Articles

On January 25th, after 5 years of intense negotiations between AW and other stakeholders, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a new 40 year license for the dam on North Carolina’s Cheoah River and 3 dams on the Little Tennessee River.  The new license will protect and restore the beautiful and diverse natural resources of the area, and will provide world class paddling opportunities on the 9 mile long class IV Cheoah River.  While subject to appeal, the license is

Come to the 22nd National Paddling Film Festival, February 26, noon until 1 am at the Lexington Convention Center, Lexington, KY.   The 2005 National Paddling Film Festival is running at high water.  No eddying out at this year’s competition with continuous action from the likes of Eric Link with Twitch V, featuring Tao Berman, Josh Bechtel, Eric Seymour and Ben Stookesberry on rivers from Alaska to Argentina.  And Olaf Obsommer’s Sickline 3 which takes us to Italy, Norway and New

The Membership Appreciation Tour2005= Year 2: Bigger and Better As part of American Whitewater’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2004 AW set out on a mission to thank members at a variety of events throughout the country.  The program was so successful and we had such a blast interacting with all of our members we brought it back for another round.The membership appreciation tour hit the gym over the winter, some steroids were involved, and it is now jacked up.  So what

American Whitewater’s success restoring rivers largely rests on our network of dedicated volunteers working with staff on local river issues.  This month we want to celebrate Charlie Vincent’s contributions to the paddling community.  Charlie is a dedicated volunteer working altruistically for the paddling community on restoration of the Bear River in Southeast Idaho.  Advocating to restore whitewater flows in the arid landscape of Southeast Idaho with it’s plethora of irrigation ditches does not make you the popular person in meetings. 

It’s been a long process but this week the Squamish Lilloett Regional District (SLRD) Board issued their decision and denied the re-zoning request required for construction of the proposed Ashlu Hydroelectric Project. This decision followed a long series of public meetings and emotional testimony. In reaching their decision, the SLRD Board recognized the numerous concerns put forward by those who expressed opposition to the project, noting that the project did not fit with the SLRD’s own policies on these projects,

        There is a budding movement to protect Georgia’s Etowah and Amicalola rivers by having them designated under the state’s Wild and Scenic River legislation.  A committee of local citizens called the Etowah Scenic River Committee has been formed to champion the designation.  Specifically, the goal of the Committee’s current proposal is to protect 6.8 miles of the Etowah and 14.4 miles of one of its major tributaries, the Amicalola.  These particular river reaches are on land owned by the

Announcing Creeking Clinics from the author of North Carolina Rivers and Creeks, Leland Davis. If you mention AW when signing up for a class, AW receives $10!Proper creekboating technique can make the difference between flopping down the river and styling your lines. In these two day clinics — taught by world-class creekboater and author of North Carolina Rivers and Creeks, Leland Davis — you will begin with detailed instruction on proper line selection and visualization. You will then go over

New vehicle donation guidleines go into effect in 2005. Consider making a donation of your used car or truck before the end of 2004 to ensure maximum value to you when file your 2004 taxes. You can make a vehicle donation to AW by visiting our donation page at http://www.americanwhitewater.org/participate.phtml and selecting “Vehicle Donations”.  American Whitewater has partnered with V-DAC, which is a free, convenient service for converting that extra car, truck, or RV into a tax deductable donation benefiting American Whitewater Affiliation.

American Whitewater is happy to report that New York area paddlers got a very special Christmas gift this year – two days early.  The Ausable River is one of AW’s 2004 Top River Issues because a dam owner on the river has been actively seeking to deny public access to the whitewater river downstream of their dam.  On December 23rd, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission dealt the power company a lump of coal, a denial of their attempts to exclude paddlers

American Whitewater worked with Duke Power and other Stakeholders to provide realtime flow information for the Nantahala River through a multi-year dam relicensing process.  AW was interested in gaining better flow information on the Cascades and Upper Nantahala sections, around which the Nantahala River is bypassed through a large tunnel.  While the Nantahala’s main flow is bypassed, Whiteoak Creek and other tributaries regularly provide boatable flows in the reach after significant rains.  The gage is now online at:  http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nc/nwis/uv/?site_no=03505550&agency_cd=USGSThe gage

The Citizen’s Agenda For Rivers was developed as a policy platform for river conservation, and can be found at: (http://www.healthyrivers.org/read.html).  The agenda is a blueprint for action for federal and state decision makers and outlines some 30 state and federal actions that can be taken to protect water quality, ensure enough water for people and rivers, and protect watersheds by managing the effects of sprawl.  The document has been written to remind our elected and appointed officials that rivers and streams matter

By now you’ve probably heard a lot of things about the alternatives listed in the Grand Canyon Management Plan, which were good, bad, or downright incendiary. The surprising truth is that the Grand Canyon Management Plan (http://www.nps.gov/grca/crmp/index.htm) is actually a really good start with some really strong ideas that are worth pursuing.  All of the alternatives are improvements over the status quo, and the Park has come out with a solid proposal that gives a little something for everybody.   American Whitewater

The state of North Carolina recently filed their water quality permit for the dams controlling the Cheaoh River and the Little Tennessee rivers.  The permit closely mirrors the settlement agreement for the relicensing of those dams, however does not include controversial language from the settlement agreement that would require the public to pay the power company for recreational releases.   The permit (like the settlement agreement) requires the power company (Tapoco) to provide 15-18 annual boatable releases on a five year rotating

The U.S. Forest Service is currently revising the forest plans for the Wenatchee, Okanogan, and Colville National Forests in eastern Washington (Forest Plan Revision Website). These plans will determine how the forests are managed for the next 10-15 years. Comments are currently being collected, and are due on December 15th, 2004, for use in the development of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement that is scheduled for release in June 2005. While the Forest Service is accepting comments to be used

Kokatat is offering a limited edition Kokatat Meridian Dry Suit with the American Whitewater logo and Kokatat will donate 100% of each sale to AW.  This GORE-TEX suit incorporates an adjustable overskirt with neoprene waistband that keeps water out of your boat while river running, hole-playing, or during extended surf sessions.  The Meridian Dry Suit also features additions such as GORE-TEX socks and a relief zipper that make it comfortable to wear for an hour or all day long. Just in time

North Carolina Rivers & CreeksBy Leland DavisGraphic Arts by Colorado Rivers & Creeks Author Gordon BanksComing Spring 2005, NCRC will contain information on 101 runs and playspots from 9 regions, with OVER 200 COLOR PHOTOS! It will be an 8×10 inch sturdily bound book with a heavy duty cover and color glossy pages. Each region will have detailed scale maps, and each run will have:• Beta Block – easy to find info on class, length, gradient, drainage area, put in,

Asheville, NC — American Whitewater, the nations leading advocacy group for preservation and protection of whitewater river resources, announces a 50-year online archive of American Whitewater Journals available on their web site, www.americanwhitewater.org.The archive chronicles the history of whitewater paddlesport beginning with the first publication in 1954. From homemade boats to today’s hi-tech designs, from before Glen Canyon Dam was built to the first Tallulah releases, and from backyard rain gauges to river level emails. These archives document the development

On December 7th Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Staff will visit the Nantahala River, and on December 9th will visit the West Fork of the Tuckasegee and Dillsboro Dam.  The purpose of these visits will be to tour the Duke Power facilities and the areas effected by those facilities (ie the reservoirs and rivers), and to hold public scoping meetings.  In the scoping meetings the FERC staff will listen to the public’s concerns, ideas, and opinions about these projects and their past and future management.  Paddlers who