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GCNP: AW’s Complaint & Suit Filed Against Park Service(7/6/2000)(160kb)

Henry B HenryB. Lacey, Arizona Bar No. 013921 LAWOFFICE OF HENRY B. LACEY 120North San Francisco Street Flagstaff,Arizona 86001 (520)774-8830   RobertP. Lippman, Arizona Bar No. 006156 LAWOFFICE OF ROBERT P. LIPPMAN 103East Birch Street Flagstaff,Arizona 86001 (520)774-0130   Attorneysfor Plaintiffs   IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICTCOURT   FORTHE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA   GRANDCANYON PRIVATE BOATERS                 ) ASSOCIATION,an Arizona Non-Profit                      )           No. CIV 001277-PCT-PGR Corporation;AMERICAN WHITEWATER, a            ) MissouriNon-Profit Corporation; NATIONAL            ) PARKSCONSERVATION ASSOCIATION,           )           FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT aDistrict

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GCNP: Letter to AW Counsel from Arnberger(5/9/2000)

Letter from Park Service responding to initial contact between American Whitewater’s attorney and Grand Canyon’s Superintendent Arnberger.IN REPLY REFER TO N16(GRCA 8211) MAY 09 2000Henry B. Lacey Attorney at Law 120 N. San Francisco St. Flagstaff, Arizona 86001-5232 Dear Mr. Lacey: I have now reviewed your April 7, 2000 letter more carefully and have discussed it at some length with my legal counsel. I truly regret that your clients disagree so vehemently with certain management decisions at Grand Canyon National

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HIGHER DUES BUT GREATER BENEFITS!

Basic American Whitewater dues might be going up $10 per category, but look at all the new benefits of being a member! Increased Access/Conservation Power. During 2001 Kevin Colburn came on staff to bolster our hydro relicensing efforts and help out with Southeastern access issues. AMERICAN WHITEWATER JOURNAL Enhancements. Do we have a surprise for you beginning with the January/February issue! Keep your eye out for the mailman. Website Enhancements. Well, obviously you’re here. Gotta keep an eye on those

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American Whitewater announces new Development Director

American Whitewater is pleased to announce the hiring of new Development Director, Carroll Thrift. Carroll brings to American Whitewater extensive experience as former development professional for the Levi Strauss Foundation and Child Welfare League of America, as well as a consultant to the Grantsmanship Center and Council on Foundations. He has also founded and served as CEO for Travel Market Inc. and CST Management Co. When we originally posted this opening we had no idea that the decision process might

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2002 Congressional Actions

Contents IssuesTrackingCalendarSourcesHistory American Whitewater is tracking several pieces of legislation before the second session of the 107th Congress in 2002. We will provide monthly updates and action items on this page throughout the year. Issues The legislative issues of greatest importance in 2002 to the boating community are: S.2535, the California Wild Heritage Act of 2002. The bill will significantly expand the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System and the National Wilderness Preservation System on federally managed public lands in

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Strainers, Large Woody Debris, Removal, and Ecology

How Much Wood Does a Paddler Chuck? By Kevin ColburnOriginally published in the American Whitewater Journal 2001.Strainers, filters, sweepers, wood, log sieves, log jams, timber, do you have a chill running down your spine yet? At every blind corner or blind drop we shudder a little and worry about a hiding log. Logs give us nightmares. Logs are the predators of paddlers and we treat them how our ancestors in this country treated wolves and mountain lions. They are generally

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Donate a Boat to Help AW Protect Rivers

OutdoorPrices.com and American Whitewater have partnered to offer a new boat donation program, from which the proceeds are going to AW. The program is simple: you donate your old boat to AW at one of the donation centers located around the country. Our representatives at the donation centers will give you a receipt you can use to value the donation for use as an itemized charitable deduction. American Whitewater Boat Donation Centers signed up so far include: Confluence Kayaks (CO)Lumber

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Last minute shopping?

