Articles

Congratulations AW Volunteer of the Month for March: CARRIE KELLER Long-time whitewater enthusiast Carrie Keller stepped up to the plate in a big way this past October.  She enthusiastically agreed to help AW host the Paddler’s Art Gallery at AW’s 50th Anniversary Gala in Vail, Co on June 5th.  Over the past six months, she has spent countless hours researching and inviting esteemed river artists to join AW in Vail and to donate a piece of their artwork to be auctioned

Paddlers Celebrate Role as Potomac River Loyal StewardsCabin John, MD and Great Falls, VA – It is common to see paddlers on the Potomac River from one of the overlooks in Great Falls Park (VA) or the C&O Canal National Historical Park (MD), two popular National Park areas near Washington, D.C. What may not be obvious is that these recreational boaters consider themselves stewardship partners of both the land managers and the local safety/rescue organizations for the Potomac’s Mather Gorge,

The watery women of Lotus Designs will be hostessing this gathering of the girls at the Reno River Festival as a gift to the good folks of American Whitewater.  Any women AW member, who is comfortable rolling and paddling in Class II – III water, is encouraged to sign up for tips, tricks, and take-out party.  Registration is free to Members of American Whitewater!Donations to American Whitewater are greatly appreciated to help keep up their work of protecting and restoring whitewater

If you have been trying to contact any of the American Whitewater offices since Tuesday at 9:00am via email, please accept our apologies.  Our email provider has been dealing with a catastrophic failure which has affected AW’s ability to send and receive email.  Please feel free to call us at any our respective offices otherwise we will get back to you as soon as our service is back online.Staff Directory

Throughout the 2004 season AW is thanking each of its members for being part of our first fifty years of success.  All AW members should stop by the AW booth so we can thank you for your support and enter the free AW raffle.   Any expired members from West Virginia should come by the AW booth to renew their membership with AW.  Here are some interesting AW membership statistics for West Virginia, last year at this time there was 149

Thank you for your patience as we have been updating our online shop page as well as changing our fulfilment house. We have replaced our blue hoodie with 2 new colors and a new logo. Now the hoodies are available in sand and red. We have a new vintage T-shirt that reflects AW’s 50 years of commitment to conservation, access, and safety. This shirt will be available in 2 weeks. We will also be offering other exciting products from Immersion

The Seventh Annual French Broad River Festival, a benefit for American Whitewater, will take place on May 7-9, 2004 in beautiful Hot Springs, North Carolina, just 45 minutes north of Asheville, at the Hot Springs Campground and Spa.   Come spend the weekend with family and friends listening to great regional music, shopping for new outdoor gear at the Silent Auction or with one of our many vendors, and watching or participating in either the Kayak Rolling Rodeo or the French

Please donate to AW to help us protect access to America’s Wild and Scenic Rivershttp://www.americanwhitewater.org/donate/ Your help is needed now, please read on…. ·  In 1976, the United States Forest Service made the poor decision of banning boating from the headwaters of the Chattooga, one of the nation’s first Wild & Scenic Rivers. This ban was introduced without research, with a complete lack of information and understanding of whitewater ‘users’, and was supported by local ‘good old boy’ politics. ·  On January 15th 2004

The first scheduled Hoosic River Whitewater Release into the Schaghticoke Gorge will be on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 from 4:15 to 7:15 PM.  American Whitewater and Adirondack Mountain Club negotiated these releases in the relicensing process for this hydropower project with Reliant Energy.  Results from last June’s Whitewater Flow Study demonstrated that the Schaghticoke Gorge contains diverse whitewater opportunities for the boating family!  It has an impressive Class V upper section and a fun Class III lower section.  Do one

Washington’s newest kayak school Fluid Adventures kicked off the start of the spring boating season with a party at the Harmon Brewery in Tacoma. The evening began with a set by Kyle Kovalik, local guitarist and long-time supporter of AW. Brian Smith then showed his video of his recent first descent in India, and the evening closed out with tunes from local band The Dickens. Chris Totten, co-founder of Fluid Adventures, has been an enthusiastic supporter of AW’s access and

Joining American Whitewater as a guest speaker will be Wade Davis, a professional speaker for nearly twenty years has lectured at over 70 universities, numerous corporate groups and professional associations. Wade Davis is an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. Named by the Geographic as one of the “Explorers for the Millennium”, Wade Davis is an anthropologist and plant explorer who received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany from Harvard University. He has worked as a guide, park ranger, and forestry engineer. 

