Articles

The Great American Outdoors Act, a new bill that would permanently fund the LWCF and provide five years of funding for public lands and rivers is moving forward through Congress right now and we need your voice to make sure it becomes law. The Senate voted 80 to 17 on Monday to begin floor debate on the legislation. This means there’s still time to show your support for a visionary investment in the protection and enhancement of access to, and

American Whitewater has been pressing for an easing of restrictions on Clear Creek near Golden, Colorado for a number of weeks and we are happy announce, as of June 4, 2020, by order of Golden Police Chief Bill Kilpatrick and Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader, restrictions regulating waterway activities on Clear Creek have been modified from a full closure to a partial use restriction within the City of Golden and unincorporated Jefferson County. Under the partial use restriction, single-chambered, air-inflated

As paddlers, we appreciate the mental and physical health benefits of outdoor recreation. A beautiful day on the river with friends is often what makes us feel like ourselves again. Access and use of our public lands right now seems more precious than ever. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been difficult to watch river gages around that state rise and be unable to travel and visit these places we love due to state and local closures. We have a

As paddlers, we appreciate the mental and physical health benefits of outdoor recreation. A beautiful day on the river with friends is often what makes us feel like ourselves again. Access and use of our public lands right now seems more precious than ever. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been difficult to watch river gages around that state rise and be unable to travel and visit these places we love due to state and local closures. We have a

As the impacts of COVID-19 ripple through the economy, Members of Congress are seeking ideas for what economic recovery looks like. Several Congressional offices have reached out to American Whitewater to solicit ideas for projects and initiatives that would benefit public lands and outdoor recreation while putting people to work. Over the past two weeks we have been working with our colleagues at Outdoor Alliance to develop some specific proposals. We are thrilled to report that Senator Wyden from Oregon

For many boaters, our lives have been built around an ability to visit rivers as frequently as possible. And if they’re not, we’re probably dreaming about being able to do so. Unfortunately, paddling responsibly during COVID-19 has made visiting rivers difficult for many of us. Responses to the pandemic vary regionally and in some areas paddling opportunities are beginning to open back up. Most of the places where restrictions are being loosened, local leaders have made clear that this is not

On May 5th, Senator Udall and Senator Heinrich of New Mexico conditionally filed a proposed Memorandum Brief as Amici Curiae, or “friend of the court”, in strong support of the case Adobe Whitewater Club brought against the Governor and Game Commission in the New Mexico Supreme Court. The Senator’s beautifully describe the value of preserving constitutionally defined public access to the state’s rivers and streams. Read the full brief here. The brief does a brilliant job of relating this case

The May/June Issue of the AW Journal is available in the “Library“. This issue includes a report on the introduction of the “Great American Outdoors Act’ as well as:   A report on proposed rule changes to the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act The second part of a packrafting adventure story A southwest stewardship update A couple of great wilderness whitewater features by AW Members And much more!          Current members – Read the issue now!           Not a current

Like you, I am feeling disappointed for lost river time on my favorite runs due to social distancing measures that attempt to flatten the curve of COVID-19 transmission. I write to you today to say that we will get through this, it will not be easy but thanks to strong support from our members we can weather the storm. During the financial crisis of 2008, American Whitewater’s lean administrative model had a huge impact on keeping our stewardship program intact.

One thing that unites boaters is our passion for rivers, and the sometimes overflowing passion with which we celebrate our whitewater rivers at spring and summer festivals across the country. Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus we’ve had to make the tough decision to cancel American Whitewater’s first festival of the 2020 season, Deerfield Fest in Charlemont, Massachusetts, June 26-28.  This weekend of whitewater paddling, music, fun and games can’t be replaced, but we’re cooking up some informative and entertaining ways

In order to be the strongest advocate out there, you’re gonna need tools. Written tools, visual aids, citations, factoids, and anything else you can use at your disposal. We try and make things as seamless as possible for the river community, but occasionally, you need to go that extra mile. For those instances, we’ve created this page as an easy place that you can turn to. Resources, wisdom, and information can be found on issues taking place across the country

An interesting article in Outside Magazine, based on a research paper done with information stored in the American Whitewater Accident Database. Certainly cold water plays a big role in a flush drowning death, especially when the swimmer has inadequate thermal protection. In addition to cold water shock, a few drops of cold water down the throat can cause laringospasm, which narrows the trachea and can make breathing very difficult. But in my opinion, the relentless, fast moving character of Western

On February 9th, 2020 kayaker Jamie Gray was killed on the Middle Fork of the Tygart river in West Virginia. The next day the state DNR closed the river while they searched a large undercut rock where she was last seen. When that effort was unsuccessful, DNR officer Chris Evans coordinated with local kayakers to do a thorough downstream search. They found her body on the Main Tygart a mile downstream, just above S-Turn Rapid. A full description of the

The Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests are taking another big step toward eliminating protections from most or all of 89 outstanding whitewater streams in the Lochsa, Selway, and Clearwater watersheds. These rivers have been found eligible for Wild and Scenic designation and should be protected through the Forest Planning process. Instead, the Draft Forest Plan proposes to remove those protections for political reasons through a misapplied process they call “suitability.”   Stand up for Lochsa area rivers today! Use

The Kaweah River is one of the crown jewels of southern Sierra whitewater. Flowing out of Sequoia National Park, the river and its forks offer challenging, non-stop whitewater through golden granite canyons. But despite its grandeur and popularity, boaters have long been challenged by inadequate public river access and a lack of real-time flow information for the Middle Fork and East Fork Kaweah rivers.  American Whitewater is working to resolve these issues through the hydropower relicensing process for Southern California