Articles

American Whitewater recognizes John Simpkin as our April 2015 Volunteer of the Month!   John became a California Regional Coordinator for American Whitewater in 2013, and is a steady and familiar face with many American Whitewater Affiliate Clubs like the Loma Prieta Paddlers and Gold Country Paddlers.   John helps represent American Whitewater at PG&E's Mokelumne Hydroelectric Project by attending monthly Ecological Resource Committee meetings and advocating for our mission. John has a degree from U.C. Davis in zoology and

On May 21, 2015, American Whitewater members will have an opportunity to join American Whitewater staff and board members for an exclusive trip on Colorado’s Yampa River. We invite you to come learn more about our Colorado River stewardship program while having a great time enjoying a trip down the Yampa River through the heart of Dinosaur National Monument. The Yampa River is the last relatively undammed tributary of the Colorado River system, and AW is working to keep it

March was a busy month for AW as we worked to derail two very troubling bills in the New Mexico legislature, while continuing to stop a devastating Gila River diversion. First, the legislation: The bills were a reaction to a recent NM Attorney General opinion that suggested most riverbed and riverbanks between low and high water marks are open to public use. But the bills went way overboard, so to speak, in trying to keep anglers off private land, and

American Whitewater is excited to attend the 18th Annual French Broad River Fest in Hot Springs, NC this May 1 – 3, 2015. Pick up your tickets today and come join us!   French Broad River Fest (FBRF) is a fun, family friendly outdoor festival that has been a supporter of American Whitewater for nearly two decades! Each year the festival features a host of awesome musical acts, art, food, vendors – even a raft race(!) – right alongside the

The first two weekends in April mark classic boating in the southeast with releases on the Tallulah River. On Saturday 500 cfs is released and on Sunday 700 cfs. Boaters are allowed on the water once the level stabilizes, which is about 9:30 am; the water is turned off at 4 pm. All boaters must start down the stairs by 2:45 pm (first timers should try put on the river before 1.30pm) to beat the flow down to the lake. You

As part of our work to protect and promote access to public waterways, American Whitewater is pursuing a bill in the Washington State legislature to require an evaluation of providing public access for state highway projects that include construction of a bridge across a navigable waterway.  The language of ESB6044 is as follows:   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON: NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 47.01 RCW to read

American Whitewater invites paddlers to the 3rd Annual Opening Day of the South Fork American River Celebration organized by California Canoe & Kayak and Jackson Kayak. Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 4th for a day full of whitewater clinics, free shuttles and BBQ/Party, complete with a raffle and chance to win some great river gear! Proceeds from Opening Day will benefit American Whitewater (AW) and help injured River Champion, Bob Center. Here's more info about the day and how to participate… Whitewater clinics: World

Paddle to the Sea is the Tuolumne River Trust's annual paddle-a-thon to protect the Tuolumne River and raise funds and awareness for river stewardship. Sign yourself or your team up for a fun one-day paddle in May or June on the Tuolumne or American River, or challenge yourself to go the distance from the Sierra to the Sea! Learn more and register at paddletothesea.org.   Interested in joining for a day? The event is open to the public on May

The schedule for the first year of operation of the Holtwood Whitewater Park has been posted on the dam owner's website. American Whitewater and our local partners negotiated the construction of the park and 264 hours of releases annually as mitigation for impacts of the Holtwood Hydroelectric Project.  The first scheduled release is on Saturday March 14, 2015.  There are several important timeframes and considerations paddlers should be aware of for the 2015 season: December-February:  No releases because of frequent

American Whitewater was hand-picked as one of Moosejaw and Patagonia's favorite charities and now we're part of the Moosejaw X Patagonia $10,000 Charity Challenge Thing! That means that we have the chance to win $5,000 for protecting, restoring and accessing rivers across the country, and we need your help to get there!    If we raise the most money during the Challenge (February 26 to March 13), we'll get an additional $5,000 donation to support our work! Second place gets