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On Thursday, March 13th, the House will vote on a bill that would prohibit federal agencies from protecting instream flows on rivers across the country. H.R. 3189, known as the “Water Rights Protection Act,” undermines the authority of agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service to keep water in rivers for fish, wildlife, recreation and aesthetics. Although the bill is being presented as a fix for a narrow water rights

Colorado – The first of its kind State Water Plan is an important step in deciding if Colorado preserves free-flowing rivers, fish and wildlife, and strong tourism and recreation economies. AW and our partners have proposed common-sense conservation actions to be included in the Plan. You can help support this effort by submitting comments to the State, and help shape a positive course for river health. Background Last year, Governor Hickenlooper directed the state to draft the Colorado Water Plan.

American Whitewater is excited to attend the 17th Annual French Broad River Fest in Hot Springs, NC this May 2-4, 2014. 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 beautiful French Broad River.

The March/April issue of the AW Journal features “California Rejects B.C. Hydro as "Green" Energy Source". This issue includes. . . Wild Olympics Legislation Reintroduced The Ebb and Flow of American Whitewater Little Luck and a Lot of Preparedness What's Wrong with This Picture? Unknown Alabama: Yellow Creek much more… Want to read the AW Journal online: You need a current membership and you must be registered with the AW website and have your membership associated with your website user

In July of last year a natural high flow event occurred on the West Fork of the Tuckasegee, which had significant effects on wood in the river.  These effects were overwhelmingly positive for paddlers, as high flow events tend to move pieces of wood to channel margins and into large accumulations.  With this said, the new patterns may pose isolated navigational hurdles or hazards, and have negatively affected some landowners.  On March 29, 2014 paddlers will be gathering to conduct

American Whitewater is proud to announce our March 2014 Volunteer of the Month: Don Perkins! Don was part of the rockstar crew that recently put on the National Paddling Film Fesitval (NPFF) in Kentucky. As many folks may know, NPFF is a great supporter of American Whitewater, raising several thousands dollars for our river stewardship work each year. NPFF Director, Bethany Overfield (past Volunteer of the Month herself), had this to say about Don: I would like to nominate Don

American Whitewater would like to commend the Shoshone National Forest for expanding their roster of rivers considered “eligible” for Wild and Scenic designation under their new Forest Plan.  American Whitewater participated in their forest planning process and offered evidence and recommendations for several new eligible streams in our scoping comments and comments on the draft plan.  The plan considered our information, and adopted several of our recommendations.  We would like to thank Aaron Pruzan for providing first-hand accounts of many

Earlier today, Yosemite National Park released their Merced Wild and Scenic Final Comprehensive Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, and we're very pleased to announce that the Park Service has improved and enhanced opportunities to enjoy Yosemite via kayak, canoe and raft. The new plan places paddling on equal footing with other activities in the Park by managing visitor numbers similar to hiking and other backcountry uses. The plan considers river segments as "water trails" or backcountry routes. Because many

Earlier this week we posted a quick article informing our community that American Whitewater would not pursue the Senate version of the River Paddling Protection Act, ending our exploration of a legislative solution to the management of paddling in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.  We’ve obviously gotten some questions about this decision and would like to offer a more robust explanation.  How We Engaged in Park Management As an organization we support science-based management decisions that are generated through

American Whitewater has decided not to advocate for a Senate version of the River Paddling Protection Act, ending our exploration of a legislative solution to the management of paddling in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.  Congressional leaders, lead by the sponsor Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis, passed a revised version of the bill with bi-partisan support in the House Natural Resources Committee in late January. It then passed the House of Representatives last week as part of a highly controversial package

The River Paddling Protection Act, introduced by Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), passed the US House of Representatives on Thursday and now moves to the Senate for consideration.  The bill grants the National Park Service three years to replace 60 year-old paddling prohibitions in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks with modern science-based management.  Doing so would allow Americans to experience these iconic landscapes through non-commercial paddling in a low impact, sustainable, and carefully managed manner.  The original version of the

