Advertising in the American Whitewater Journal is a great way to reach your customers in the paddling and outdoor community. What's more, your advertising dollars help support American Whitewater's river stewardship work! For complete details on advertising in the American Whitewater Journal, see our 2014 Media Kit. Thanks!
American Whitewater has received a fourth 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest and most utilized independent evaluator of charities. Nov 1, 2013, Charity Navigator announced that American Whitewater has earned its fourth consecutive 4-star rating. Receiving four out of a possible four stars indicates that American Whitewater adheres to good governance and other best practices that minimize the chance of unethical activities and consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way. A letter from Charity Navigator
The November/December issue of the AW Journal features "Reminiscing About the Early Years of American Whitewater". This issue also includes. . . · Experiencing the Elwha · Paddling as an Analogy · American Whitewater From the Top · Adventures on the Cumberland Plateau · and 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
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 AW 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
Todd Schindler: Louisville Ironman Swim Safety Coordinator As an avid boater and active member of the Viking Canoe Club in Louisville, KY, Todd Schindler's largest contribution to the whitewater community is his volunteer work with Louisville Ironman. Every August, since 2007, Todd directs over 130 volunteers in kayaks and other watercraft to provide safety support for typically 2800 athletes during the first leg of the Ironman triathlon, a 2.4 mile swim on the Ohio River in Louisville. This
On October 24, 2013, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission formally cancelled the permit granting North Hydro, LLC exclusive rights to persue a hydropower development on Idaho's Boulder Creek. The project would have largely dewatered 2 miles of Boulder Creek, an otherwise scenic and largely intact stream. The Federal action came after the permit holder failed to file a required update, presumably indicating no farther interest in the project. American Whitewater challenged the permit, asserting that the project could
After more than three years of waiting the access to the Powerhouse run on the Snoqualmie River is now open for public use. While this is a short run of less than a mile, it is a popular and important section of river less than 30 miles from Seattle. In April 2010, the boating community learned that Puget Sound Energy (PSE) intended to close the river access at the Snoqualmie Falls Powerhouse in June of 2010 for an extended period
Shannon Christy, a charismatic young paddler, was killed in Great Falls of the Potomac River on July 11th, 2013. After bailing out below Grace Under Pressure, one of the center chutes, she washed over the notorious “Middle Finger” drop into the Subway, a deadly sieve. There is a full write-up of this fatality in the AW Accident Database. The photo shows Steve Fisher and Jason Beakes during the difficult body recovery.
On Arch 9, 2013 Dr. Jim McComb died after his kayak pinned vertically on a small ledge on Arizona's East Verde River. His friend Dr. Bill Langhoffer recently forwarded a detailed description of the pin along with several photos. This may be useful to any paddler running difficult whitewater. His detailed accident report can be found in the accident database. The Anatomy of a Fatal Pin by Dr. Bill Langhofer River: The East Verde River Wilderness Section through Mazatzal Wilderness.
American Whitewater is pleased to release this report on the results of our summer 2013 Gunnison River Flow Survey. Over 331 paddlers responded to the Survey, allowing us to define the full range of whitewater flow needs on 17 of the Gunnison River Basin’s most commonly paddled sections of river like Oh-Be-Joyful creek, the Gunnison Gorge and the Taylor River. Respondent data was organized to identify minimum, acceptable and optimal flows for whitewater boating, as well as flows that provide
Fall 2013 Tallulah Release Reminders Scheduled releases occur the first two weekends in April and the first three weekends in November. 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 (we are requesting that first timers try put on the river before 1.30pm) to beat the
As the US Government shutdown drags into a second week many of our members have reached out to us for assistance on river access issues. The closure of the boat launch at Lee's Ferry on the Grand Canyon has been among the highest profile impacts of the government shutdown, but there have been others that have directly touched the whitewater community. This past weekend the Forest Service pulled the special use permit for annual Nooksack Slalom Races resulting in cancellation
American Whitewater is proud to announce two Volunteers of the Month for October: Brian Aubin and Elizabeth Fet! Gauley Fest's awesome Volunteer Coordinator, Natalie Price, had the following to say about Brian and Elizabeth. Brian Aubin In addition to helping set up, Brian pulled through in the most hellacious cold rain when nobody else would, recruited friends to pitch in on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and had the most infectious positive attitude in which was a huge motivation to
