Vendor registration for the largest whitewater festival in the world, Gauley Fest, is now open! Make sure to register before prices automatically increase 15% on September 1st. If you have any questions, please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions. If you don’t see your question answered there, please contact us at bookkeeper@americanwhitewater.org or 828-586-1930. See you there!
If you boat whitewater rivers in Oregon, American Whitewater wants to hear from you! We're doing a survey to better understand the importance of some of the state's best whitewater runs. The information you provide will be used to support our work to protect, restore and improve access to your favorite rivers in the state. Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G9VWTVR Your feedback is important to us, and could lead to new Wild and Scenic River designations or to fight
Vendor registration for the largest whitewater festival in the world, Gauley Fest, is now open! Make sure to register before prices automatically increase 15% on September 1st. If you have any questions, please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions. If you don’t see your question answered there, please contact us at bookkeeper@americanwhitewater.org or 828-586-1930. See you there!
If you boat whitewater rivers in Oregon, American Whitewater wants to hear from you! We're doing a survey to better understand the importance of some of the state's best whitewater runs. The information you provide will be used to support our work to protect, restore and improve access to your favorite rivers in the state. Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G9VWTVR Your feedback is important to us, and could lead to new Wild and Scenic River designations or to fight
Extending from the Seattle waterfront to Ellensburg Washington, the Mountains to Sound Greenway is 1.5 million acre outdoor recreation paradise. It includes great whitewater runs like the Middle-Middle, Club Stretch, Ernie's Gorge, Fall in the Wall in the Snoqualmie River drainage; Cooper and Cle Elum in the Yakima River drainage; Cedar River Slalom Course; and many more great paddling destinations. The Greenway also has 1,600 miles of trails, the stunning Cascade Crest, backcountry skiing and snowshoeing, rock climbing routes and
As paddling season kicks into high gear, we hope that you'll consider making a contribution to American Whitewater on GiveBig Day–Tuesday, May 5th! GiveBIG is a one day event through the Seattle Foundation that makes your donation to American Whitewater go further! It's a great way to support our efforts to halt new dams proposed for the North Fork Snoqualmie and South Fork Skykomish Rivers, secure protections for iconic and pristine rivers on the Olympic Peninsula, and ensure that the public can
As paddling season kicks into high gear, we hope that you'll consider making a contribution to American Whitewater on GiveBig Day–Tuesday, May 5th! GiveBIG is a one day event through the Seattle Foundation that makes your donation to American Whitewater go further! It's a great way to support our efforts to halt new dams proposed for the North Fork Snoqualmie and South Fork Skykomish Rivers, secure protections for iconic and pristine rivers on the Olympic Peninsula, and ensure that the public can
May 2nd will be the first Saturday Upper Yough release of the year, and hundreds of white water paddlers will converge on the small town of Friendsville, MD. After $25,000 in paddler-donated seed money and $160,000 in grants raised by the Town the new parking area is complete and awaiting final approval. We hope the parking will be open, but please park on the side of the road if it isn't. Other work to protect river access continues. Don Millard, a local
May 2nd will be the first Saturday Upper Yough release of the year, and hundreds of white water paddlers will converge on the small town of Friendsville, MD. After $25,000 in paddler-donated seed money and $160,000 in grants raised by the Town the new parking area is complete and awaiting final approval. We hope the parking will be open, but please park on the side of the road if it isn't. Other work to protect river access continues. Don Millard, a local
Late last week, the Merced River in Yosemite National Park was officially reopened to paddlers! Even though the new Wild and Scenic River Plan was finalized a year ago, the actual rules and regulations for the Park (the Superintendent’s Compendium) still needed to be updated. This finally happened on Friday, April 24, 2015, and is the culmination of seven years of sustained engagement by American Whitewater with the National Park Service and other stakeholders in this process. Allowing paddling was
The current agreement for water in the Ocoee River with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) expires in 2018. A new agreement is needed. For the next agreement, TVA is asking for $9 million from outfitters to recover the lost costs of hydro generation for the first 5 years of releases. These fees represent an eye-popping 800% increase for the Middle Ocoee and a 180% increase for the Upper Ocoee. If the outfitters are unable to pay, then private boaters will lose