American Whitewater is proud to announce that we've built a new web store: http://store.americanwhitewater.org! It comes complete with a great selection of American Whitewater t-shirts, hoodies, hats, books and miscellaneous gear. We think our Members and fans will find the new store interface much improved and the checkout process quick and painless. Also, you can shop secure in the knowledge that all the products you purchase help support American Whitewater's river stewardship programs, too. We hope you'll check out our

On January 29th, 2014, California House Republican David Valadao introduced the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act (HR 3964). Supported by California's entire GOP delegation, the Act is a package of actions that not only revive efforts to de-designate a portion of the Wild and Scenic Merced River, but also undo years of effort and negotiations for a number of major river restoration projects in the state. Similar to HR 1837, which stalled in Congress in 2012, this includes:

A new version of the River Paddling Protection Act, HR 3492, was sent to the full House of Representatives yesterday when it passed in the House Natural Resources Committee by unanimous consent.  The bill was amended to address concerns voiced by American Whitewater, the National Park Service and others, and is now a much stronger piece of legislation.  The bill now clearly requires the Park Service to take a hard look at paddling without limiting their management discretion or legislating

Great News!  Yesterday, Virginia's "Freedom to Float" bill passed the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources.  The bill could now move to the full VA Senate for a vote as early as Tuesday of next week (1/28/14).  It is more important than ever that every paddler that enjoys Virginia rivers contact state Senators. The voting record from the Committee hearing is as follows: Yeas (supported SB 629): Watkins, McEachin, Petersen, Marsden, Black, Miller, Ebbin. Nays (opposed SB 629): Hanger,

On January 15th, 2014, the California Energy Commission adopted a final report that reaffirms the integrity of the state's Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) regarding imported hydropower. After 5 years of hard work, American Whitewater and our partners in the California Hydropower Reform Coalition (CHRC) and river advocates in British Columbia are celebrating this important victory, which will have a reaching impact on rivers across the border. What do rivers in B.C. have to do with California's RPS? In 2011, the

Attention Virginia Paddler! If you want to help improve the stream access situation in Virginia, here is your chance!  Virginia Senator David W. Marsden (D) has introduced a stream access bill, SB 629, with broad support from the paddling community.  This bill marks an improvement upon last year’s SB737, and better meets the public interest in river enjoyment while addressing concerns of other interests.    Call or email your Senator if you are a VA resident, and no matter where you

American Whitewater Joins a Diverse Coalition of Local Business Leaders, Sportsmen, Elected Officials, Conservationists & Recreationists Praising Introduction of Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. QUILCENE, Wash. (Jan. 17) A broad and diverse coalition of Olympic Peninsula community members cheered the introduction today of the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 2014 (S. 1949 and H.R. 3922) by Representative Derek Kilmer and Senator Patty Murray.  The measure, similar to that introduced in the

We are pleased to announce the 2014 scheduled pulse flows on the Bear River's Black Canyon located in southeastern Idaho.  Releases will vary from 900 to 1500 cfs based on inflows to the hydropower project, and will occur on the following days:  April 5 & 6 April 12 & 13 April 25, 26, & 27 May 10 &11 These releases serve both ecological and recreational purposes, and offer paddlers a high quality Class IV and V paddling opportunity early in

This summer, American Whitewater members will have an opportunity to join American Whitewater staff and board members for an exclusive trip on Oregon’s Rogue River. We invite you to come learn more about what we're up to while having a great time enjoying one of our nation’s first Wild and Scenic Rivers. The trip, which will take place June 5-8, will be fully outfitted by Northwest Rafting Company with professional guides, exceptional food, transportation to and from Galice, and all

American Whitewater recently filed formal objections to proposed Forest Plans for the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, and the Kootenai National Forest in Montana.  The objections assert that the Forest Service ignored their own policies and the facts before them when they determined many spectacular whitewater rivers are not eligible for Wild and Scenic designation.  The Forest Service has until late February to respond to our objections.   Eligibility for Wild and Scenic designation requires that rivers be protected from dams