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Every 5 years Washington State updates their State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). All states must have such a plan that is required to receive federal recreation dollars from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The process is currently underway to update Washington State’s SCORP for 2023-2027. This plan provides strategic direction for how local, regional, state, and federal agencies, together with tribal governments, and private and non-profit partners, can assure the effective and adequate provision of outdoor recreation and

Late in the evening on Thursday, October 21, a coalition of advocates, including American Whitewater won a significant victory for clean water when a federal district court vacated a Clean Water Act rule put in place by the previous administration. The order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California restores state and Tribal authority to ensure federally permitted activities, including hydroelectric dams, affecting rivers and lakes comply fully with state and tribal laws protecting clean water.

This past week a consortium that includes Twin Creeks Timber, The Conservation Fund, and WKO announced plans to acquire SDS Lumber and Timber Companies. This acquisition includes significant land holdings in the White Salmon River watershed as well as adjoining lands in the Little White Salmon, Klickitat, and Hood River watersheds that are critical to the health of these spectacular rivers. These lands also represent the traditional territory of the Yakama Nation ceded to the federal government in the treaty

Gauley Fest annually provides our community with an opportunity to reflect on this much-loved stretch of whitewater, as well as the important stewardship work that American Whitewater has, and continues to do in the region. In honor of Gauley Fest, and in an effort to raise funds for our stewardship work across the country that this festival normally provides, we have the put together an incredible online whitewater auction and it’s happening right now => 2021 Gauley Fest Online Auction.

Safety Editor’s Note: Teresa Gryder is a former river guide and a whitewater paddler with decades of experience. For the past few years, she’s been writing and creating safety-focused events for the Lower Columbia Canoe Club. Her work is so impressive that I invited her to share her ideas in a regular column for the American Whitewater Journal. Welcome, Teresa; AW readers, enjoy. You are in for a treat!   -Charlie Walbridge, AW Safety Editor   When you’re good at

Truckee River access is threatened by a landowner on the Nevada County Hirschdale Road. This take-out is used by paddlers who put-in at Boca and float the family friendly section of the Truckee River, taking out before the harder rapids appear. In 2019, a landowner purchased the property around Hirschdale Road and the spur road historically used to get to the river. In the years since, the landowner has been busy on Hirschdale Road posting no parking signs, erecting gates and

Safety Editor’s Note – Teresa Gryder is a former river guide and a whitewater paddler with decades of experience. For the past few years, she’s been writing and creating safety-focused events for the Lower Columbia Canoe Club. Her work is so impressive that I invited her to share her ideas in a regular column for the American Whitewater Journal. Welcome, Teresa; AW readers, enjoy. You are in for a treat!   -Charlie Walbridge, AW Safety Editor   This column is

Deerfield Fest traditionally provides our community with an opportunity to reflect on this much-loved stretch of whitewater, as well as the important stewardship work that American Whitewater has, and continues to do in the northeast. From our recent expansion of flow releases supporting whitewater recreation on the Mongaup River (NY) to our work on improving and maintaining release schedules in the Black River Basin (Black, Beaver, and Moose Rivers) to our recent court win establishing whitewater boating as a designated

We are pleased to recognize Phil Kast as American Whitewater’s Volunteer of the Month, presented by Kokatat!   Phil recently stepped up to improve the American Whitewater iOS App, to help us deliver the rich trip-planning information in our National Whitewater Inventory to your Apple mobile device. The App began as a compelling volunteer project by AW Board Member, Greg Lee, who continues to help out on the project. American Whitewater then secured water safety funding from the US Coast

Paddling Friends & AW Supporters   We have made the difficult decision to cancel the Deerfield Fest evening at Berkshire East scheduled for September 11 and put all of our attention to on-water activities. The good news is that there will be a lot to enjoy at the Deerfield River that weekend.   Safety is core to American Whitewater’s mission, both on and around the river and in the communities where we paddle. While we have been working hard to

Feather River Watershed Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has cancelled its scheduled recreational releases for August on the NF Feather River Rock Creek Run. This area is within the footprint of the Dixie Fire and is  closed to all public access through September 30, 2021 by a Plumas National Forest closure order. American Whitewater has confirmed with PG&E that October 9th and 10th will be the dates of the NF Feather River Poe Run releases. The Poe Run is also

American Whitewater received the following open letter to boaters from the rangers and staff of the Gauley River National Recreation Area. This letter will keep you up to date on important management actions of the National Park Service on the Gauley River for the 2021 season. American Whitewater is once again leasing the Legg field (above Mason’s Branch) for overflow boater parking. As part of our agreement with the land owner, there is no camping allowed on the Legg field that

For part one of this series I wrote about paddling, rolling and portaging a loaded self-support kayak. Part two covered the basic gear you might use and why. In this part (three) we will consider some of the variables that contribute to safety and survival during a multi-day trip in a wilderness river environment.   Intro   The unexpected, the unfortunate, the unimaginable—it  happens. We all know it and yet our powers of denial are impressive. We tell each other

Paddle Wise is a responsibility code for river runners developed by American Whitewater through a buildout and design partnership with NRS. The mission was to create a simple and shareable responsibility message for the increasing number of individuals participating in whitewater recreation. When you’re on the river you represent our community and your safe enjoyment of the river is in your hands. These helpful hints will not only make sure you represent the whitewater community well and enjoy the river

In a meeting at the State Capitol in Santa Fe yesterday morning, the New Mexico Game Commission voted unanimously to reject 5 pending applications for non-navigable water status – a certification which has resulted in closing off whitewater segments to boating with concertina wire fences and dangerous diversions since its inception in 2017.   The vote came on the heels of a dramatic meeting in June at which the Commissioners were slated to review the 5 new applications. In a