Articles

Colorado – In Late September, Representatives Scott Tipton and Jared Polis introduced H.R. 3189 with the intent of resolving the conflicts between the US Forest Service and the Ski Industry over proposed water rights conditions being applied to ski area permits. A related bill has been intriduced into the Senate (S. 1630), by Sen. Barasso of Wyoming. The bills are written broadly and in our view have serious implications for water management across the country, and undermine all efforts to

American Whitewater is asking all paddlers and river lovers to take 5 minutes and read our 2013 Winter Appeal (pdf). In this appeal, you can learn more about the hard work we will be doing in the coming year on behalf of river lovers everywhere. We won’t sugar coat it, this Winter Appeal is our direct request to all whitewater enthusiasts to make a year end tax-deductible donation to American Whitewater. Your financial support helps fund our river stewardship program.

For 2013, we've put together a great Membership deal: An American Whitewater Membership plus your choice of one of four different t-shirts(!) all for just $45. It’s not too early to be thinking about the Holiday gifts you’ll need for all the river enthusiasts on your list. No matter if they’re at home on the water, or just enjoy supporting river stewardship, an AW Membership is the perfect gift! For someone else Go to our Gift Membership page Fill out fields as appropriate

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 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.

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

  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

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