Reliant Energy reports that the Stone Valley section of New York’s Raquette River (AW id 1387) is expected to experience an increase on Saturday, August 16, from the scheduled 750 cfs to 2000 cfs. Your author has been unable to obtain reliable information on how this is likely to affect this class IV-V section but boaters are advised to exercise extreme caution as the rapids are virtually non-stop for the entire three mile length. American Whitewater thanks Tom Skutnick of
Help Stop Attacks on the Clean Water Act Several congressional representatives have taken the lead in getting the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA to withdraw damaging new jurisdiction guidelines that were issued in January and prevent the administration from going forward with rule changes that would eliminate Clean Water Act protections for tens of millions of additional acres of wetlands, lakes, ponds, and streams. Four members of the House of Representatives, Reps. Dingell (D-MI), Leach (R-IA), Oberstar (D-MN)
On Thursday, August 7th, Senator Cantwell (D-WA) will hold a press conference announcing the introduction of legislation to designate approximately 20 miles of the Upper White Salmon River in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest as part of the National Wild and Scenic River System. Maria Cantwell’s bill will be the Senate companion piece of legislation complimenting Congressman Brian Baird’s (D-WA-3rd) introduction of similar language in the House earlier this year.The White Salmon river is located in South-Central Washington in Baird’s
Paddlers from near and far joined AW and its band of dedicated volunteers to enjoy one of the best Deerfield River Festivals ever hosted. Well over a thousand paddlers came out to Charlemont, MA to enjoy the camaraderie of other paddlers, listed to some great music, and gander at the wares of thirty-two different vendors. The fickle weather cooperated with the prayers of the Deerfield River Fest organizers and granted a reprieve from the previous day’s deluge. Some bleary eyed
What would possibly lure you into paddling 99 miles in a single day on Colorado’s Arkansas River? The 99 Basic was not a race; but it was an event. Advance promotional materials emphasized “THIS IS NOT A RACE! The 99 basic is a one day paddle in kayaks down the class II-V Arkansas River to raise money for River Access in Colorado.” At daybreak on June 4, 2003 twenty paddlers gathered at the put-in for the Numbers section, two miles
American Rivers reported today that the Senate, in a surprise move, passed a comprehensive energy bill by a vote of 84-14. According to American Rivers: In an agreement between the Republican and Democratic leadership, this year’s bill (S. 14) was replaced as a whole by unanimous consent with S. 517 from the 107th Senate. The next step for S.14 will be the House-Senate conference committee where the two bills will be merged and then returned for an up or down
On July 16, 2003 Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) introduced a bill (S 1420), which would give outfitters in the Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) the same privileges enjoyed by outfitters in the National Park System.American Whitewater has followed similar bills closely over the past 7 years and even provided oral testimony to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on this topic. As in the past, American Whitewater’s two primary interests in an Outfitter
Six Reasons Not To Miss the Fest1. Free drinks for AW membersOne free Red Hook Beer or Red Bull Energy Drink to each current AW member who visits the AW booth.2. Great music by the Hemlock Gorge Boys and the SymptomsThanks to Jeff Campbell and all of his band buddies who provide great music for the fest.3. Great children and family activities on Saturday afternoon4. Lots of new food options by the McCuskers Store of Shelburne FallsWord has it that
In the summer of 2004, American Whitewater will honor the people who have shepherded whitewater paddling from its infancy as a fringe activity characterized by homemade equipment and backcountry accomplishments into the sport and industry it is today. The event is set to take place in the Rockies during the summer paddling season. A weekend of paddling, informal get togethers, and seminars will culminate with AW’s 50’s Anniversary Gala. During the evening, attendees will join their fellow river enthusiasts for
SUMMARY The purpose of this memorandum is to document the 2001 change to the navigability law in Wisconsin. In summary, the change to Wisconsin Statue §30.134should have no impact on a person’s right to portage. However, the right to scout a rapid has likely been reduced to the “keep your feet wet” approach. DISCUSSION In 2001, the governor of Wisconsin changed the text of Wisconsin Statue §30.134. However, this was not done through the normal legislative means. It was not
Can you rally the White Water Community? This is critical. Please pass this message on to all of your paddling brethren in and out of Oregon.At 2:00 p.m. today Governor Kulongoski meets with a representative from Treasurer Edwards’ Navigability Workgroup to discuss his possible veto of Senate Bill 928. There is no guarantee the Governor will veto SB 928 in spite of what he said at the June 10 State Land Board Meeting.He may still sign the bill even if
On May 28 the U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal by Mountain States Legal Foundation who, representing three landowners, filed a lawsuit in June 2001 alleging the Montana Stream Access Law established in 1985 violated their rights under the U.S. Constitution to regulate who floated over their land. The decision thus protects Montana’s Stream access law and public rights of navigation throughout the State.The case was first heard in District Court in Helena and dismissed. Anappeal was filed in the
NOTE: This hearing was rescheduled for 9.9.2003. AW’s Jason Robertson attended the hearing in Washington, DC. Notably, Lynn Scarlett, the Park Service spokesperson, recommended extending permanent Fee collecting authority to all federal land management agencies.The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will be holding a hearing on Thomas’ National Park Fee bill on July 29, 2003. This bill, S. 1107, would make the Park Service portion of fee demo permanent; however the bill is silent on the other agencies including
Friday morning, Highway 70 was closed due to a large rockslide located between the Rock Creek Dam and the PG&E service center at Rogers Flat. The road will likely not re-open until sometime Sunday. What does this mean? If you’re driving from Nevada and heading down the canyon on 70… you will need to take a different route. The only way to access the river this weekend will be by traveling upstream from the Central Valley on 70. The releases
Is some of your gear the worse for the wear? Are you embarrassed by the stink that emanates from your friends gear? Then you need to check out the newest and hottest stuff at the Deerfield River Festival Silent Auction. You can preview many of the items that will be available at the silent auction just by Clicking Here Just a few of the auction items are a kayak from Dagger, life jackets from Astral Buoyancy, and casual clothing from
Is some of your gear the worse for the wear? Are you embarrassed by the stink that emanates from your friends gear? Then you need to check out the newest and hottest stuff at the Deerfield River Festival Silent Auction. You can preview many of the items that will be available at the silent auction just by < a href='http://www.americanwhitewater.org/events/info/DAuction.phtml'>Clicking Here Just a few of the auction items are a kayak from Dagger, life jackets from Astral Buoyancy, and casual
For over a year now American Whitewater has been representing river recreationalists on the Public Review Group, whose task it was to help shape the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) massive Reservoir Operation Study (ROS) into a strong public study and final document. The ROS is attempting to determine the management of nearly 50 TVA dams in a study period of about 2 years. American Whitewater, and many of our members, filed scoping comments on the ROS process in October requesting,
After submitting comments on the Pecos Wild and Scenic River Management Plan and Environmental Assesment,American Whitewater was able to convince the Forest Service of the navigabilty of the Pecos River by boats. District Ranger, Joseph Reddan, stated "We agree with your position that the Pecos River is a navigable river and thus open to boating and floating." Additionally, Mr. Redddan allowed that the comment time period aided in the increased awareness of public interest and "Therefore, we will be revising
July 19th & 20th and August 23rd & 24th, PG&E will be releasing from 1,000cfs to 1,200cfs into the Pit #1 bypass reach. Flows will begin at 3:00am Saturday and will continue until 3:00pm Sunday. One of the conditions of PG&E’s new hydropower license is this "flushing flow" to help improve water quality in the town of Fall River Mills and, as a side benefit, provide a recreational opportunity for the public. This section of the Pit River is rarely
