Articles

Shred it, then protect it! American Whitewater has partnered again with FLOAT to bring you these limited edition tees, tanks, and hoodies! Celebrate the beauty of rivers and that ever important ingredient – flowing water! Support American Whitewater in our stewardship efforts! We have several t-shirt and hoodie styles available and for every t-shirt sold FLOAT will donate $8 to American Whitewater in support of our stewardship efforts restoring rivers. Head on over to FLOAT and SHOP today – lots of

This week’s introduction of the Malheur County Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act (S. 2828) represents a historic move to protect over 1.1 million acres of public lands as wilderness in Malheur County centered around the Owyhee Canyonlands. The legislation also includes protection for an additional 14.7 miles of the Owyhee River as Wild and Scenic. The Owyhee Canyonlands and the public lands of Malheur County are uniquely rich and wild places that so many Oregonians care deeply about. The

Twenty years after American Whitewater began engaging in the relicensing of the Poe hydroelectric project on the North Fork Feather River (CA), the section is finally seeing boatable flows that will support recreation almost year round in all but the driest years and will greatly improve ecological conditions for the river. FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) issued a new license for the Poe project in December of 2018. This new license included increased base flows and a volume of water

Want to be part of a project designed to protect recreation on the Green River (NC)? Take this survey! Chris Bell, who served 12 years on the American Whitewater board, created and maintains the boatingbeta.com website, and was one of the first 16 Green racers, is conducting a research project American Whitewater supports: An analysis of the economic impact on Henderson and Polk Counties of recreation-friendly water releases from the Tuxedo Hydro Station. The Green River in North Carolina is the magnet

American Whitewater has big stewardship plans for 2020, removing dams, securing new Wild and Scenic designations, enhancing access and protections for rivers on public lands, and protecting our landmark river conservation laws such as the Clean Water Act. We see a unique opportunity to pass legislation that’s good for rivers across the country, but we can’t do it without your ongoing support to keep our work on track.  Your membership dollars and donations will support our conservation efforts from protecting

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