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CITIZEN-TIMES.comU.S. Forest Service to close recreation areas earlyBy FROM STAFF REPORTSSept. 16, 2004 12:29 p.m.ASHEVILLE – The U.S. Forest Service will close all recreation areas across the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests at 3 p.m.The areas will remain closed until Hurricane Ivan passes and storm damage can be assessed. This includes all campgrounds, picnic areas, boat ramps, viewing areas, trailheads and trails. Bike trails, horse trails and off-highway vehicle trail systems will be closed as well as hiking trails.All roads

Chico Paddleheads, your California kayak, canoe and raft club, is hosting its 1st Annual Chico Paddleheads’ Film Festival on Friday, September 24th at the Pageant Theater. This event coincides with a whitewater release weekend on the North Fork Feather River. The festival will promote the release, water sport athletes and enthusiasts, local river access, and conservation issues. The Film Festival will also serve as a fund raiser for American Whitewater Association and Chico Paddleheads. Two showings, at 6 PM and 8:30 PM,  will include a mixture of extreme, rodeo,  whitewater, sea

In September of this year, King County announced an agreement to purchase development rights on the Snoqualmie Tree Farm, more than 90,000 acres of working forest once owned by Weyerhaeuser and currently owned by Hancock Timber. This represents the largest public purchase of development rights in the region, and while Hancock Timber will continue to manage the land as working forest for the time being, the North Fork Snoqualmie River corridor will remain undeveloped. This includes two whitewater runs: the

“A River Festival with a Musical Flair” Never in the history of AW’s Gauley Fest has so much effort been put into the “scheduled” entertainment.  In 2004, three bands, the IR Big Gun Show, and the Wave sport Open will grace the Fest’s stage.  Music will start at 4:00 PM and continue until the wee hours of the morning. Each of the three bands playing the Fest has a direct connection to the whitewater world.   http://www.steepcreek.comWith a name like “Steepcreek” they have

News: Proposed Hydro rules enshrines energy industry access(Washington, DC) The Interior Department is poised to hand the energy industry another favor at the expense of fish restoration, outdoor recreation, and public lands protection, conservation and recreation advocates warned today. A new departmental rule, released for public comment today, provides electric utilities exclusive rights to appeal environmental and recreational requirements at hydropower dams. This policy provides hydroelectric dam owners with direct access to upper echelons of the Interior Department – but

AW Ohiopyle Over the Falls Festival Update September 9, 2004 We got inundated with rain yesterday and the Lower Yough hit 10 feet today. Even though the rain is just about done there is little chance of the level coming down enough for us to run the Falls this weekend. Because of this we are postponing the entire Festival to our cancellation dates of October 1-3, 2004. There will be no planned activities this weekend. If you pre-registered your registration will

Whitewater Classics Fifty North American Rivers Picked by the Continent’sLeading Paddlers A Summary To select the fifty rivers featured in Whitewater Classics Fifty North American Rivers Picked by the Continent’s Leading Paddlers, author Tyler Williams asked the most influential kayakers and canoeists on the continent to each nominate a classic river. The results were as varied as the paddlers themselves, from the alpine scenery of Nancy Wiley’s Animas River, to the tropical paradise of Kent Ford’s Santa Maria. Each entry in the

THE GAULEY FESTIVAL SUPPORTS THE AW MISSION THE GAULEY FEST VOLUNTEER TEAM SUPPORTS THE FESTIVALWE CAN’T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHERAW NEEDS YOU!WANT A FUN AND EASY WAY TO BE A PART OF WHAT MAKES IT HAPPEN?IN ADDITION TO AW’S GRATITUDE, WE’LL PRESENT YOU WITH A LIMITED EDITION “VOLUNTEER’S ONLY” SHIRT The 2004 Gauley Festival is going to be the best yet. It’s a showcase for AW and the top vendors in the whitewater culture. It’s a place to catch up