Give the gift of whitewater – American Whitewater! When you give your friend an AW gift membership, they’ll become part of the ONLY organization working FULL TIME to protect our whitewater rivers. Plus, they’ll thank you for their one-year subscription to American Whitewater, the premier whitewater journal! So click here to give the gift of American Whitewater today – and have a happy, safe holiday!

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Flatwater Study Finds Alcohol Boosts Drowning Risk

There’s no evidence that this study examined drinking on whitewater; however, we thought that it was of general relevant interest to the whitewater community. Please paddle safely and exercise personal responsibly in all your decisions. Study on lake and flatwater recreation shows alcohol boosts death risk for boat passengers as well as operators By DAVID WILLIAMSONUNC News Services CHAPEL HILL – Recreational boat passengers are just as likely asoperators to die as a result of drinking alcohol, according to a

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Letter to Open Middle Fork Snoqualmie Access (WA)

American Whitewater mailed the attached letter in December 2001 requesting that King County reopen the traditional access point on the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River. This site was used by recreational river users for many years until road reconstruction blocked access with a berm and ditch. Restoring access to the river requires only that the ditch be filled in and that an old roadbed is converted into a short trail to the river. If this issue is of personal interest to

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Have You Been Naughty or Nice?

If the Southeastern boating community has been good this year, then Ole Saint Nick might give us all a very special gift; water in the Cheoah River. In fact Santa has done his part already. Part of the power generating equipment in Santeetlah Dam is broken and will not be fixed for 3-4 months. This means that the power company is only able to generate with 400 cfs rather than 800. This is not good news for the power company

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Wild and Scenic Rivers Director Proposed

Washington, DC – On December 14th, 2001 American Whitewater’s Access Director Jason Robertson joined Bill Meadows, President of The Wilderness Society, Rebecca Wodder, President of American Rivers, and others in a meeting with the Forest Service to advocate for the creation of a Director’s position for Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers. The meeting supported the initial letter reprinted below from the heads of several national conservation organizations. We were well received and are optimistic about the future of our

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Brown’s Canyon Permits Delayed (CO)

By Mike Harvey (Originally posted on Mountainbuzz) I attended a State Parks Board Meeting on Friday in Ft. Collins with Rob White and Mike Walker from AHRA. The State Parks Board and Tom Kenyon from the State Parks in Denver decided to table Browns Permitting for one year. This means that AHRA will do more thorough counts next year on Browns to determine if private boaters have in fact met the triggers set forth in the management plan. This means

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Happy Holidays from American Whitewater!

American Whitewater’s staff and board wish you a safe and happy holiday season! We are looking forward to working and playing with you on our nation’s rivers in 2002.This has been an exciting year for us. We have bid a sad farewell to three long-time staff. Rich Bowers, Jayne Abbott, and Nancy Galloway moved on to greener pastures. We have also witnessed the end of an era with the equally sad departure from our American Whitewater’s board of Chris Koll,

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Final NOWR Points standings announced for 2001

2001 NOWR Point Series Event: NOWR Point Series Date: 2001 final results Location: Right Here K-1 Men’s Pro K-1 Women’s Pro C-1 Men’s Pro   1 Kincaid, Jay 175 2 Jackson, Eric 150 3 Grubbs, Javid 138 4 Blakeney, Jimmy 115 5 Bedingfield, Andy 111 6 Harris, Billy 90 7 Craig, Billy 89 8 Shimrock, Jesse 83 9 Berman, Tao 79 10 Benedict, Shane 71 11 Gavere, Dan 67 11 Kirk, Bryan 67 13 Holcombe, Andrew 60 14 Burnham, Macy

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EBMUD to Build Middle Bar Access on Mokelumne (CA)

Congratulations to American Whitewater’s friends Pete Bell and Katherine Evatt at the Foothill Conservancy for their big success on securing access to California’s Middle Bar section of the Mokelumne River!Stockton Record ArticleFoothill Conservancy Press Release EBMUD Takes Step Toward Building River Access Facilities at Middle BarDecember 3, 2001Contact: Katherine Evatt or Pete Bell, 209.296.5734“We’re delighted to see East Bay MUD moving to build facilities that will help people use the Middle Bar reach of the Mokelumne River,” said Pete Bell