In August, a hunter's illegal campfire exploded into the massive Rim Fire in California, burning forestlands throughout the Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite National Park and private lands. Earlier this month, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing on HR 3188, also known as the "Yosemite Rim Fire Emergency Salvage Act." The Act, which was introduced by Representative Tom McClintock (R-CA), would expedite "salvage" logging in the national forest and Yosemite National Park by allowing the activity to bypass
This summer, AW actively encouraged paddlers who have experience on rivers and creeks throughout Colorado's Gunnison River Basin to participate in our regional flow survey. With ongoing support from KEEN Footwear, we were able to offer a free pair of shoes to one lucky participant, chosen at random. Last week, a random run of Survey respondents revealed that Amanda Crosby of Gunnison Colorado was our lucky winner! Since we always like to know our members and volunteers better, we asked
Earlier this week the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and Forterra announced the purchase of 50,272 acres along the Teanaway River and its three forks to be designated as the Teanaway Community Forest. American Whitewater has long supported the conservation of these lands that are critical to river health. The Teanaway acquisition is the largest single land transaction in Washington State in 45 years and reflects more than a decade of
Paddlers from throughout New England converged on Jamaica State Park in southern Vermont last weekend for the annual release on the West River. The annual one day release, held the last weekend in September, is the only remaining scheduled release by the Army Corps of Engineers from the Ball Mountain Dam. Over the past two decades, the Corps has eliminated 5 of 6 scheduled releases from the dam, depriving the paddlers of opportunities to paddle this treasured river and
American Whitewater, with the help of Merrimack Valley Paddlers and local boaters, has completed its effort to acquire, protect and donate property along the Contoocook River. AW has long been involved with the Contoocook and was active in the sucessful effort in 2004 that resulted in the removal of a dam that extended the whitewater section of the river near the takeout. The recent acquisition of land at the put-in will assure that paddlers will continue to have access to
The impacts of the government shutdown are being felt far and wide, and river runners are no exception. Congress failed to come to an agreement on funding the government, and as a result access to rivers on federal lands is being denied across the country. From rivers in the National Park System to those managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, the public is being turned away from their rivers. People from all over the world have
Releases into Piru Creek below Santa Felicia Dam in California have been cancelled this year due to low rainfall last winter. The United Water Conservation District typically releases water each autumn from the dam to recharge groundwater supplies and provide opportunities for whitewater recreation. Unfortunately, this year Piru Reservoir did not fill because it did not receive enough runoff, and is currently 70 feet below normal levels. The District provides access to their property only when releases exceed 200 cfs. As
American Whitewater is proud to announce another successful Gauley Fest, this one the 30th anniversary! First, a huge thanks goes out to Subaru for being Gauley Fest’s title sponsor. Paddlers certainly see Subarus at nearly every takeout and we're glad to have them at Gauley Fest, too. Subaru's support of Gauley Fest (American Whitewater's biggest fundraiser) helps us raise funds for our river stewardship work. Thanks Subaru! We’d also like to thank the many companies that support American Whitewater and Gauley
Eighteen months ago whitewater paddlers raised over $20,000 for off-road parking in Friendsville, Maryland. This small riverside town sees a large influx of paddlers running the Upper Youghiogheny every summer weekend. Work continues despite unexpected challenges that have greatly increased costs. There’s good news and bad news in this update. The entry culvert and fences have been installed. This, along with the change house, was paid for entirely with boater money. But surfacing the parking lot has proven to
Today, American Whitewater submitted recommendations for amendments for the Northwest Power and Conservation Council's Fish and Wildlife Program. The Program has significant influence over rivers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. The Council, which develops the Northwest Power Plan, is responsible for ensuring an affordable and reliable energy system while enhancing fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin. American Whitewater focused our comments on strengthening the Protected Area program. Rivers and streams that are Protected make up about 20%
If you're coming out to Gauley Fest, make sure you check out the Ladies on the Lower G fundraiser put on by Anna Levesque and Girls at Play. It's a fun paddle down, you guessed it, the Lower Gauley and all the funds raised are graciously donated to American Whitewater. It should be an awesome trip and we hope you'll check it out. But, there is a catch, you have to sign up in advance! Check out the link above
The September/October issue of the AW Journal features the Mountain to Sound Greenway. This issue includes. . . · White Salmon River – The Work Doesn't Stop After the River Runs Free · Slate Creek in May · Feather River ORL · Confident Woman in a Canoe · and much more. . . Want to read the AW Journal online: You need a current membership and you must be registered
