The March/April issue of the AW Journal is available in the "Library". Read it online or download your issue. This issue includes. . . Salmon River Love Letter Beware the Great Defibrillator in the Sky Rio Maranon in Peril . . .and much more Current members – Read the issue now! Not a current member – Join or Renew!
Cortez, Colorado – American Whitewater and local interests in Dolores Water sat down again this month with the most current snowpack, water supply, and McPhee Reservoir storage data, to determine how releases, if possible, can be timed to provide the best boating opportunities, while doing good things for fish, and the health of the River. Releases for the lower Dolores River will happen in 2017. Releases are currently set to start in April. We are actively negotiating with Colorado
We would like to recognize Violet Jakab for being a vocal community advocate in our efforts to save Mosquito Road Bridge. No stranger to adversity, as a young woman, Violet escaped communist rule in Romania in the back of a refrigerator truck. She immigrated to the United States and worked hard for a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Hydraulics at California State University, Long Beach. When not boating, Violet can be found with Yinky and Maggie her German Shepherds
Originally built in 1867 the “Swinging Bridge” a.k.a. Mosquito Road Bridge over the South Fork American River has long served as a crucial intersection for avid recreationalists. Paddlers use it as a key take-out for the Class V Slab Creek reach; climbers use it to access a rock wall called Mosquito Coast; cyclist consider it the centerpiece of the Motherlode Century ride; fisherman use it as an access point to cold water fishing and local hikers use it as a
The State Highway 49 Bridge over the South Fork American River in Coloma is set to be replaced during construction of a $22 million Caltrans project in partnership with the El Dorado County Transportation Commission. For paddlers, this bridge is one of the few remaining free public access sites to the river. American Whitewater worked through the stakeholder process to insure the state right of way on each side of the new bridge will remain open to the public once
Citing benefits to local Olympic Peninsula jobs, economy, clean water & salmon, more than 700 local businesses, elected officials, farms, faith leaders, sportsmen, conservation & recreation groups now backing Wild Olympics QUILCENE, Wash. – The Wild Olympics Coalition today cheered the reintroduction of the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (S.483 and H.B.1285) by Senator Patty Murray and Representative Derek Kilmer to permanently protect more than 126,500 acres of Olympic National Forest as wilderness and 19
Yesterday, President Trump issued an order to the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to review and replace a federal rule that protects our rivers from pollution. This action will start a multi-year public rulemaking process that will decide the safety and health of our nation’s waterways. Paddlers will have an important role to play in speaking up for the value of clean water and healthy rivers. The Clean Water Act is a 45 year-old federal law that governs how
This week the Oregon House Transportation Policy Committee has schedueld a hearing for the bill to establish a Non-Motorized Boating Program as proposed by the Oregon State Marine Board (House Bill 2320). Through a survey we conducted last year we have solicited feedback on the legislation to implement this program. The most controversial element of the proposal is a requirement that any person 14 years of age or older shall carry a non-motorized boating permit ($12 annually) while operating a
The state of Utah is currently proposing to eliminate their current rule that allows boaters to bring a throw bag on trips instead of a throwable personal flotation device. Federal Coast Guard rules require that all boats greater than 16 feet in length contain a throwable PFD. Utah's rule allowing throw bags better accomplishes safety goals than the Coast Guard rules, however the state has determined that they do not have the authority to waive the Coast Guard requirements. If
The state of Utah is proposing to eliminate their current rule that allows boaters to bring a throw bag on trips instead of a throwable personal flotation device. Federal Coast Guard rules require that all boats greater than 16 feet in length contain a throwable PFD. Utah's rule allowing throw bags better accomplishes safety goals than the Coast Guard rules, however the state has determined that they do not have the authority to waive the Coast Guard requirements. If Utah eliminates
While negotiations with Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts are ongoing for improvements downstream at the Ward’s Ferry take-out for the Wild & Scenic Tuolumne River, efforts are being made now to improve the put-in for this iconic California river at Meral’s Pool. Our colleagues at Tuolumne River Trust along with the Groveland USFS, local outfitters and local volunteers are working together to implement long overdue improvements. During the last year, the Forest Service, and 28 volunteers removed hazardous trees and
Cortez, Colorado – Every spring, American Whitewater and local interests in Dolores Water sit down with the latest data on snowpack, water supply, and McPhee Reservoir storage, to determine how releases, if possible, can be timed to provide the best paddling opportunities, while doing good things for fish, and the health of the River. Releases for the lower Dolores River are certain in 2017, and the most probable February forecasts indicate 61 days of streamflow below McPhee Dam above 800cfs!
