisheries released their Biological Opinion on the Condit Dam removal (read full document). This document represents one of the critical final steps in the dam removal process. Fishery biologists have now confirmed the conclusion that removing the dam will represent a significant benefit for salmon populations that utilize this river. Salmon will be able to further expand their range with access to high quality habitat and the cold, clean water the White Salmon River provides. NOAA concluded

American Whitewater is offering a limited edition Wiliam Nealy print T-shirt to raise funds for AW’s efforts to remove the paddling ban on the Upper Chattooga.  Funds generated from the sale of these shirts will be placed in a dedicated fund to be used exclusively for the Chattooga River project. The t-shirts are available in Men’s sizes Small – XXL for $20 in the online store.  To purchase your shirt go to the online store.

The annual Rogue River Users meeting is scheduled for November 8, 2006 between 6:00-8:00 P.M. at the Grants Pass Interagency Office. This is an opportunity for river users to meet with river managers and other stakeholders who have an interest in future management of the Rogue River. The Rogue is one of the classic multiday wilderness runs in the West and was in the first group of rivers recognized for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Meeting Agenda:

On Friday, October 6th, 2006, Senior United States District Judge William C. O’Kelley dismissed a lawsuit against the US Forest Service regarding a ban on canoeing and kayaking down the upper Chattooga River.  The plaintiffs, a group noncommercial whitewater paddling groups and individuals led by American Whitewater, are surprised and disappointed by the decision and will appeal immediately. In the dismissal the judge found that paddlers will not have adequate standing to file a lawsuit until a new final decision

American Whitewater would like to thank the hundreds of folks who volunteered to the make the festival happen. A few folks deserve some extra recognition for their efforts in coordinating all of the event’s volunteers. AW’s Volunteer for the month of September are Stacey Johnson, Gary Mitchell, Glen Tspara, John Hammond, Neal Dana, and Chris Flerek, who put in a ton of extra effort to make the event a success. Stacey Johnson- Gauley Festival wouldn’t happen without Stacey. Stacey coordinated

The Bureau of Land Management recently announced the completion of the National BLM River Database.  The database is a product of a successful partnership between American Whitewater (AW), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the River Management Society (RMS), and is now available online at http://rivers.river-management.org/. The web-enabled database contains the floatable/boatable sections of rivers and creeks for which the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has management responsibilities.  The BLM has partnered with AW and RMS to create a cost-effective and