American Whitewater and Benscreek Canoe Club have reached an agreement with the Cambria Somerset Authority to turn on the water for this year’s Stonycreek Rendezvous.  As plans are proceeding to make structural changes to the Quemahoning Dam, which will allow regular year-round recreational releases, we asked CSA to release water directly into the Stony through existing valves on their pipeline to demonstrate what added water can do to attract boaters.  The CSA board unanimously agreed.  Unfortunately, due to a major

American Whitewater’s volunteer of the month for April, 2004 is Dag Grada. Dag resides in De Kalb, Illinois and has been active in kayak instruction for Northern Illinois University and the Chicago Whitewater Association for well over a decade. He has been active in American Whitewater’s work to gain access to the whitewater of northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan including monitoring the ongoing removal the Michigan’s Sturgeon River dam and obtaining releases on Minnesota’s St. Louis River. As one of

American Whitewater honors volunteer of the month Dag Grada. Dag resides in De Kalb, Illinois and has volunteered time as a kayak instructor for Northern Illinois University for well over a decade. Dag also volunteers on behalf of American Whitewater’s efforts to gain access to the whitewater of northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan including monitoring the ongoing removal of Michigan‘s Sturgeon River dam and obtaining releases on Minnesota‘s St. Louis River. As American Whitewater’s original streamkeeper for the northern Midwest, Dag has been exploring

Each year at the AW Gauley Festival many memories are created, old friends are reunited, new friendships are forged, and many t-shirts are sold.  At the end of the weekend most people have many memories to take home with them, few may not be able to remember anything at all, but one memento each person can take home with them is the official American Whitewater Gauley Festival T-shirt.  Now is your opportunity to see your creative work on the backs

PUBLIC COMMENTS NEEDED FOR NEW EIS & DAM DECOMMISSIONINGDeadline: Friday, April, 2, 2004The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is proposing modifications to Glen Canyon Dam as part of its failing effort to halt the extinction of endangered fish in Grand Canyon National Park caused by the dam’s four decades of operation. Four native fish species have already been lost, and a fifth is eminent–the humpback chub. The BOR is attempting to fast-track a cursory environmental assessment of this proposal, and avoid

BELLINGHAM, WA—Yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released its decision affirming federal jurisdiction for a hydropower project on Nooksack Falls, located on the North Fork Nooksack River in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Forest.  Conservation groups hailed the order, which would bring greater protections for the river, dependent fish and wildlife, and recreation. “The truth is, no one knows what the impacts are,” said Seth Cool, Conservation Associate for the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance.  “We know there are listed endangered species in the area. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 25, 2004Contact: Kevin LewisAW Board President, klewis@snowcrest.net  RISA SHIMODA ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION FROM AMERICAN WHITEWATER Risa Shimoda has announced her resignation as Executive Director of American Whitewater. She will work closely with the organization during this transition period while the board searches for her successor. In the interim, AW National Policy Director Jason Robertson will serve as acting Executive Director. Risa has a long history of involvement with American Whitewater as a volunteer, and while she pursues other

Comments are needed on new San Joaquin River Dam proposals.   The Bureau of Reclamation is conducting preliminary environmental impact studies on a wide range of possible new storage reservoirs on the San Joaquin River and on several offsite locations.  For the full feasability study and latest updates see:  http://www.usbr.gov/mp/sccao/storage/index.html     The largest option on the San Joaquin river is being promoted by irrigation interests and by congressmen Devin Nunes and George Radanovich. This proposal is for an 840′

The Twin Lakes Canal Company applied for a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build a new dam down-stream from the existing Oneida Narrows dam on the Bear River.  The canal company plans to construct a seven-megawatt hydropower facility and create a 200-acre reservoir that backs up to the existing dam.  This proposed project would inundate the existing whitewater resources in the Oneida Narrows not to mention cause irreparable ecological impacts.  In 2002 American Whitewater reached a

On March 3, 2004 American Whitewater submitted testimony to Senator Larry Craig’s Subcommittee on Forests and Public Land Management in regard to the Outfitter Policy Act (S.1420). The latest version of the bill is interesting because it includes two important sections that clarify the effects of the bill on public rights of access to Forest Service and BLM lands.When AW learned of the hearing, AW Board Member Adam Cramer and National Policy Director Jason Robertson contacted the comittee and submitted written testimony

Your help is needed now, please read on…. Sadly, the recently released Record of Decision, final environmental impact statement and new Sumter Forest Plan did not incorporate American Whitewater’s comments submitted in early July 2003.  The Record of Decision (ROD) is a plan that will govern how the National Forests bordering the Chattooga River will be managed for the next 10-15 years!  Importantly, the ROD also determines whether boaters will be able to float the headwaters section of the Chattooga River