Eagle, Colorado – As part of the Town of Eagle’s River Corridor Plan, in June 2015, American Whitewater assisted the Town as they started to develop the Eagle River Park – a whitewater park in downtown Eagle. The Town contracted S20 Design, a well-known whitewater park design and engineering firm in Colorado, to design the Park. After a year of working on the design of the whitewater features, S20 design and the Town of Eagle released updates on the plan yesterday.
Future of Spring-Run Salmon Uncertain Dave Steindorf – American Whitewater Chris Shutes- California Sportfishng Protection Alliance In a surprise move, PG&E announced on February 2, 2017 that it was withdrawing its application to relicense the DeSabla – Centerville Hydroelectric Project on Butte Creek and the West Branch Feather River. The reach of Butte Creek affected by the Project is home to the only remaining viable population of spring-run Chinook salmon in California’s Central Valley. Spring-run salmon in Butte Creek
Future of Spring-Run Salmon Uncertain Dave Steindorf – American Whitewater Chris Shutes- California Sportfishng Protection Alliance In a surprise move, PG&E announced on February 2, 2017 that it was withdrawing its application to relicense the DeSabla – Centerville Hydroelectric Project on Butte Creek and the West Branch Feather River. The reach of Butte Creek affected by the Project is home to the only remaining viable population of spring-run Chinook salmon in California’s Central Valley. Spring-run salmon in Butte Creek
Gateway, Colorado – American Whitewater and our partners have begun a multi-phase project to reconstruct the Wines Ditch No. 1 Diversion Structure located on the Dolores River near Gateway, Colorado. The project will address multiple agricultural, environmental, and recreational water interests, including water delivery improvement, sensitive species enhancement and protection, channel stabilization, riparian improvement, and improved public safety and paddling opportunities. The Wines Ditch No. 1 Diversion Structure, located approximately 3.5 miles downstream from the put-in at the
Dotsero, Colorado – The Bureau of Land Management announced it is reprogramming $76,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire a key public access point to the Colorado River. BLM Colorado and Eagle County Open Space have been partnering since 2011 to manage the Dotsero Landing Recreation Site on the Colorado River. Eagle County Open Space acquired the 8.25-acre parcel in 2011 to secure an important public access point for float-boating and fishing on the Upper Colorado River.
With so much news and change coming out of Washington DC over the past week, we put together a quick update of issues affecting whitewater rivers. We’ve seen a lot of interest in reaching out to Congress this week, so we created a web portal that allows you to easily email your 2 senators and one representative and speak up for rivers on any issue at any time (and say whatever you want). You can also call the Capitol Switchboard
The Methow Valley, located in the foothills of the North Cascades, is one of the Northwest's most popular recreation destinations. It is surrounded by public lands that provide year-around opportunities for outdoor recreation including whitewater paddling on rivers like the Methow, Lost, and Chewuch. A current threat to the valley and the recreational opportunities available is a proposed large-scale copper mine in the heart of the valley near Flagg Mountain, located immediately above the town of Mazama. If developed,
We have a once in a generation opportunity to restore one of the greatest river systems of the world–the Columbia and the Snake–by removing four outdated and expensive dams on the lower Snake River. Unlocking the lower Snake River is not only the single most effective thing that we can do to restore wild salmon runs, but it will also restore opportunities for whitewater enthusiasts on the mainstem Snake and enhance them in key upper tributaries like the Lochsa, Selway
Come see American Whitewater and the year's best photos and videos at the National Paddling Film Festival (NPFF)! This year's NPFF will be held on February 17-18 in Frankfort, KY at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. You can buy a ticket to the magic via this easy online order form. Tickets are $20 online or $25 at the door. For 35 years the National Paddling Film Festival has been hosting a competition to determine the best in paddle sport videos
Arkansas River, Colorado – There is only one more day left to share what you value most in the Browns Canyon National Monument planning area! The Bureau of Land Management, U.S Forest Service, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife are working together to develop a Coordinated Management Plan for Browns Canyon National Monument. In order to design a plan that most benefits citizens and visitors of Colorado, the agencies designed an Online Survey and Mapping Tool to understand how the public interacts
It's a New Year, which means it's time to start acting on some resolutions, some of which hopefully involve getting out on the river. If thinking about future whitewater adventures reminds you of any paddling stories from 2016, you should consider writing them down and sending them in to the AW Journal. We're always happy to hear from our members. So let last year's adventures make our 2017 Journal a great one!
There’s great news for the pure rivers of Southwestern Oregon and Northwestern California! On January 12, 2017, the BLM and Forest Service announced a 20-year halt to new mining activities in the watersheds of the North Fork Smith, Illinois, Pistol River and Hunter Creek. You can read the official press release here. This 20-year “mineral withdrawal” protects these important watersheds from the threat of industrial strip mining. These watersheds are home to several cherished whitewater rivers in the region, including