Wilderness Act Turns 40: and Needs Your Help TODAY. If you enjoy clean water, forested vistas, multiday river trips, and all things wild:  today is the day you need to take 5 minutes out of your day to protect your favorite wild places. In mid July, the Bush Administration proposed to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, putting 58.5 million acres of our national forests at risk to destructive road-building, logging and drilling.  The public spoke out in unprecedented numbers (1.6 million comments,

The National Park Service announced this afternoon that it is nearing completion on the Draft Colorado River Management Plan after a one year delay. The Park’s press release is posted below.National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the InteriorGrand CanyonNational Park   PO  Box 129Grand Canyon, Arizona86023-0129   USA 928-638-7779 phone928-638-7609 faxGrand Canyon National Park News Release  DATE:  August 26, 2004                              For Immediate ReleaseMaureen Oltrogge 928-638-7779  GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK NEARING COMPLETION OF DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT TO REVISE COLORADO RIVER MANAGEMENT PLAN              The analytical work to update

The put-in for the Numbers, one of the most popular in the United States, was closed during the 1990’s after an informal agreement with the landowner was abruptly terminated. River access is often arranged through the permission of local landowners. While these arrangements are important, they don’t assure long-term access and are often not adequate on high-use runs that continue to increase in popularity. American Whitewater and Colorado White Water Association (CWWA) stepped in to find a long-term solution to

AW is proud to announce that Eric Marksz is the winner of the Jackson Kayak AW Membership Drive. For all of his hard word Eric will receive a Jackson Kayak of his choice. In total Eric raised 24 memberships for AW. Kalten Walter also participated in the program. He raised 10 memberships for AW and for his efforts he will be able to sport an AW lifejacket from Lotus Designs. AW wants to thank Jackson Kayak for helping to develop

Oregon’s Department of State Lands is seeking your comments on the draft navigability study report for the John Day.  Comments are due September 3, 2004. Your comments will be incorporated in a revised report, which will be completed in mid-October.American Whitewater has been a long-time supporter of navigability on the John Day, which is one of the state’s most popular fishing and floating runs. The study was requested by the John Day River Chapter of the Northwest Steelheaders in 1997 and

The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest recently announced a temporary ban on paddling 2.5 miles of the North Fork of the Nooksack River from the Highway 542 Bridge (at Douglas Fir Campground) to the National Forest Boundary (affecting the intermediate run from Douglas Fir Campground to Mt. Baker Highway mile 27–access to the Horseshoe Bend run upstream remains open). These closures have taken place since the 2000 paddling season and will likely continue. Each year the closure has been announced in

The Powerhouse run on the Snoqualmie River is one of the most treasured assets for whitewater paddlers in Western Washington, convenient to a population of over 2 million people. The river is less than an hour drive from downtown Seattle, making it a popular after work destination. The whitewater is class II and only a mile in length making it the region’s best beginner training site, and one where you can easily jog the shuttle. Although the run is short,

The concept of the Whitewater Symposium originated with Bruce Lessels and the Zoar Outdoor team. “We were talking about the flattening of playboat demand and what the next trend would be and how few river runners there were any more,” says Lessels. “We were also talking about how many little fiefdoms there are in whitewater and how interesting it would be to get them all together in one place exploring what they have in common.” Bruce pitched the idea to

Little River Canyon was running again this 4th of July weekend and the boaters were there in mass. New addditions to the area were “No Tresspassing” and “Private Property” signs surrounding the put-in for Johnnies Creek (an Alabama classic Class IV creek run with one awesome Class V, Gorilla Constrictor). This is a beautiful put-in with the entrance rapid being a 30′ slide to a 10′ drop into a big pool. Unfortunately, the land owner and local trustees got sick

The Deerfield River Festival was created 11 years ago to celebrate the re-licensing of the river’s many dams and to raise money for American Whitewater to continue this work on additional rivers throughout the country. If you have never experienced the Deerfield River Festival, it is well worth the trip to see why this festival does “Get better every year!”The festival fun started on Saturday morning when several paddlers joined the first ever “Dryway Scramble”. This paired paddlers’ competition, is