During dry years like the persistent drought here in California, American Whitewater believes water should be put to good multi-use down our flowing rivers. Thus, most of the agreements that have been negotiated on hydroelectric projects over the past 15 years have conditions that provide for recreational flows even in critically dry years. American Whitewater has been able to negotiate flows in dry years due to the fact that none of these flows have any impact on downstream consumptive water
The current agreement for water in the Ocoee River with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) expires in 2018. A new agreement is needed. For the next agreement, TVA is asking for $9 million from outfitters to recover the lost costs of hydro generation for the first 5 years of releases. These fees represent an eye-popping 800% increase for the Middle Ocoee and a 180% increase for the Upper Ocoee. If the outfitters are unable to pay, then private boaters will lose
During dry years like the persistent drought here in California, American Whitewater believes water should be put to good multi-use down our flowing rivers. Thus, most of the agreements that have been negotiated on hydroelectric projects over the past 15 years have conditions that provide for recreational flows even in critically dry years. American Whitewater has been able to negotiate flows in dry years due to the fact that none of these flows have any impact on downstream consumptive water
We are excited to announce that AW and Colorado Whitewater are hosting the 10th annual South Platte River Cleanup on Saturday, April 25th in celebration of Earth Day in Denver, Colorado. This is an all-volunteer event to pick up trash along Denver's South Platte River. In past years, we have seen over 200 rafters, kayakers, and other participants successfully remove over 2 TONS of garbage from the river corridor. The event has garnered local and regional attention as the best
On April 12, 2015 a Canadian paddler visiting the US was killed on the Farmlands section of Washington's White Salmon River. Denis Brown, 63, flipped in "triple Drop" rapid, did not roll, and washed iunto a strainer on the river right bank. Mr. Brown came our of his kayak and pinned against the strainer, and his boat washed down and lodged against him. There is an excellent report of this and the vigorous rescue attempt available now in the AW
On April 12, 2015 a Canadian paddler visiting the US was killed on the Farmlands section of Washington's White Salmon River. Denis Brown, 63, flipped in "triple Drop" rapid, did not roll, and washed iunto a strainer on the river right bank. Mr. Brown came our of his kayak and pinned against the strainer, and his boat washed down and lodged against him. There is an excellent report of this and the vigorous rescue attempt available now in the AW
Friends of the Cheat, a long time partner of American Whitewater, will put on the 21st Annual CheatFest on Saturday May 2nd. It's an all day event with races, kid's events, great music, and of course, whitewater! FOC works tirelessly to improve water quality in the Cheat River Watershed and was a key player in the recent protection of the Cheat Canyon. They currently maintain three river access areas on the Cheat and Big Sandy Rivers which they built with
Friends of the Cheat, a long time partner of American Whitewater, will put on the 21st Annual CheatFest on Saturday May 2nd. It's an all day event with races, kid's events, great music, and of course, whitewater! FOC works tirelessly to improve water quality in the Cheat River Watershed and was a key player in the recent protection of the Cheat Canyon. They currently maintain three river access areas on the Cheat and Big Sandy Rivers which they built with
Last month Politico reported that top Department of Energy officials continue to push their ambitious goal to double hydropower production in the U.S. by 2030. Hydropower companies have taken note since the DOE first announced its goal last year, and they continue to gear up to help. With less than 2% of our rivers in the lower 48 left relatively undeveloped, the Department of Energy’s vision to dam every possible river to double hydropower production is not one that we
On Saturday April 25th, Snohomish PUD will be providing a whitewater recreational opportunity on the Upper Sultan River. This class IV gorge is a great piece of whitewater in a spectacular setting. Water will be released from Culmback Dam as it has been in recent years as a condition of the hydropower license for the project requiring process flows. These periodic high flows were designed to benefit the overall health of the river. What is different this year, is that
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
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
