Articles

American Whitewater is committed to providing the paddling community and our members with the highest quality service and the best representation for river stewardship. In line with our commitment to continuous improvement, we are looking to examine our current performance across a range of issues critical to our success. The best way for us to do this is by asking you to participate in this community survey and to provide us with your opinion on how American Whitewater is currently

Newspapers are reporting that several landowners filed a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Virginia earlier this week, seeking to claim ownership of the riverbed of Johns Creek. The lawyer filing the lawsuit claims the case will set precedent that could impact other Virginia streams in future similar cases. Johns Creek is a recreational treasure, and the right to travel it in canoes or kayaks belongs to all Virginians.  It is a large classic whitewater stream with exciting Class IV rapids

Snohomish PUD has announced a scheduled whitewater recreational opportunity on the Upper Sultan River on Saturday, April 23rd. Flows are anticipated to be set at 700 cfs below Culmback Dam and will begin at 10:00 a.m. Flows will begin ramping down at 1:00 p.m. In addition to providing a whitewater boating opportunity, these flows will benefit the overall health of the river.    This Class IV gorge is a great piece of whitewater in a spectacular setting. Scheduled flows that

This month, American Whitewater recognizes Lauren Nance as our Volunteer of the Month. Lauren has been working closely with our Colorado Stewardship Team to protect the interest of paddlers on the Upper Colorado River. Lauren has recently taken over as Conservation Director at Colorado Whitewater, one of AW's oldest affilates. In March, Lauren volunteered her time to helping represent paddlers in the Upper Colorado River Wild and Scenic Management Group, and filling a vacant seat reserved for CW. Lauren is

Colorado – The likelyhood of boatable flows returning to the Dolores River has dropped from earlier anticipated "forecasts" from February and March. As of March 15th, the most recent forecasts from the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC) and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) show a potential spill of 44,000 acre-feet or nothing, respectively.  The CBRFC Most Probable forecast from March 15th, sets inflows at McPhee Reservoir at 92% of the April – July average. The NRCS 70% excedance

As the whitewater release season begins, it's time to celebrate our partnership with the town of Friendsville, MD, the takeout for the popular Upper Youghiogheny River. The town has a population of around 500 and hosts over 300 paddlers on a busy weekend. American Whitewater has worked closely with the town for many years, helping to negotiate the releases and manage parking and other issues. Many of us have been enjoying the place for years and were pleased to help

On Friday, March 25, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed our bridge access bill into law. The bill (SSB 6363) requires that the Department of Transportation assess the feasibility of providing public river access when a bridge is built or re-constructed. The bill had bi-partisan support, and many of you reached out to your state representatives to help make this happen. Thanks to everyone who participated!    Take Action and thank supporters of public access to rivers!   Please take a

Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) is currently considering whether to begin the process of protecting the North Fork Smith and its tributaries under the highest type of water quality protection under the Clean Water Act. The river is threatened by a proposal to develop a nickel strip mine in its headwaters, and you can help protect the North Fork Smith and its tributaries by weighing in.  The Wild and Scenic North Fork Smith River is a whitewater gem, known for

  Dave Brown, the man behind Friends of the Ocoee and Citizens For Gauley River, has announced his intent to retire as executive director of America Outdoors, the national outfitters association. The team of lawyers and scientists he assembled in the early 1980's to keep the Upper Gauley from being dammed – Pete Skinner, Pope Barrow, Mac Thornton, and Steve Taylor – later became the core of a Board of Directors that revitalized American Whitewater. He also organized the first

The Forest Service has been managing the Upper White Salmon River as a Wild and Scenic River since it was designated by Congress in 2005. This is the segment of the river on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest upstream of the Farmlands reach; paddlers may know it as the Mt. Adams section, Upper Upper White Salmon, or Green Canyon.    While whitewater paddling trips on this run occur less frequently than the more popular Farmlands, Green Truss, and BZ runs,

This morning, Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Earl Blumenauer from Oregon released the Recreation Not Red Tape (RNR) Act (S. 2706 and H.R. 4790), which is an effort to recognize the importance of recreation on public lands and waters.   We are particularly excited about provisions to facilitate improvements in the process to obtain river permits, directing agencies to make recreation a priority, and elevating the stature of National Recreation Areas as a national system.   "American Whitewater thanks Senator

The National Park Service is celebrating its Centennial this year (2016) and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act’s 50th anniversary is coming up in 2018. We encourage the paddling community to get out there, take photos, and enjoy rivers while finding your park! You can help tell the story of these rivers which supports their conservation and stewardship by sharing your photos.   The National Park Service has initiated an effort to capture the beauty of each of the 3,200

We are pleased to recognize John Mello as the Volunteer of the Month for March, 2016. John is the Event Director for National Paddling Film Festival held each February in Frankfort, KY. Best known by its acronym, NPFF acts as a gathering of the boating community in the upper mid-Atlantic. John and his team of committed volunteers do a wonderful job hosting out of town paddlers over the festival weekend. As is fitting in Kentucky, the venue for the event