Articles

 2ND ANNUAL HEFF-FEST ON THE NOLICHUCKY RIVER  Saturday, May 20th, Noon –10:30  WHO  Attention all paddlers, outdoor enthusiasts, music lovers and anyone who likes to have a good time.  WHAT The Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts (APEs) invite everyone to come out to the banks of the beautiful Nolichucky River to celebrate a festival in memory of good friend and fellow paddler John Heffernan.  WHERE           The festival will be held at Riverpark Campground near Erwin, TN and will run from noon until

Have you experienced the Cheoah yet?After 77 years of dam-induced dryness, theCheoahRiver , located nearRobinsville, N.C. , flowed on Saturday, September 17, 2005. About 1,500 CFS of water surged down a stretch of the Cheoah, carrying hundreds of boaters who came from all over the Southeast to experience this historic run. 2006 will bring the first full season of releases to theCheoahRiver with 18 releases spanning the spring and fall months.     TheCheoahRiver is soon to be a southeastern classic

On March 8th, 2006 a letter signed by American Whitewater and 17 other groups was sent to congressional representatives advocating for full funding of the National Streamgaging System.  The diverse group of signatories was made up of organizations representing environmentalists, boaters, anglers, hydrologists, geologists, biologists, river managers, and dam safety specialists.  Together, we requested that the USGS’s Cooperative Water Program and the National Streamflow Information Program  be fully funded.  The budget, as currently drafted, would leave the programs underfunded for the second year in a row.  American

This year’s (2006) release at the Schaghticoke Development of the Hoosic River Project is tentatively scheduled for April 19th. Erie is currently shooting for a flow of 1,200 cfs in the Schaghticoke bypass reach on Wednesday, April 19th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The release is contingent on weather and river conditions and will be postponed for 7 calendar days (to the following Wednesday) if necessary. For now please mark your calendars for the 19th, and, as the release date gets

Next week AW Stewardship staff will be in Portland, OR for meetings of the Hydropower Reform Coalition. We would like to take the opportunity to update the local community on issues relevant to paddlers in the Pacific Northwest along with several national policy issues we are tracking. Mostly though we just want to come out and meet the community and learn more about issues of interest to local boaters. AW’s full stewardship team will be there including National Stewardship Director

American Whitewater mourns the loss of longtime river advocate and American Whitewater supporter Daniel DeLaVergne. Daniel is most well known for his joint role in founding Lunch Video Magazine and had become an international leader in whitewater cinematography. Daniel’s enthusiasm, can do attitude and devotion will be missed by all of us at American Whitewater. Daniel was a proud member, supporter, and friend. Daniel’s young life was tragically brought to a premature end this morning after being struck by a

American Whitewater mourns the loss of longtime river advocate and American Whitewater supporter Daniel DeLaVergne. Daniel is most well known for his joint role in founding Lunch Video Magazine and had become an international leader in whitewater cinematography. Daniel’s enthusiasm, can do attitude and devotion will be missed by all of us at American Whitewater. Daniel was a proud member, supporter, and friend. Daniel’s young life was tragically brought to a premature end this morning after being struck by a

Just like your favorite public radio station, it is time for AW to ask for your financial help.  Our Spring Appeal is online and will be in mail boxes soon.  Please look it over carefully as it is chock full of great information.  We are excited to be able to report all of this activity to you! To read the appeal online, click on Join/Donate on our main menu bar above.  This is a pdf file and will require Adobe

Please copy and paste this link to your browser to read our monthly e-news, AW Beta, if you don’t already! http://view.exacttarget.com/?ffcb10-fe921070756d037a77-fdfe16777461057c72157370-fef515767d6300 Sorry to all Allman Brothers fans for the typo!

