Articles

The State of West Virginia today chose to pass on a major economic and environmental opportunity by issuing a water quality certificate for the Hawks Nest Hydroelectric Project that lacks vital restoration of flows to the New River Dries. The certification outlines certain mandatory conditions that must be adopted by Federal regulators for the forthcoming 30 to 50 year license. The certification requires the dam owner to release flows suitable for kayaking and rafting on an average of only 3

  On May 5th, 2017, the Department of the Interior announced that it would be reviewing millions of acres of public land protected as National Monuments under a piece of legislation called the Antiquities Act. All National Monuments are at risk, but the Department of the Interior has specifically identified public lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Maine for review. One of these areas is the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument

Palisade, Colorado – Coordinated releases from a series of reservoirs in the Upper Colorado River Basin have been sheduled to provide peak run-off in early June. Coordinated reservoir operations begin earlier this month as part of an ongoing effort to support endangered fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Flows at in the Colorado River near Cameo (Big Sur) are anticipated to be approximately 14,000 – 17,000 cfs from June 7th through June 12th, with the highest flows on Thursday or

American Whitewater and Clif are pleased to announce the Clif Flowing Rivers Campaign, pledging $2,500 to American Whitewater Affiliate Clubs for river stewardship work. Funding for this program is provided by the Clif partnership with American Whitewater. Clubs have the opportunity to apply for one of two $1,250 grants.    Grants will be distributed to clubs for projects that promote river stewardship, conservation, access and/or safety on rivers in the United States. All submissions must be received by July 15th,

A healthy, vibrant, participatory and functional Board of Directors is critical to the long term stability and effective governance of American Whitewater. This requires Directors with a passion for our mission and a mix of appropriate skills to help guide AW and meet the challenges we face, both now and in the future.   In 2017 we have one Director seat being vacated and are searching for a candidate that represents the inter-mountain west, and Colorado specifically.   Serving on

Congress is currently considering several pieces of hydropower legislation that, in our analysis, would likely negatively impact rivers if passed in their current form. In early May, the House Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing on legislation addressing hydropower infrastructure modernization that included Discussion Drafts of bills relating to modernizing hydropower policy. In our reading of the Discussion Drafts, they would undermine the existing balance balance between hydropower and all other river values, including recreation. Many of these bills propose

Spring is in the air and as another great paddling season comes into focus, we hope that you'll consider making a contribution to American Whitewater on GiveBig Day – Wednesday, May 10. GiveBIG is a one day event through the Seattle Foundation that makes your donation to American Whitewater go further.    “¨   It's a great way to support our efforts which are exclusively focused on conserving and restoring whitewater rivers. Protecting free-flowing rivers, restoring flows to impacted rivers

Paddlers planning on paddling the Dolores below Bedrock (Bedrock to Gateway stretch) between May 9 – May 19 need to be aware of intermittent river closures at the new Bedrock Bridge at Colorado Highway (CO) 90. CDOT and SEMA Construction will begin lifting large precast members for the bridge beginning Tuesday, May 9. River users will encounter intermittent half hour river closures at this location just north (downstream) of the Bedrock boat ramp, while large pieces of concrete are suspended

The EPA is asking the public which regulations they should repeal, replace, or modify. They were required to ask this question by a recent Executive Order. Here at American Whitewater we have a pretty simple response to which water quality regulations should be cut: "None."  The EPA is responsible for keeping our rivers clean enough to support safe river recreation in large part through working with the states to implement the Clean Water Act. As paddlers know too well, many

The May/June issue of the AW Journal is available in the "Library". This issue features ‘As the Cherry Blossoms Bloom, American Whitewater Goes to Washington, DC’.  Read the issue now online or download your copy. This issue also includes. . . ·         Johns Creek Lawsuit Withdrawn! ·         Self-Support Part 1: Paddling a Heavy Kayak ·         Making Peace with a Beast ·         . . .and much more Current members – Read the issue now! Not a current member – Join or Renew!  

This May 5-7th, 2017, American Whitewater will be at the 20th annual French Broad River Festival in Hot Springs, NC. Proceeds for the event get donated to American Whitewater and other non-profits. The French Broad River Fest has donated a huge amount to American Whitewater over the past 20 years so grab your tickets and have a great time showing your support!   Events French Broad River Fest features some great activities and events. This year's event features the biggest, mass start,

It was a big week in Washington DC for the outdoor recreation community. Outdoor Industry Association hosted their annual Capitol Summit and we were invited to join as partners with many outdoor recreation companies who directly support our stewardship work. Outdoor recreation in America is a powerful economic force. At an event earlier in the week at the National Press Club [view press conference], the Outdoor Industry Association rolled out the 2017 Outdoor Recreation Economy Report which came with some

American Whitewater has been helping to implement negotiated recreational flows on the Mokelumne River for over 15 years. This year’s record water year poses some challenges on roads across California that were washed out due to winter storms. It is no different on the Mokelumne watershed. However, we still have opportunities to paddle!   Mokelumne Devil's Nose Class V   There will be no recreational releases on Devil's Nose this year because there is currently zero road access. Ellis Road,

California is officially in the wettest season on record giving the state a plethora of paddling choices throughout the year.  Here are some of the paddling opportunities that American Whitewater helped negotiate and implement with hydropower projects across the state including the South Fork American Slab Creek, South Fork Silver Ice House, North Fork Feather Rock Creek and Pit 5. Keep in mind we have never seen a season like this and the flow schedules shared are subject to change.

Freshwater mussels and algae from other countries have been wreaking havoc ever since they hitched rides to the Great Lakes in the ballast of ocean-going ships. Once established in the Great Lakes they began catching rides to smaller lakes and rivers around the United States, where they have thrown ecosystems out of whack and mucked up infrastructure. In response, some state and federal agencies have began inspecting boats, charging fees, and even limiting access to certain water bodies. Late last

Contact Don Howdyshell Email cfkayakrace@gmail.com   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 30, 2017 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio – Whitewater kayakers will again flood into downtown Cuyahoga Falls to compete in the 2nd Annual Cuyahoga Falls Kayak Race on Saturday, April 22, at 1 p.m. The race will be held on the section of the Cuyahoga River Upper Gorge, which runs through downtown Cuyahoga Falls alongside the Sheraton Suites and currently terminates in the dam pool above the Gorge Dam in the Summit