Gore Fest is on! The classic downriver race through Gore Canyon and Upper Colorado SUP Race is scheduled for Saturday, August 27th with a freestyle rodeo on the morning of Sunday, August 28th. Racer check-in will be at Pumphouse rec area. There will be no camping reserved by the event and will be first come first serve, be sure to pay all fees to BLM. There is no reserved camping associated with Gore Fest. All racers MUST register online –
We want to see YOUR most stunning images in American Whitewater’s annual calendar! Deadline for submissions is August 19th, 2022. Use our easy form to submit high-resolution files (suitable for printing up to 10″, at least 1MB). Please limit photo entries to 10 per person. You’ll get a free copy of the calendar if your photo is chosen, you’ll know you helped support AW’s river stewardship projects, as our calendar is a fundraiser, and well, fame. Images that feature rivers
On Friday, the House of Representatives passed the country’s largest-ever bill focused on addressing climate change, the Inflation Reduction Act, and after passing in the Senate earlier this month, the legislation is headed to the President’s desk. The health of, and our ability to enjoy our rivers, have been and stand to be affected significantly by increasing wildfire, drought and rising temperatures. This bill represents a game-changing step towards significantly reducing the impacts of climate change on our fresh water
The Northeast paddling community really took me in during my short time living in the area, so it was refreshing to be back there and celebrating alongside them again at the 2022 Deerfield River Festival. And it was a great way to see some of the AW staff doing their thing! Northeast Stewardship Director Bob Nasdor and our Membership & Engagement Director Bethany Overfield managed to put on a remarkable event despite some real challenges, including with the releases we
Seattle City Light is in the process of securing a new license to operate the Skagit Hydroelectric Project before the current licensee expires in 2025. As part of that process a number of studies are underway that include an assessment of the impacts of hydropower operations on recreation. To collect information from the public, Seattle City Light is conducting an online recreation flow survey for three river segments on the Skagit River. American Whitewater, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and
The Klamath River in far northern California is currently experiencing an unprecedented crisis borne of wildfire and extreme weather that has thickened the river with mud for 155 miles, causing a massive fish kill. It is one of several wildfire-related emergencies simultaneously affecting the river, its two largest tributaries—the Salmon and the Trinity—and multiple river communities right now. Twenty whitewater runs totaling 293 miles are impacted. The Klamath is a shocking disaster scene with tens of thousands of dead fish
The Sierra and Sequoia National Forests have released final forest land management plans containing protections for 498 miles of rivers found eligible for inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Since 2013, American Whitewater has been engaged in this forest planning process with the goal of getting California’s whitewater resources included in the eligibility inventory and recognized for their outstandingly remarkable values. As a tenet of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, managing agencies like the Forest
After a 2-year hiatus, the northeast whitewater boating community will come together on August 6th at Deerfield Fest, a celebration of nearly 40 years of whitewater boating on the Deerfield River in Massachusetts. This year’s festival will be held at Berkshire East Mountain on August 6th and features paddling outfitters and industry partners, music by Lake Side Drive, AW’s Silent Auction, food and refreshments. Deerfield Fest commemorates the historic 1994 Settlement Agreement that requires scheduled boating releases on the Fife
For over a decade, American Whitewater has worked with a diverse and collaborative group to find consensus on how to provide durable protections to the outstandingly remarkable values of the Dolores River while honoring local concerns around the protection of existing water and land uses. Years ago, the group identified a federally designated National Conservation Area as the best means to preserve the Dolores River Canyons, its recreation, wildlife, and scenery. Yesterday, Colorado’s senior senator, Michael Bennet, introduced that legislation.
In October 2021 Governor Jay Inslee and Senator Patty Murray announced a joint federal-state process to determine whether there are reasonable means for replacing the services and benefits provided by the four lower Snake River dams (LSRD), sufficient to support dam breaching as part of a salmon recovery strategy for the Snake River and the Pacific Northwest. The Governor’s Office hired a Consultant Team to support the process, review existing studies, and engage with tribal sovereigns, stakeholders, advisors, and
Writer and raft guide, Krystal Marie Collins (K.M. Collins) is our American Whitewater June Volunteer of the Month. Covering everything outdoors and a spectrum of journalism, she operates her content and marketing company, Guerrilla Media Bend, from Central Oregon. Between whitewater paddle boarding, kayaking and rafting, she’s a jack of all water trades. Roller skating, snowboarding and cycling rank among her favorite land-based activities. Sunstones, petroglyphs, obsidian, wildflower identification and cooking in a Dutch oven all make her smile.