Charlene has been an integral part of the American Whitewater Chattooga Defense Team, with AW Board Member, Don Kinser and led by National Stewardship Director, Kevin Colburn. In 2004 American Whitewater appealed the revised forest plan for Sumter National Forest (SNF) which renewed the 30 year old ban because there was no basis for the ban in USFS record, law, literature, or legislation. The Chief of the USFS agreed the record was “deficient in substantiating the need to continue the

SPRING FOR THE RIVER! A NIGHT OF MUSIC, SILENT AUCTION BARGAINS AND CAJUN FOOD TO BENEFIT THE LYONS RIVER PROJECTJoin the Town of Lyons at Oskar Blues on Sunday, March 19TH for a fundraising party to help build a world-class whitewater feature on the St. Vrain River. The extravaganza will include a Cajun buffet, bluegrass music by Whitewater Ramble and a huge silent auction. The new whitewater feature will be a keystone for a new town park, which will be

WHAT: Each year, Western Carolina University (WCU) teams up with the local community to help beautify an icon of Western North Carolina, the Tuckaseegee River. Last year, over 900 people volunteered to pick up trash along the river’s banks and islands.WHEN: This year’s cleanup is on Earth Day, Saturday April 22nd. Participants will meet at the UC lawn at 11am.WHAT TO BRING: Remember to come with a full stomach, hydrated and energized for the day of fun! You will be

A bill is expected to be introduced in the Colorado State Senate sometime next week that would radically diminish the ability of Colorado towns to secure water rights for whitewater parks – unless it is amended.  The bill is titled SB37, has already made it out of committee, and is sponsored by Senator Isgar.     Water-based recreation and tourism, such as rafting and kayaking, contribute significantly to Colorado’s economy and quality of life by bringing additional dollars to communities across Colorado

The National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program Needs Your Help   Rivers and Trails Coalition Strongly Opposes President’s Plan to Cut $500,000 from RTCA Program in 2007 Budget Proposal.   The Rivers and Trails Coalition, of which American Whitewater is a member,  not only opposes this proposed cut, but calls for a program budget increase, requesting an appropriation of $10.3 million for RTCA in fiscal year 2007.   The RTCA program is a technical assistance program of

American Whitewater is going to be at NPFF this weekend and is hosting a membership drive. In addition to the great entertainment at the film festival Mark Singleton AW’s executive director and Sutton Bacon AW president will be on hand to answer your questions about what AW is working on right now? Once Mark and Sutton enlighten you on what’s happening at AW, Ben VanCamp AW’s outreach director will be there with membership goodies for anyone that joins or renew’s

Calling all Boaters!     AW has a new goal for 2006: More clean-ups on whitewater rivers than ever before, with a special focus on rivers near and dear to AW’s river stewardship efforts.  To accomplish this goal we are partnering with the National River Cleanup Week® program to offer awesome incentives for participation.  We will be publishing the winner of the photo contest in our AW Journal, and will otherwise seek to grant participants fame.   For the first time, NRCW program will

FERC staff have scheduled two FERC scoping meetings next week to identify issues, concerns, and opportunities associated with the relicensing of the Jackson Hydroelectric Project on the Sultan River (P-2157). The two meetings are scheduled as follows: Evening Scoping Meeting Date and Time: Monday, February 27, 2006, 7:00 PM (PST) Location: PUD Electric Building Headquarters, 2320 California Street, Everett, Washington (map) Daytime Scoping Meeting Date and Time: Tuesday, February 28, 2006, 10:00 AM (PST) Location: Washington State Department of Ecology,

On February 17th, The Army Corps of Engineers announced its plans for operation of their dam that regulates the Lehigh River, for the 2006 recreation season.  The plan includes increasing storage in the reservoir to enhance their ability to provide both base flows and whitewater releases.  The plan calls for scheduled recreational releases every other weekend ffrom mid-May through September, with the possiblity of additional releases in October.  These enhancements are the result of a long process that lead the ACOE to

The West Virginia Wildwater Association (WVWA) is asking private boaters and paddling clubs using the New River to provide comments on the new General Management Plan (GMP). The GMP will guide development of the New River Gorge National River for the next 15 to 20 years. The park service is requesting public input; non-commerical boaters need to stress the value of activities by private individuals and groups. The initial comment period ends March 15, 2006. Your comments should focus on

Whitewater paddling is often a positive promotion of river conservation.  In the case of Twelvemile River, it can also be said that river conservation is a positive promotion of whitewater paddling.  In this case of PCB remediation, the restoration solution was to allow a natural flow of sediment down Twelvemile River to bury the PCBs in Lake Hartwell, insulating them from the ecosystem.  Three dams in the last two miles of naturally flowing river before the lake have prevented the