Articles

American Whitewater needs your help to define flows that support the full range of whitewater boating opportunities for the Lower Spokane River in Washington (the section from T.J. Menach Bride in Spokane to Pese Plats). This survey is designed so individuals can evaluate flows, which will then help American Whitewater and our conservation partners describe how flows affect recreation quality. The Washington Department of Ecology is developing an instream flow rule and to inform this process we need to identify

Through our 60-year history the American Whitewater Journal has seen many changes. One thing remains: our Journal is the longest running whitewater paddlesports publication in the US. It has chronicled the development from kayaks that were primarily imported from Europe, to homemade glass layups, squirt boats, the rise and fall of play boats, to our current crop of creekers suitable for high gradient exploration; it has covered the evolution of rafts from army-surplus rubber tanks to today’s self-bailing, high tech,

Each year American Whitewater’s membership elects Board members to serve three-year terms. These candidates are volunteering to serve three-year terms on the American Whitewater Board of Directors. Current American Whitewater members can cast their votes through Midnight Pacific Time, December 15th. There are currently four seats open 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. Thank you for your participation in this important election process.

American Whitewater is so grateful for our volunteers! Our Volunteers of the Month for November are Charlie and Karin Guilbault of California. Over the past 10 years, the Feather River Festival has grown to be the largest river festival on the West Coast. The success of this event would not be possible without key volunteers who work tirelessly to make this event a reality. Charlie and Karin Guilbault are two of those volunteers. They have been at virtually every Feather

American Whitewater works to protect and restore whitewater rivers across the country, and we rely on your ongoing support to keep us going strong. Your membership dollars and donations support our river conservation, access and safety work on the rivers that you love. Twice each year, we reach out to you to ask that you become a member or renew your membership to American Whitewater, or to consider making a tax-deductible donation. Please take a moment to see what your

A couple of weeks ago AW staff and several like-minded river folks attended the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) meeting in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. We joined together to let the board know that the upcoming state water plan must ensure that healthy rivers (and the communities that depend on them) are treated fairly in the plan. Sounds pretty non-controversial, right? Wrong.    Our comments about the importance of healthy rivers for recreational enjoyment and river-dependant economies in Colorado, triggered a

The first three weekends in November 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

Stream access in Virginia is one of American Whitewater’s Top 10 River Stewardship Issues this year, as it has been in many years past.   The public right to enjoy rivers in the commonwealth is less than clear, leading to confusion and differences of opinion.  Paddling is a right in nearly every other state, and supports countless businesses and livelihoods.  Virginian’s deserve the same clarity on their rights to float rivers and streams.     Lawmakers have sought to support Virginians

The Friendsville, Maryland paddler parking lot is being finished. This lovely town of 500 people is doing what it can to accomodate the hundreds of paddlers who arrive here for summer releases on the Upper Youghiogheny River. The project owes much to the vision and leadership of long-time resident Jess Whittemore and the support of Mayor Spencer R. Schlosnagle and Town Council. American Whitewater helped paddlers raise $25,000 towards the lot and this "seed money" has helped attract over $200,000

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is proposing to build another large dam on California's San Joaquin River just upstream of Friant Dam and Millertown Reservoir. If built, the Temperance Flat Dam would have significant impacts to the San Joaquin River Gorge, including drowning several Class III-V whitewater runs, such as Patterson Bend. The BOR took a major step forward in bringing the dam into reality when it released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project last month. American

On September 19th, Northwest Power Services filed a preliminary permit application to construct a hydropower project on the Talkeetna River. The Talkeetna is known to many as Alaska's best backcountry whitewater trip. Background   The proposed Talkeetna River Dam Hydroelectric Project would consist of a massive dam, 2300 feet long and 370 feet high and located in a scenic canyon just downstream of the confluence of Disappointment Creek approximately 22 miles upstream of the town of Talkeetna (at approximately 62.4438,