American Whitewater’s database of whitewater accidents and fatalities, maintained since 1972, documents that 10% of river fatalities nationwide are a result of individuals getting caught in a low head dam hydraulic. These dams are generally defined as a manmade structure, up to about 25 feet in height, built across a river or stream channel from bank to bank. Powerful hydraulics and hard to see horizon lines create a dangerous hazard. Most paddlers have had a run in with a low
The U.S. Department of the Interior has issued Bureau of Land Management (BLM) negotiated 4(e) conditions that ensure vital improvements at Ward’s Ferry Bridge, the take-out for the iconic Merals Pool run on the Wild & Scenic Tuolumne River. During the hydropower relicensing process, Section 4(e) of the Federal Powers Act allows mandatory federal agency conditions necessary for the protection and use of BLM land. The boundary for Don Pedro Hydropower Project, owned by Modesto & Turlock Irrigation Districts (Districts),
On June 14, Colorado’s Water Quality Control Commission voted 7-1 to protect 520 miles on 25 streams across Southwest Colorado, adopting the first proposal of its kind. American Whitewater and our partners that make up the Southwest Colorado Outstanding Waters Coalition have been hard at work over the past three years to prove that these high quality rivers and creeks deserve protection. Our proposal included beloved paddling segments like the headwaters of the Taylor River, Escalante Creek, Lime Creek, and
In a case before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, American Whitewater and our allies prevailed to uphold the Clean Water Act in protection of the Tuolumne River. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act which requires that any utility applying for a hydropower license that may discharge pollutants into waters of the United States must receive state certification ensuring the project complies with all state standards for beneficial use,
The May/June AW Journal is hot off the press! Check out the digital copy here. In this issue we focus on Executive Director Mark Singleton’s legacy as he transitions away from AW. A few other highlights include: Access areas in California that were recently reestablished after significant action from our community An inspiring plan for a 1000+ mile journey tracing the Salmon River from its source to the sea First descent account from the Upper Little North Santiam in Oregon
On June 8, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on two Wild and Scenic River bills that would permanently protect over 830 river miles in New Mexico and Montana. This hearing was a critical milestone for these bills and moves them closer to the President’s Desk and being signed into law. American Whitewater and our partners worked hard to secure the hearing and we are thrilled to celebrate this win with our members and
After conducting a nationwide search and interviewing several highly qualified candidates, American Whitewater announced today that Clinton Begley will be its new Executive Director. The Team at American Whitewater, including our Board of Directors and Staff, were recently able to meet the finalists for the position, including Begley, and there was unanimous support for his selection. Clinton has a passion for whitewater paddling and river stewardship, and has a long history of support and involvement with American Whitewater. He
On Tuesday, June 7, Kevin Colburn, American Whitewater’s National Stewardship Director, participated in a roundtable hosted jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Cahaba Brewing Co. on the importance of clean water protections in the Southeast. He joined stakeholders from a broad spectrum of land and water users who live or work in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee, including a director of a water and sewer utility; general
This past Saturday, June 4, was the first of four negotiated Saturday releases that will occur annually between May-July for the Scrambled Eggs section of the Weber River (UT), a 1.8-mile roadside run south of the cty of Ogden. The release day was well attended and critically restored river flows to a region severely impacted by dams and diversions. American Whitewater has spent the past seven years working towards these releases and we hope paddlers enjoy them this year and
Recreational flow releases have been scheduled on the Scrambled Eggs Section of the Weber River for June 4, June 18, July 2, and July 9 of this year, subject to change if unexpected conditions occur. These are the first releases of their kind on this reach, following years of negotiations and studies that led to the issuance of a new 40-year federal license for the hydropower project. Flows will unfortunately be lower volume than expected this year. American Whitewater advocated
