Articles

American Whitewater "Ohiopyle Over the Falls Festival" will be held on Saturday, October 1, 2016. Come on out and participate in the Falls Race, the Freestyle event, or just run laps on the falls. We have prize money! Additional activities will include a Silent Auction and Town Party at 7:30pm at Falls City Pub.   For additional information and registration forms check out www.FallsRace.com website. The Festival welcomes any and all volunteers, if you're interested in volunteering please contact Barry

It’s safe to say that Gore Fest 2016 was a huge success! The weekend was host to great flows, skilled paddlers, just the perfect amount of carnage, and an incredible volunteer squad that kept the river safe and the party wild. Over 400 people joined us at Rancho del Rio to enjoy what Gore Canyon and the Upper Colorado have to offer. A total of 153 kayakers, rafters, and SUP-boarders competed in races and freestyle events. Overall, we had 159

Nannette Johnson is the bomb. No really. This was heard numerous times at the 2016 Gore Canyon Festival. This month, American Whitewater recognizes Nannette as our September Volunteer of the Month. Nannette was instrumental to this years GoreFest, working closely with our Colorado Stewardship Team to put on an amazing weekend of paddling, partying and raising support and awareness for the protection of flows in the Upper Colorado River.  Nannette not only volunteered the entire festival weekend, registering racers, organizing volunteers, directing shuttles,

The September/October issue of the AW Journal features "a Western Family Road Trip". This issue also includes. . . *   Owyhee River Paddle Boarding *   Jewel in the Desert *   Why I Kayak *   Whitewater Accident Summary *   . . .and much more Current members – Read the issue now! Not a current member – Join or Renew!

Colorado – Montrose County has acquired conditional water rights to the San Miguel River in southwest Colorado and is currently engaged in a water storage feasibility study aimed at pulling more water from the river and building multiple new reservoirs on BLM land. The County received a $300,000 grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) and hired a water rights development coordinator to help push these projects forward. The sections which will potentially be impacted by these proposals would

Gauley Fest is just around the corner. . .have you reserved your Vendor space? Gauley Fest's Marketplace gets bigger and better every year. Take advantage of the 15% discount on Vendor booths through August 31st. Reserve your booth today and lock in your discounted price!  Started in 1983 to celebrate the derailment of a hydro-electric project that would have disrupted the flows on the Gauley River, Gauley Fest has grown to become the largest river festival in the world. It's a showcase for American

As summer winds down and as botable flows fade along with it, you may find yourself looking for one last hurrah. One more chance to gather with the tribe, paddle an exciting stretch of whitewater and dance into the wee hours of the night with the reckless abandon only a gypsy boater can. Look no further! American Whitewater provides the flows and the party, with the three best paddling festivals of the summer right around the corner.  Gore Festival (CO)

Dolores, Colorado – Last week, representatives from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Dolores Water Conservancy District, and the local boating community hosted a public meeting to discuss this year’s boating releases into the lower Dolores River.  This is the first year since 2011 that water managers released boating flows from McPhee Dam. For some, the recreational releases were something to celebrate.  For others, they were confounding and underscored the frustration boaters have felt since the Project came online 30 years

The El Dorado County Transportation Division has issued a feasibility study proposing to remove access at the river once construction for a new Mosquito Road Bridge is started on the South Fork American River. American Whitewater pushed for this study as required under the California Highway Code. Unfortunately, this study outlined a litany of reasons why they believe access at this location is not feasible, rather than studying how river access could be maintained or improved, as the law requires.

As river flows start to drop, many boaters in the West turn their attention to the Upper Colorado River, and the iconic Gore Canyon. American Whitewater is excited to host this year’s Gore Canyon Festival – building on the 30+ year legacy of the Gore Canyon race, with a freestyle rodeo, SUP races and demos, and family floats this year. American Whitewater is deeply invested in creating opportunities to protect, restore, and enjoy whitewater paddling on the Colorado River. Join

American Whitewater released our 2015 Annual Report, it can be downloaded by clicking here. A couple interesting points from that report. Looking back at our success in 2015, American Whitewater achieved these important stewardship milestones: – New “eligible” Wild and Scenic river reaches secured: 9 – New and/or improved river access areas secured: 14 – Number of rivers with hydropower dams with improved downstream flows and river access: 30 – Collaboratively managed river access: 16 – Opened banned rivers in

American Whitewater is proud to announce the two affiliate club recipients of the 2016 Clif Bar Flowing Rivers Campaign: Merrimack Valley Paddlers and The Blue River Watershed Group! Each group will receive a $1,250 grant to go towards their respective stewardship projects.     Contoocook River Access (NH) – Merrimack Valley Paddlers Merrimack Valley Paddlers (MVP) has been working to secure permanent access to the upper section of the Contoocook River from Hillsboro to Henniker in central New Hampshire. The

Denver, CO – American Whitewater is thrilled to announce Good River Beer as its newest Industry Partner. The partnership was born out of a shared love for river recreation and a shared vision for river conservation, and is made possible by Good River Beer’s unique business model. Good River Beer has committed to donating two percent of their revenue to river stewardship and conservation, and half of that will benefit American Whitewater’s Colorado River Stewardship Program. “Our partnership with Good

As our volunteers of the month, we wish to recognize Luke Spencer and Pete Giordano who spent countless hours in meetings and site visits to make new improved access to the Clackamas River a reality.    Those who paddle the Clackamas River, Portland's backyard run, may have noticed something new this spring: enhanced access points with parking, signage, toilet, and convenient launch facilities. These projects would not have happened without Luke and Pete stepping up to volunteer their expertise and

You have to register your vehicle and trailer, so show your support for Colorado’s rivers with the Protect Our Rivers license plate! 100% of the money raised goes toward the conservation, protection and restoration of rivers and streams in Colorado. For every License Plate ordered with AW's Partner Code, a portion of your donation goes directly to support our stewardship efforts! The Protect Our Rivers Program is a program of Colorado Trout Unlimited, one of AW's conservation partners on many

The Tuolumne River Trust's annual paddle-a-thon to protect the Tuolumne River and raise funds and awareness for river stewardship, the Paddle to the Sea, is now a new "bigger and better" event series called By Land & By River. This  "adventure-a-thon" fundraising event series offers exciting opportunities to explore nature, protect the Tuolumne River, and raise awareness for river stewardship. After seven successful years of the Paddle to the Sea event, this year there’s even more ways to explore the