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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

Wow, what a festival! With not much water elsewhere in the country, thousands of paddlers flocked to the mountains of West Virginia to enjoy the fall releases on the famed Gauley River.  Greeting these paddlers to the river were warm days full of rain and cool nights also full of rain, making the festival site a muddy mess that just added to the fun.  The highlight of the event is the American Whitewater membership drive where six kayaks were raffled

A bill is currently in the Senate that would designate 384 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, and 517,000 acres of Wilderness in southwestern Idaho.  The primary watersheds potentially receiving protection are the Owyhee, Bruneau, and Jarbridge – all classic whitewater rivers.  On September 21st, American Whitewater faxed a letter of support to Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Larry Craig in support of the bill. How does such a landmark conservation effort happen in Idaho?:  years of hard work, vision,

On September 20th, Federal Judge Elizabeth Laporte of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco reinstated a ban on road construction in existing inventoried roadless areas. The decision overturned a Bush administration rule that eliminated mandatory federal protection of roadless areas and instead instituted a voluntary state petition process of protection.  This less protective rule, which had only a brief and underpublicized public comment period, virtually eliminated the protections instituted in 2001 as the Roadless Area Conservation Rule which had been based on the largest public comment

Trout Unlimited and Western Resource Advocates recently won a court victory overthrowing an agreement between the US Department of Interior and the state of Colorado.  The agreement would have allowed all flows over 300 cfs removed from the river for various out of channel uses.  The judge found the agreement to be arbitrary, capricious, nonsensical, an abuse of discretion, and illegal. TU effectively argued that rivers need a complex and variable flow regime in order to function naturally, and thus

The USFS upon the recommendation of their amphibian biologist has canceled the two remaining Saturday Cresta releases for September and October of the 2006 season. The Sunday releases on Rock Creek will occur as usual.  AW will continue to work with the USFS and the other members of the Rock Creek/ Cresta Ecological Resources Committee to develop better studies to determine what impacts, if any, are occurring to tadpoles during the recreational releases.  We will also be working to find

On August 29th, 2006 US District Judge Robert G. James ruled that the public does not have a federal common law right to fish or hunt above the low water mark on a navigable body of water. He further ruled that it would be criminal trespass for the public to use the flooded side channels of the Mississippi River for the purposes of hunting and fishing.  The judge stopped short however of ruling that recreational paddling is illegal. In a previous

               American Whitewater will be hosting a meeting later this fall of various Colorado groups and individuals working on issues that affect whitewater rivers and their enjoyment.  The goal of this meeting will be to work with groups already active in Colorado to develop a common vision for improving the public’s rights to enjoy whitewater rivers and for protecting those rivers from environmental impacts.  Together we hope to explore ways that American Whitewater can enhance and contribute to the collective

American Whitewater’s silent auction is a highlight for many attending the Gauley River Festival. Jeff Snyder has donated this wood lamp for a minimum bid of $300. Other silent auction items are donated by AW corporate partners and supporters. Each year festival attendees get great deals on boating equipment, camping gear, and much more. At Gauley Fest stop at the silent auction tent and check out great deals on whitewater and other products. The auction takes place Saturday night, September

The Upper Yough River in Western Maryland will be releasing the entire week of Gauleyfest, September 18-22.  On Wednesday of that week, September 20th, the 4th Annual Mass Start Grand National Rapid Cross Race is being held.  Registration is at the Precision Rafting Headquarters from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon and race to start at 2:30.  The race will be from Gap falls to Double Pencil Sharpener and is a mass start. A large group of paddlers are working with Brookfield

Last year, 2005, represented a time of high change within American Whitewater.  We relocated offices, streamlined staff, implemented new financial reporting procedures, focused on river stewardship, and remade the business model.  All of these changes took place to make the organization sustainable over the long-term. Our focus on regional river stewardship has been very well received.  The AW organizational chart is vastly simplified from earlier incarnations and supports our core mission to conserve America’s whitewater rivers and enhance opportunities to

For over a decade whitewater boaters have been looking to FERC to actively enforce license requirements to provide public access to the Cispus River. In issuing the license to Lewis County PUD for construction of the Cowlitz Falls Hydroelectric Project in 1986, FERC stated, “The licensee shall, after consultation with the Friends of the Whitewater, construct a boat ramp take-out facility at the head of the reservoir on the Cispus River so that boating use of the river will not