Articles

The proposed expansion of Bear Creek Lake, a flood-control reservoir in southern Jefferson County, Colorado, is threating to eliminate over 1 mile of Bear Creek, a scenic Class III stretch of river that is free-flowing.  The Colorado Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are in the Feasibility Study stage of storing much more water in Bear Creek Lake, a flood-control reservoir built in 1974 to protect the Lakewood and Denver areas from floods that could occur

At the end of every year, American Whitewater’s staff reflects on the work we’ve done and then looks ahead to which issues we’ll be going hard on in the following year. We then come together as a group and discuss our priorities and where we see the best chance for reaching milestones and successfully completing projects. This process results in our annual list of our Top Ten River Stewardship Issues (hint: to view as spreads, click the 3-dot menu in

Join American Whitewater for our River Advocacy Training Series. We are hosting a series of River Advocacy sessions across Colorado during February and into March. The series will feature the following events: Crested Butte @Brick Oven Pizza on 2/15 Carbondale @Phat Thai on 2/16 A Virtual Event on 2/22 Buena Vista @The Surf Hotel on Thursday 2/24 Steamboat Springs (Date TBD) Denver (Date TBD) The goal of these events is to give AW members tools to engage in river advocacy

Today in far northern California, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest re-opened public access to nearly 100 miles of whitewater runs on six different rivers that had been closed since last summer’s wildfires. American Whitewater advocated for the re-opening of these rivers, and we thank District Rangers Tara Jones and Chris Losi for meeting with us and for recommending that the Forest Supervisor re-open the rivers and the surrounding 395,000 acres of National Forest land. These rivers and land had been closed

Andrew (Andy) Grizzell has been an ardent supporter and champion of American Whitewater for decades. He’s the lead organizer of the annual Millrace Massacre and Iceman Championship, an incredibly challenging race circuit that takes place in Columbia, SC on the Saluda River. To get more paddlers out on the water in the winter, Andy came up with this event that has become a staple Southeast kayak race over the last 22 years. He’s turned the event into a significant fundraiser

It’s now time to start thinking about multi-day trips for next year and there are several great opportunities on Western Rivers. Many of these rivers require you to fill out a lottery application and deadlines are coming up. Check our permit database for the information and links to detailed instructions and applications you can fill out.   Note that you can find this list at any time from the main home page on our website by selecting the River Info

At a year’s end, we often find ourselves reflecting on the rivers of our lives – the twists and turns, the obstacles and hazards, the pure joy of a successful descent. We may reflect on the metaphorical or literal rivers of our lives, but either way we know in our hearts that rivers teach us more lessons and give us more strength than we’ll ever be able to give back. These reflections help us to realize the true, incalculable value

What’s up with the Nolichucky? We get this question a lot here at AW, and it’s a good one. Last week, Carolina Public Press published Part 1 and Part 2 of an article that offers an accurate window into the current status of the Wild and Scenic River designation efforts. Check out the articles and know that our river protection work in Western North Carolina is not letting up and still has vast support.    Last summer, the diverse 26-organization

Late last month, the federal Surface Transportation Board approved construction and operation of the Uinta Basin Railway, a project that has the sole purpose of increasing crude oil extraction and transporting it through Colorado to Gulf Coast Refineries. The fossil fuel extraction in the Uinta Basin would lead to 53 million tons of carbon emissions per year and would send up to ten 2-mile long oil trains per day alongside some of Colorado’s most prized rivers, including the length of

Paddlers are invited to join American Whitewater and the National Park Service for a Zoom discussion to share an update on American Whitewater’s participation in the relicensing process for the Southern California Edison KR3 Hydroelectric Project, which encompasses the Wild and Scenic North Fork of the Kern River from Fairview Dam to Riverside Park.   In September, SCE filed a Notice of Intent and a Pre-Application Document to officially start the process to relicense this project. In December, paddlers and

For the past several years the Washington State legislature has had an interest in improving paddlesports safety and reducing fatalities. It’s a good thing to have the legislature interested in boating safety and we are pleased that it has helped raise the profile of Washington State’s Boating Safety Program. The program has done a great job of acknowledging the needs of the paddlesports community. While the interest in boating safety is appreciated, the specific legislative proposals introduced over the past

Forgive the pun, but packrafting is blowing up. There are over 30 manufacturers struggling to keep up with demand, and the global packrafting community is hungry for instructional resources.   Packrafts are a modern flavor of light and portable self-propelled boats, a natural evolution from the coracles of previous millennia. Coated nylon fabrics and heat-welded seams allow these boats to fold to the size of a sleeping bag and weigh as little as two pounds (1 kg). Whitewater-capable packrafts typically

American Whitewater is proud to announce the release of our new series of river safety films! Beginning with Planning and Preparing for a River Trip and At the River and on the Water, these new films offer up to date and easily digestible tips to help keep you and your friends safe on the water. Designed to simply and effectively communicate the most basic elements of whitewater safety, these films provide a basis for the essential but not always accessible

At the end of every year, American Whitewater takes an inquisitive look back at the success we’ve found and the steps forward we’ve taken in our vast array of projects across the country, and then quickly turns to the future and setting the next set of ambitious stewardship goals we hope to accomplish in the following year. We share these goals and the progress we’ve achieved towards them in our Winter Stewardship Update. And wow, do we have big plans

After another busy year in the southern Rockies, it is a great time to look back on our accomplishments and look ahead to what next year will bring. This year was full, yet again, with unprecedented challenges as well as opportunities. The first ever water shortage was declared on the Colorado River while hundreds of millions of dollars were appropriated for watershed restoration, aquatic habitat remediation and natural infrastructure in the West as a part of the Infrastructure Investment and

First introduced in March 2016, Senator Wyden’s Recreation Not Red Tape Act had a hearing in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this past week. We are pretty excited that the Committee has an interest in outdoor recreation and scheduled a hearing covering 9 bills focused on outdoor recreation. We were part of launching that interest among Committee Members when our Pacific Northwest Stewardship Director Thomas O’Keefe was invited to testify before the Committee in March 2019.   We

Tis’ the season! Our 2021 AW Holiday Membership Offer is now available. Get a one-year Standard AW membership along with our 2022 AW calendar AND a 28 oz AW water bottle . . all for just $60! Give a great gift (or treat yourself!) and support your favorite non-profit at the same time. . . rockin’ river karma for the whole year!  Head over to our membership form to join or renew for yourself or select the ‘Gift Membership’ option to

Tugalo Dam was built 100 years ago. For the past hundred years it has inundated four miles of the Chattooga River and two miles of the Tallulah River beneath a reservoir along the South Carolina and Georgia border. The dam owner has recently proposed to spend roughly $25 Million to upgrade their generators to last another two generations or more. American Whitewater and our partners are asking federal regulators to take a hard look at dam removal as an alternative

As West Coast boaters are all too familiar, the past two wildfire seasons have been a difficult one for our communities and for the rivers we love. Increasingly, fires are burning more intensely, are covering more ground than before, and are burning throughout a longer fire season. Land management agencies are often responding with vast closures of the lands and waters they manage, prohibiting public access sometimes for long periods of time after the fires are out.   American Whitewater