Articles

Project Background In May 1997, Niagara of Wisconsin Paper Corporation received a new license (Project No. 2536-009) for the continued operation of the 9.1-megawatt (MW) Little Quinnesec Falls Project on the Menominee River. Operation of this project affects whitewater recreation directly downstream of the dam on the Pier’s Gorge section of the Menominee River which is a dependable class III/IV playboating run through much of the year. It has been the site of the Hoofer Outing Club’s Whitewater Rodeo. The

SENATORS MURRAY AND CANTWELL DELIVER FOR WASHINGTON ON WILDERNESS As legislative activities drew to a close for 2003, the 106,000 acre Wild Sky Wilderness legislation was approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate. Senators Murray and Cantwell worked hard to make sure that the full Senate considered the Wild Sky Wilderness bill before adjourning for the holiday recess. Washington Wilderness Coalition praised the two Senators for their effective leadership and tenacious efforts to ensure that this important conservation measure for Washington becomes

December 18, 2003 Contacts:       Steve Wald, CHRC   510-644-2900 ext. 105,  Chuck Bonham, Trout Unlimited   510-528-4164 John Gangemi, American Whitewater   406-837-3155CPUC Approves PG&E Bankruptcy Settlement Protects 140,000 Acres of Watershed Land BERKELEY, CA -The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a plan today that allows Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to exit bankruptcy.  The plan contains an unprecedented commitment to protect 140,000 acres of the utility’s watershed lands, primarily located in California’s Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountains.  This historic measure ensures

Over the past few months we have asked paddlers to write to the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to protest Bush Administration attempts to weaken the Clean Water Act. We are happy to announce that our letters hit their mark, and the proposed rule change that would have weakened the Clean Water Act will not be carried forward by the EPA. In short, WE WON. According to a statement from the EPA: “After soliciting public comment to determine

Thank you for your support through out the year! American Whitewater has seen a sharp increase in the number of products order in the last few weeks.  For those of you doing last minute shopping, in order to ensure delivery by Christmas, we need to you place your order by Friday, the 19th, and request 2 day delivery in the comment area.

On Sunday December 7, 2003 the Georgia Canoeing Association (GCA) Board of Directors voted unanimously and pledged their support, including financial support, should American Whitewater (AW) be forced to appeal a USFS decision that maintains the closure of the Chattooga Headwaters in the new Sumter Forest Management Plan. The final decision on the new forest plan is expected sometime in January 2004. The release of the new Forest Plan and the final environmental impact statement culminates a nearly 8 year

  The owner of a currently-closed chemicals plant designed to produce sulfuric acid and other sulfur based chemicals has applied for a permit to release 60-100 tons of chemical by-products in to the environment per year. This step has lead many local residents, paddlers, and regional environmental organizations to believe that the plant will soon be reopened. The Tennessee Department of the Environment and Conservation (TDEC) are hosting a hearing on December 18th in Ducktown, Tennessee to hear public comments

On December 11th, 2003, the National Park Service will hold the second of four public meetings to discuss the Development Concept Plan for the Gauley River National Recreation Area. Paddlers who attended the first meeting, on September 23rd, found the meeting to be a valuable forum for sharing ideas and concerns with the National Park Service. American Whitewater was represented at that meeting by Eastern Conservation and Access Director Kevin Colburn and Board Member Charlie Walbridge. American Whitewater would strongly

Grand Canyon National Park News Release For Immediate ReleaseDecember 9, 2003Dawn O’Sickey Hold Placed on Adding Names to Noncommercial River Permit Waitlist Grand Canyon, AZ – Grand Canyon National Park is placing a hold on adding new members to the noncommercial river permit waitlist.  As part of the current Colorado River Management Plan (CRMP) planning effort, park staff and planners are carefully examining and considering alternatives to the current waitlist permit system.  An overwhelming majority of public comments stated the opinion that the

On November 19th, 2003, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice of surrender of preliminary permits for hydro projects in the Western Cascades that were held by Washington Hydro Energy Development Corporation. One of these permits was for development of a hydro project on Skookum Creek (FERC docket 11850-003), a newly discovered creek run in the Nooksack watershed. Although we have had several victories with micro-hydro over the past year (see related article), the threat to the region’s

“But even for those who had somehow succeeded in getting to the high ground in time, even for those who were uninjured or were lucky enough to have a roof to sleep under, there was the indescribable agony of remembering what they had seen, and not knowing what had become of others. No one really knew for sure the extent of what had happened, but they knew it had been terrible beyond belief, and if the whereabouts of someone was

  How does paddling past a pipe gushing untreated sewage into the river sound to you? If this sounds less than ideal, you need to take a minute to send a comment to the EPA. Yes, the current administration is proposing to do it again, to make the environmental regulations that protect our environment and our health even weaker. The EPA has recently proposed a new policy that would allow partially treated sewage to be released directly into rivers during

On December 3rd, 2003 President Bush announced the passing of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, also known as the Healthy Forest Initiative. This controversial piece of legislation is intended to reduce the impact of wildfires but critics say it will do little to alleviate wildfires and will instead increase industrial logging of old growth and other sensitive areas. Specifically according to CNN, "The measure authorizes $760 million a year for thinning projects on 20 million acres of federal land, a

In a meeting today with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Agency officials asked me to approach American Whitewater’s membership and affiliates and ask for help.  The BLM would like your assistance in managing recreation. Specifically, the Agency would like us to compile answers to the following questions. We will share these answers with the Agency at the BLM ‘s National Recreation Forum in January 2004.QUESTION 1: What are your current views of CURRENT CONDITIONS regarding…Recreation Policy Recreation Uses Recreation Conflicts