Articles

The Bureau of Reclamation and the Dolores Water Conservation District (DWCD) hosted a 2019 Spill Meeting for the boating public on April 18th at the Dolores Community Center. American Whitewater was joined on the panel by Dolores River Boating Advocates, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Riparian specialists from Fort Lewis College, and the Colorado River Basin Forecast Center (CRBFC). The CRBFC presented on how they develop their forecasts and all the variables included. Then we heard from the DWCD and Bureau

Jerry Griffin has been a long standing member and officer of the Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts for over two decades. His humble demeanor and servant’s heart has been a shining example to our local paddling community. He is always one of the first to step up to help with a river access project, river cleanup or guide a beginner/intermediate paddler down a local river and plays a key role in providing volunteer labor and equipment for many local river access projects. He has helped

The rivers are rising and warming up, and if you are like us your calendar is filling up with river trips scattered around your region and beyond. One of the many cool things about paddling is how we can traverse natural landscapes without even leaving a footprint. While our paddle strokes disappear when their tiny whirlpools collapse, it’s still a good time of year to reflect on how we can be the best possible visitors to the special places we

THIS WEEK ONLY! American Whitewater is happy to announce that we have partnered once again with FLOAT to bring you limited edition Keep Rivers Flowing stewardship T shirts and hoodies available this week only! For every shirt sold FLOAT will donate $8 to American Whitewater to help us restore rivers. Head on over to FLOAT and shop today – lots of styles and colors to choose from!   Wear your love for wild rivers and support our stewardship work to

American Whitewater is hiring a Policy Strategist for the Colorado Stewardship Program. The Colorado Policy Strategist role is a grant term limited position. The location of the position may vary within the state of Colorado, but in-person meetings along the front range are expected to be frequent. Work would be primarily done from a home office. The policy strategist reports to American Whitewater’s Southern Rockies Stewardship Director, and benefits from significant support and collaboration with AW staff, board members, and

The Bureau of Reclamation is hosting this public meeting at the Dolores Community Center, April 18th 7-9 pm, to discuss the potential managed release for 2019. They will review their operations from 2018 and lay out a prediction of their plan for this year. Come hear about what a release may look like this year and how the BOR does their forecasting. The meeting will include panel members from American Whitewater, Dolores River Boating Advocates, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, BLM, and Fort

For over 40 years, the Clean Water Act has ensured that Americans have clean water to drink and that our rivers are safe for outdoor recreation. Americans recreate in the water – swimming, paddling, surfing, boating, fishing – 4 BILLION times each year (source). Right now there's an attempt by the EPA to significantly weaken the Clean Water Act and we need your voice to help protect the water quality in our nation's rivers!   As crucial as it is,

The US Coast Guard has pulled back their 2017 decision to close a popular section of the Potomac River whenever high ranking political officials are using the adjacent Trump National Golf Course. The decision to replace the 2017 rule came in response to over 630 public comments, significant media, and a lawsuit filed by the AW affiliate club Canoe Cruisers Association. Watch a news video here with interviews and scenes from the river. The new interim rule is a big step in the right

American Whitewater needs your letters written to Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Board Members and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to help protect access to the Class II-III whitewater and White Rock Powerhouse take-out for the Slab Creek section of the South Fork American River. We make it almost too easy with our super simple easy action forms so take action today. In a recently filed Parking and Access Plan, SMUD breaks a condition of the 2007 Upper American River

American Whitewater is proud to recognize Dane White of Jacksonville, AL as our Volunteer of the Month for April.   His friends refer to Dane as our Alabama River Ambassador.  If you've paddled Alabama whitewater in the last 30 years, chances are good you paddled with Dane.  He's lead many hundreds of first-timers down Alabama favorites including Little River Canyon, Town Creek, South Sauty, Teddy Bear, Johnnies, and Short.  Dane shares his enthusiasm for paddling with everyone wanting to experience

American Whitewater needs your help to secure future takeout improvements at Ward’s Ferry Bridge, the takeout for the Wild and Scenic Tuolumne River. Recently, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Don Pedro Hydroelectric Project that does not recommend a whitewater boating  take-out facility at Ward’s Ferry as a license requirement.  In fact FERC staff believes the Don Pedro Project has NO impact to the take-out. Instead, they believe the take-out problems

American Whitewater is excited to announce our partnership with the Montana-based Freeflow Institute. Freeflow Institute is a Montana-based organization offering seminars, workshops, and adventures for creative people in Earth’s wildest classrooms. By offering intelligently structured, professionally catered trips into wild spaces, the Freeflow Institute affords established and emerging writers, artists, and athletes, the time, community, and inspiration to take their practice outside and build creative cohorts of advocates for thoughtful, strategic environmental preservation. The end result – inspired and effective

The Kremmling Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released preliminary plans to update their Special Recreation Area Management Plan for the Upper Colorado River from Parshall to State Bridge. We need the paddling community to speak up for our interests regarding proposed changes to the management of this reach, which includes Gore Canyon and the Pumphouse to State Bridge sections. We make it super easy to comment with our easy action templated forms and we’ll hand

Oregon is renowned for its plentiful water supplies and outstanding recreation opportunities on its public waterways. The abundance of outstanding water resources is a reason why people continue to live, work, recreate and travel to the state.  Protecting rivers and access to them is important to conservation and recreation as it ties to strong local economies and community health.     Oregon House Bill 2835 started as an ambitious effort to address some of the access concerns in Oregon, and in

Nancy Kell, a very experienced Mid-States kayaker, died on February 24th after flipping in a Class II rapid on West Virginia's Red Creek. There were a number of strainers in the vicinity above and below the water. One of them snagged her tow, pulled her out of her boat, and held her under water. She was with a very experienced crew but they could not reach her quickly enough to save her life. Equipment snags are a real risk. (People

The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) are conducting a Wild and Scenic River Eligibility Evaluation as part of the current Forest Plan Revision process. While the Forest Service is mandated to conduct an Eligibility Study as part of the Plan Revision process, this opportunity only happens every 15-20 years and we need to ensure that the Study is comprehensive and robust. We need YOU to share your love and knowledge of these rivers with the Forest Service!