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American Whitewater would like to recognize Bob and Megan Larkin for their tremendous work as coordinators for the Russell Fork Rendezvous. They are our November Volunteers of the Month. Bob and Megan, who have organized the Rendezvous for a number of consecutive years, are part of the Bluegrass Wildwater Association—a club founded in 1976 that works tirelessly to support American Whitewater and shares a similar mission and vision.  The event began in 1994 as a Bluegrass Wildwater Association Fall Party

November 2019, Charity Navigator, America’s largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities, announced that American Whitewater has earned its tenth consecutive 4-star (highest) rating. Receiving four out of a possible four stars indicates that American Whitewater adheres to good governance and other best practices that minimize the chance of unethical activities and consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way. The letter from Charity Navigator informing American Whitewater that it was awarded a tenth 4-star rating from Charity Navigator

This coming Thursday, October 31st, there will be a vote in the US House of Representatives on the Colorado Outdoor Recreation & Economy (CORE) Act (H.R. 823). By permanently protecting over 400,000 acres of public lands in Colorado, the CORE Act unites four iconic Colorado landscapes into a single bill, providing additional benefits by protecting watersheds across the state. Protection for each landscape hosts a wide diversity of constituency support that includes local counties and municipalities, businesses, recreation and sportsmen

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing new regulations that would weaken the ability of states to protect clean water at hydropower dams and other federally-licensed energy projects. Under the Clean Water Act, states must certify that these projects comply with state water quality standards before they can receive a 30-50 year federal license. The proposed rules would make it virtually impossible for the states to conduct a meaningful review of the impact of these projects on environmental quality including

American Whitewater would like to recognize Keirith Snyder for her awesome work as the coordinator for the Feather Festival Tobin Downriver Race. She is our October Volunteer of the Month. Keirith has organized the race for two consecutive years and has volunteered for many past Tobin races. Since taking over leadership, she has streamlined every aspect of the event by utilizing her analytical skills she draws from her experience as a research scientist. Beyond maintaining a dialed-in schedule by herding

Other worldly turquoise waters falling over travertine ledges have made the Little Colorado River an icon within an already iconic American landscape. This major tributary of the mainstem Colorado enjoys high flow events from snowmelt and rainstorms that turn that blue into a roiling red. Outside of two dams high up in the watershed, the Little Colorado is otherwise unimpeded with a mostly natural hydrograph, rare for many rivers in the southwest. This beautiful place is now threatened by two

Oregon is home to some of our nation’s most amazing and scenic rivers. From the Illinois to the Umpqua, the Owyhee to the Santiam, we have an impressive diversity of majestic waterways that provide an abundance of opportunities for whitewater recreation. Oregon is blessed with 110,994 miles of major rivers and streams but only 2173 miles are protected as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Many additional miles for river protection remain and Senator Ron Wyden is aiming to seize this opportunity!

For the past several years American Whitewater has worked with our partners on the Recreation Not Red Tape Act (H.R. 3458/S.1967). This is among the most important piece of positive policy we expect to see this Congress in terms of improving outdoor recreation and our access to rivers on public land. Senator Wyden originally approached us on the idea for this bill 5 years ago. In the time since, our Pacific Northwest Director Thomas O’Keefe has participated in an oversight

This Wednesday, September 25th is your chance to speak directly to the folks who manage the releases out of McPhee Reservoir into the Lower Dolores River. Hear about how this season was forecast and managed and let your voice be heard on what you think went right and what could be improved. Hear from the Dolores River Boating Advocates, American Whitewater, Dolores Water Conservancy District, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, and the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. What

The United States Forest Service (USFS) recently released Draft Revisions for their Sequoia and Sierra National Forest Land Management Plans. As a part of this process, National Forests are required to identify the eligibility of rivers for inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Once a river is found eligible it is managed to protect the values that support their inclusion. Over the course of 5 years of engagement, American Whitewater has identified 228 river miles in the

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is in their final stages of revising the Resource Management Plan for the Eastern Colorado Field Office, which encompasses the Arkansas River Corridor from Leadville to Cañon City and includes Grape Creek. The Management Plan, which hasn’t been revised since 1996, sets the blueprint for how our rivers are managed and which protections they are afforded. The BLM depends on the public – folks like yourself – to speak up and tell them why

Gore Fest 2019 marked the 30th anniversary of the Gore Race, our banner event. Both the race and festival had all time turn out. The event fulfills our mission of enjoying these resources we love and work so hard to defend. Gore Fest was born out of the work AW has done and continues to do to protect and restore flows on the Upper Colorado River. This year proved our community is ready to enjoy it. We had 66 folks

The September/October issue of the AW Journal is available in the “Library”. This issue highlights a proposed forest service rule change that will threaten public input as well as:   -‘The Whitewater Legacy of Jimmy Carter’ -Updates on releases across the country -A great piece on the early days of paddling the Cumberland Plateau -Loads of Stewardship updates and much more!          Current members – Read the issue now!           Not a current member – Join or Renew!

The September/October issue of the AW Journal is available in the “Library”. This issue highlights a proposed forest service rule change that will threaten public input as well as:   -‘The Whitewater Legacy of Jimmy Carter’ -Updates on releases across the country -A great piece on the early days of paddling the Cumberland Plateau -Loads of Stewardship updates and much more!          Current members – Read the issue now!           Not a current member – Join or Renew!

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. The Park Service also shared information regarding their flow alert program here. Enjoy your paddling season on this classic whitewater river. As in past years, American Whitewater has leased the field above Masons Branch, also known as the

VIEW THE ADIRONDACKS CAMPAIGN STORY MAP The mighty rivers of the Adirondack Region have been dammed and dewatered for more than a century. Once vibrant and free flowing, dams have damaged the natural river ecosystems of the region, home to diverse aquatic and terrestrial life. The Adirondack Region is renowned for its abundant recreational opportunities that have provided economic benefits to communities for over a century, yet these dams have reduced boating and fishing opportunities by inundating rapids, diverting flows,