Articles

On December 28, 2018 the Department of the Interior (DOI) proposed a rule that would change the way Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) records requests are handled by the DOI. The FOIA allows the public to access information the national government has in its possession. It provides a legal requirement for government transparency and accountability, allowing for public debate, and also provides an avenue for legal discovery in judicial challenges against the policies of public agencies, which are otherwise hidden

The National Paddling Film Festival is rapidly approaching! The fine folks who run NPFF are currently accepting films and still images. Entries are free and categories include amateur, accomplished, and professional. You still have time to enter today! NPFF has a long history of supporting American Whitewater, as well as other organizations dedicated to river conservation and access. This grassroot festival, located at a bourbon distillery Frankfort, Kentucky is on February 15th and 16th. Check out their Facebook Event Page

    The January/February issue of the AW Journal is available in the "Library". This issue includes 'The Top Ten River Stewardship Issues of 2019’, along with:    Revisiting the Top Ten River Stewardship Issues in 2018 Articles on the history of the Gauley River in West Virginia A highlight of the Nile River and impact of the Isimba Dam Some much needed cold-weather paddling tips Two touching remembrances and much more. . .             Current members – Read the

Earlier this week, American Whitewater presented the Town of Friendsville, Maryland with a $5000 check towards the extension of the popular Upper Yough Access. This, combined with a $1000 donation from Keelhaulers Canoe Club, made a strong statement of how much paddlers value the river and the town! Under the leadership of Mayor Spencer Schlosnagle and long time paddler and Friendsville resident Jess Whittemore the town raised $7 in additional funding for every dollar paddlers donated – just like they

American Whitewater is seeking to hire a contract-based professional web programmer with significant experience in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The project will include: The creation and modification of point and vector GIS data layers, Designing and programming a web-based platform for adding new point and vector data to an web-based database, Designing and programming the efficient display of GIS data on the American Whitewater website. Sharing / serving the data layers across other public platforms.     Please send inquiries and resumes

Earlier this month we announced that American Whitewater is close to releasing the new design for our National Whitewater Inventory (NWI). We'll be going live with the final new design of the NWI in January, but we are stoked to share the draft beta version of the site now, so our members can get a taste of the look and feel for the new site. We hope you enjoy taking a peak at the site, and enjoy the new river pages, but

Charlie Duffy has created a series of graphs summarizing the contents of the Accident Database over the last 20 years. Along the way, he searched our files for any errors and duplicates and corrected them. Click through to scroll through these fascinating charts or to download them for your use. To Browse On Facebook click here.   To Download the PDF’s click here.

This week the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army announced their intent to redefine the “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) that are protected under the Clean Water Act.   We anticipated this action as the second step in a two-step process that EPA announced in response to a February 2017 Executive Order entitled “Restoring the Rule of Law, Federalism, and Economic Growth by Reviewing the ‘Waters of the United States’ Rule.” Step 1 is to “repeal” the

The online National Whitewater Inventory (NWI) is one of American Whitewater’s most valuable assets, in terms of fulfilling our stewardship goals, and in encouraging the safe enjoyment of our nation’s rivers. We are constantly working to enhance the river beta our army of volunteers provides in the inventory, and the ways that beta is shared and received. Nearly two years ago, American Whitewater was awarded a grant from the United States Coast Guard to update our National Whitewater Inventory and

American Whitewater is pleased to announce our 2018 Holiday Membership Offer – a one year AW membership paired up with our 2019 AW calendar or AW Silipint Cup. . .and all for just $45! Giving a great gift and supporting your favorite non-profit at the same time. . . great river karma!  We’ve made ordering the Holiday Membership Offer quick and easy, choose one of the options below and we’ll take care of the rest. A gift for someone else – if they already

Please welcome our newest staff member, Bethany Overfield. Bethany is stepping into the large shoes being vacated with the retirement of Carla Miner. Both Bethany and Carla are working together through the month of December to ensure a smooth membership services transition. All of us at American Whitewater are going to miss Carla’s steady and consistent response to member questions and we wish her the best for her world travels in retirement. We are thrilled to have Bethany step into

The 2019 American Whitewater calendar is now available for purchase. Each year, we collect the best photos from our gracious paddling community and pick out our favorites for the annual AW calendar. The proceeds from calendar sales support our river stewardship work.   When this years calendar arrives, Celebrating Our Rivers & Our Opportunities to Enjoy Them, you'll get to see a new beautful image of a river that AW has made a difference on every month and find out

Federal Coast Guard Law is set to change for the better, allowing throw ropes as a “type of life saving equipment,”  in lieu of throw cushions under rafting regulations on federally managed whitewater rivers across the country. On November 27, 2018, the "Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018" headed to the President's desk for his signature.    The following language is in the Act:   SEC. 827. EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS; EXEMPTION FROM THROWABLE PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICES REQUIREMENT.   Not

American Whitewater is set to come out swinging in 2019, protecting rivers and access, restoring flows, and creating new ways to provide the beta you need to get out and paddle, but we can’t do it without your ongoing support to keep our work on track. American Whitewater is your true bipartisan river recreation and conservation organization working for your interests and creating opportunities for you to spend time on the river. We know that protecting and restoring rivers, and our