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This month, American Whitewater supporters stepped up, took action, and made a difference on two important issues that have a big impact on river conservation and recreation. As Congress wraps up the session for 2015, here’s an update on where things stand with hydropower legislation and Land and Water Conservation Fund.    H.R. 8 – Hydropower Legislation   Background: H.R. 8 is a comprehensive energy bill that has some very troubling implications for rivers with private and municipal hydropower dams.

The Forest Service recently released a great list of 53 rivers and creeks they view as potentially worthy of protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and asked for feedback. Numerous paddlers responded this week to share the exemplary values of the region's whitewater gems and to argue for full protection. With the comment period now closed the Forest Service will select a system of protected streams based on public comments and other information. We'll have a chance to

The California State Lands Commission (SLC) is in the final stages of updating their strategic plan through the final draft of the California State Lands Commission Strategic Plan 2016 – 2020.  Led by California State Lieutenant Governor, Gavin Newsom, State Controller, Betty Yee and Director of Finance, Michael Cohen the Lands Commission is tasked with protecting the lands that are controlled by the State of California.  This includes all of the lands under and adjacent to the navigable rivers within

Yosemite National Park recently announced that it is beginning the process of updating its Wilderness Stewardship Plan, and has requested that the public provide comment about the future of the Wilderness lands within the Park.    The Wilderness Stewardship Plan will govern activities within Yosemite’s designated Wilderness Areas, which make up about 94% of the Park. Earlier this year, Yosemite National Park began to implement its Merced and Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River Management Plans, which opened both rivers to

The Lewis and Clark National Forest (MT) is updating the inventory of streams they protect as "eligible" for Wild and Scenic designation. To be eligible a stream reach must be undammed and have at least one rare, unique, or exemplary value that is regionally or nationally significant. This marks an incredible opportunity for the paddling community to help protect rivers on the Rocky Mountain Front, in the Upper Blackfoot and Little Blackfoot watersheds, and in the Big Belts, Little Belts,

Russell Fork Rendezvous and the Lord Of The Fork Race bring together the southeast/mid atlantic boating community and could not happen without strong volunteer leadership. Participants enjoy great music, good food, camaraderie, bonfires, films, and lots of great whitewater on the banks of the Russell Fork near Elkhorn City, KY. American Whitewater benefits with a strong membership drive around the event.   AW’s December Volunteers of the Month are the team that hosts these Russell Fork events; Bob Larkin, Nate Scally and

The House is scheduled to vote the week of November 30th on the hydropower legislation we’ve been tracking since late spring. It still spells really, really bad news for rivers and paddler’s voices are very important right now!   H.R. 8 (the "North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act”) is a comprehensive energy bill with hydropower provisions that, if passed, will make restoring rivers impacted by hydropower dams significantly more challenging (these provisions are in Title I Subtitle C of

DENVER РColorado Governor John Hickenlooper was presented with Colorado's first Statewide Water Plan Thursday morning. He called the project a historic step for the state of Colorado. ҬӬMembers of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado's water community, and 150 attendees were on hand for the presentation of the Final plan, which was delivered ahead of its initial December deadline.ӬӬ In the spring of 2013, Hickenlooper directed the Colorado Water Conservation Board to work with local communities to develop the

DENVER, Colorado – As the leading conservation group representing whitewater paddlers in Colorado, American Whitewater is pleased that years of hard work on the State's’s first-ever water plan reflects Coloradans’ overwhelming support for conservation and river protection. It is critical that the Plan be implemented accordingly, so that rivers are protected, restored, and enjoyed!”¨ American Whitewater and our conservation partners including Audubon, American Rivers, Conservation Colorado, Environmental Defense Fund, San Juan Citizens Alliance and Western Resource Advocates, released a statement

California State Parks and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will need boater input for a joint General Plan/Resource Management Plan (RMP) for Auburn State Recreation Area (SRA).  The whitewater runs within the 33,000 acres of land along over forty miles of river canyon on the North & Middle Fork of the American River include: NF American Chamberlain Falls, NF American Shirtail, MF American Tunnel Run, MF American Greenwood Bridge to Mammoth Bar and NF & MF American Confluence to Folsom Lake Auburn SRA was originally

Each year American Whitewater’s membership elects Board of Director members to serve three-year terms. These candidates volunteer to serve on the American Whitewater Board. Current American Whitewater members can cast their votes through Midnight Pacific Time, December 15th. Currently, American Whitewater has four returning Directors to fill four open seats for election, you may vote for up to four candidates on the slate. The ballot for our Board of Directors election is placed online here.   You must be a current American

The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests are updating their management plans which include the list of streams they protect as "eligible" for Wild and Scenic designation. To be eligible a stream reach must be undammed and have at least one rare, unique, or exemplary value that is regionally or nationally significant. No one knows WNC's streams like paddlers, and this marks an incredible opportunty for our community to protect our favorite runs from dams and other impacts. Their are almost

The '85 Flood slammed the Cheat River Rafting Business The 1985 flood had a big impact on the whitewater rafting business and affected everyone who paddled the river in canoes and kayaks. It struck near the end of the "Glory Days" of Cheat River Rafting, when outfitters were guiding roughly 40,000 people down the river each year. In1976 I joined the springtime frenzy as a part time guide, working in Philadelphia and driving out on weekends to help "the boys"

Colorado Gives Day is on December 8th but you can schedule your donation today!                                            Your gift matters! American Whitewater is working hard to protect and restore flows to Colorado’s rivers. With your support, we’ll defend the public’s ability to fish and float Colorado’s rivers and keep working hard to ensure that the Colorado Water Plan will protect the state's