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The Colorado Water Conservation Board released the 2023 draft update to the Colorado Water Plan this summer. The plan is an important framework to ensure we have a vibrant future in Colorado. The original plan was finalized in 2015 and identified water based recreation as an important value. American Whitewater is working to ensure that the update builds on that plan by identifying the valuable socio-economic role recreation plays in our state and identifying actions to ensure it’s protected and

Gauley Fest is rapidly approaching! Gather with hundreds of your favorite friends in Summersville, WV from September 15th through the 18th. This is our biggest outreach event of the year and it takes a village to pull it off. We’re currently in need of volunteers, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. Get a free t-shirt for helping us out and good river karma for the rest of the year! To volunteer please check-in at festival headquarters (first cabin) by the

Dear Feather River Festival Community, We are geared up to see folks at our 2022 Annual Feather River Festival and look forward to the Slalom Race, Film Festival and Feather River Party! But we do have unfortunate news to share. We have made the difficult decision to cancel the Class V Tobin Downriver Race for the 2022 Feather River Festival due to a lack of adequate insurance coverage. The reality, as we have discovered in today’s insurance market, is the

September 1st, 2022 – The New Mexico Supreme Court issued their full written decision reaffirming the longstanding right of the public to recreate on all streams of the state, including walking or wading on the streambeds. The written opinion follows the court’s action in March, when it unanimously threw out a New Mexico State Game Commission rule that purported to allow landowners to block public access to public waters. In today’s unanimous opinion, the New Mexico Supreme Court made explicit

The South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River (ID), a kayak run popular with North Idaho and Eastern Washington boaters, is about to get some much needed love. Local community members have formed a cleanup committee, with the goals of improving recreational access, and removing large metal industrial debris from the river bed.  The River has sustained extensive streambed modifications from historic mining activity throughout its watershed, and over 100 pieces of large, historic metal debris currently line the streambed

Although a broken dam curtailed Upper Yough water releases this year, it’s been a great season for American Whitewater volunteers. On the left, Jesse Shimrock is AW’s new Upper Yough Access Manager. A lifelong resident of Garrett County, he learned to paddle here as a teen. After years on the freestyle circuit he built a house in Sang Run and is ready to look after the interests of river runners. AW has maintained the site for decades thanks to an

Dear Gore Fest Community, It is with great regret that American Whitewater must announce that the Class V Gore Race for 2022 will be canceled. After purchasing race insurance in May, on Friday, August 19, we were informed that our policyholder can no longer provide insurance for Class IV and Class V whitewater events. American Whitewater as an organization, and myself personally, are committed to and care deeply about the Gore Race which is why we prepare months in advance,

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

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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

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.