Articles

Rejecting the idea that their hydroelectric project causes any impact at Ward's Ferry Bridge, Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts (the Districts) filed a request for trial-type hearing before an administrative law judge that challenges the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) preliminary conditions to improve the long-standing whitewater take-out for the Wild & Scenic Tuolumne River. This past January BLM filed preliminary terms and conditions for the Don Pedro Hydroelectric Project 2299 which included requirements for long overdue improvements for safety

This past fall American Whitewater met with Ohiopyle State Park managers to discuss possible updates to their whitewater paddling regulations. The first topic was to change the rules governing raft sizes at different water levels to recognize the capabilities of self-bailing rafts. Shorter self-bailing boats will now be allowed to run the river at high water. Some small changes to the regulations will make Ohiopyle Falls more accessible to paddlers. A change in the way the gauge is interpreted should

The Salmon-Challis National Forest has produced a draft Wild and Scenic River Eligibility Report as part of their forest plan revision process. The public can comment on the eligibility report in support of the Forest Service protecting a suite of streams as "eligible" for future Wild and Scenic designation. This week, American Whitewater submitted our own comments, and we encourage paddlers to explore the Forest Service's proposed river protections and send in a comment of your own.  The Salmon Challis

American Whitewater is pleased to share that we were recently awarded a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina to support professional facilitation for the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership. The Partnership is made up of a diverse range of regional interest groups working together to create a shared vision for the future management of the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests. The Nantahala and Pisgah national forests are comprised of 1.1 million acres of biologically diverse and recreationally treasured

The March/April issue of the AW Journal is available in the "Library". This issue features ‘Does Hydropower Have a Place in the Renewable Energy Future?  Read the issue now online or download your copy. This issue also includes. . . ·         Top River Access Issues in Washington State ·         Update on Kalmiopsis Rivers Protection ·         Wild and Scenic Whitewater ·         . . .and much more Current members – Read the

American Whitewater is an organization that prides ourselves on getting work done, both effectively and efficiently. Eighty-one cents of every dollar we see goes directly to our stewarship work, and in 2017 we succeeded in turning that work into favorable outcomes on projects across the country. For a concise and graphic look at the work we accomplished together last year, check out this one page document that will be a part of our 2017 Annual Report – Our Work Together

The Department of Agriculture recently announced that it will not review a 20-year prohibition on new mining development (i.e., a “mineral withdrawal) for over 101,000 acres of public lands in SW Oregon. The protection, which was implemented in late 2016, covers rivers cherished by the whitewater community including the Wild and Scenic North Fork Smith and Illinois Rivers and their headwaters. The threat to the SW Oregon mineral withdrawal came last fall when Representative Rob Bishop of Utah called on

American Whitewater is an organization that has been serving paddlers for over 60 years. We are committed to meeting the needs of the whitewater community and our members by providing the highest quality of service and the best representation of the community’s stewardship needs. We strive to continually improve the services we provide paddlers, and every couple of years we ask the community to examine our current performance across a range of issues critical to our success. The best way

There is no shortage of stewardship work for American Whitewater in 2018. We're working towards bringing 5,000 new miles of river under Wild and Scenic protection in the coming year. Our Top Ten Stewardship Issues for 2018 reflect this goal, with many of our top issues being Wild and Scenic in nature. Our Top Ten list highlights the areas that we think have the potential to be game changing and where we’ll focus a lot of our energy striving for positive

Senator Stewart Greenleaf, a Pennsylvania State legislator known for his practical, problem solving approach to solving the State’s problems, has announced that he will not seek re-election in 2018. Mr. Greenleaf, 78, was first elected to the Pennsylvania House in 1976 and has served in the Senate since 1978. He is a long time member of the Philadelphia Canoe Club and his work was directly responsible for fall and spring white water releases on Tohickon Creek (1977) and summer releases

American Whitewater is advocating for improved access conditions at Ward’s Ferry Bridge on California’s Tuolumne River, which is the take-out for the Wild and Scenic Meral’s Pool run above the Don Pedro Hydropower Project. Together, with our partners Tuolumne River Trust, Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center and Tuolumne River Outfitters (ARTA, OARS, Sierra Mac), we are using the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s hydropower relicensing process to champion upgrades for a safe, multi-user recreational facility at this site. Today the take-out

The Washington State legislature is considering a bill that could significantly impact river access in Washington State. Public road right-of-ways that dead end on waterways provide important access to rivers and marine shorelines across Washington State for kayakers, rafters, canoeists, sea kayakers, and fishermen. Paddlers who enjoy the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie for example are familiar with the Tanner take-out where an old bridge crossing site is a King County right-of-way between two private parcels that serves as the

I teach a fair number or ACA Safety & Rescue classes each year.  I’ve also lead numerous Instructor Certification Workshops.  The ACA Level 4 Curriculum covers many topics.  Some students/candidates are interested in real world examples where these skills come into play.  I was quite fortunate to have Charlie Walbridge lead my Instructor Certification Class.  One of the many interesting exercises was a slide show of various incidents we analyzed and took a stab at “what would we do?”.  With

The Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests encompass some of the best paddling and salmon habitat in the United States including the Lochsa, Selway, and Clearwater rivers. The Forest Service is updating their management plan which must include an updated roster of streams they will protect as eligible for Wild and Scenic designation. They tentatively propose to grow the list from 29 to 89 rivers which is a well-reasoned decision. Unfortunately they propose to significantly cull that list in the