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Russell Fork update

On October 29 of this year American Whitewater posted a report on a temproary halt in plans to drill for gas in the environmentally sensitive Breaks Interstate Park. As mentioned in that report, this effort was brought to our attention by Lexington attorney and long time AW activist, Brent Austin who recently forwarded this letter (excerpted) from the Kentucky House of Representatives."Thank you for your inquiry pertaining to signatures received on our petition drive for Breaks Park. The last time

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West Prong of the Little Pigeon Access Temporarily Closed

The West Prong of the Little Pigeon is a beautiful class V creek that flows through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This well loved regional delicacy will be off limits for a while this winter due to road-work being done on the tunnels that route 441 goes through as it snakes down the Tennessee side of the park from Newfound Gap. 441 is closed from Sugarlands Visitor Center to Newfound Gap. The road up to the tunnels is being closed

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Court Deals Minor Setback in Lake Fork CO Suit

“RIGHT TO FLOAT” PROPONENTS RESPECT PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS Contacts: December 11, 2001 Lisa JonesJohnson Communications720-890-8400 x-208lisa@jcomm.com Kevin SchneiderCROA Chairman970-945-6737kevin@glenwoodactivities.com Jason RobertsonAW Access Director301-589-9453jason@amwhitewater.org Gunnison, CO – In a legal battle defending the “right to float” in Gunnison County District Court, defendant Cannibal Outdoor Network Inc. dba ‘Cannibal Outdoors’ and organizations involved in the case share concern over the potential misrepresentation of their position regarding private property rights. Colorado River Outfitters Association Chairperson, Kevin Schneider explains, “We want the public to

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8 Tips for Approaching Landowners

No Trespassing? No Problem. 8 Tips for Approaching Landowners for Access By Jason RobertsonHere are eight tips for approaching private landowners and getting permission to access creeks and streams via their private property. After your visit, consider thanking the owner with a postcard, phone call, or even with some of your stories.1. Be prepared. Write down your name, contact information, license tag, and car description in advance. Offer to the owner. Many owners will allow access if they simply know

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8 Tips for Approaching Landowners

No Trespassing? No Problem. 8 Tips for Approaching Landowners for Access By Jason RobertsonWinter’s here and spring’s coming, that means water’s on the way. Now’s the time to do your research, check out the snow pack, watch for rainfall, look at the topo maps, read the guidebooks, and figure out which creeks you’re going to run. It’s also the right time to figure out how you’re going to get to the water. Here are eight tips for approaching private landowners

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AW Joins Notice to FERC to Upgrade Antiquated Dams

On December 7, 2001, John Gangemi (Conservation Director) and Risa Shimoda (Executive Director) represented American Whitewater at a press conference to voice concern about the causes and consequences of delays in the dam licensing that is affecting rivers in Arizona, California, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington. Andrew Fahlund (American Rivers) Steve Malloch (Trout Unlimited) provided comlementary perspectives, and referenced a report that documents how these rivers are languishing in regulatory limbo due to industry foot-dragging

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Amicalola and Etowah Access Opened (GA)

Access Reopened Good news! In January 2002, the landowner at the Etowah take-out called American Whitewater to announce their reopening of the Etowah take-out. The owner is asking for $2 per person on the honor system, envelopes are provided at the site. There is a gate to the parking area that is unlocked during the day. The owner asks that visitors close the gate whenever entering or leaving the site. While it is disappointing that the State failed to renew

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California Park Use Increases as Fees Decline

Learn more about American Whitewater’s work on fees and recent Congressional Testimony.The SF Chronicle reports that Visitors flood parks after user fee cuts. The article reports that there is a direct impact on public land visitation from fees. While the article begs the question of whether too much use is possible, it clearly correlates the negative impact of fees to diminished visitation. The article also makes the point that the solution to many of the problems of increased use is

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