Articles

  The accident occurred during a scheduled September water release on North Carolina’s fast-moving Class III+ Upper Nantahala River. A kayaker who pulled over above a downed tree didn’t realize that the current there was still powerful enough to cause trouble. Her boat was pushed into and under the log where both disappeared. Fortunately Rob Kelly, a quick-thinking whitewater guide, was driving the NOC Shuttle Bus and witnessed the entrapment. He pulled his bus over and started wading across the

On Saturday April 6th, 2013, California Canoe & Kayak and Jackson Kayak will host a day of whitewater fun in Coloma, CA to benefit American Whitewater. The day will be filled with whitewater clinics for everyone and a BBQ, raffle, music, and whitewater slideshows afterwords. Pro kayakers from Jackson Kayak will be there to teach whitewater clinics throughout the day. All clinics will be $69, except for a kids clinic at $39, and all proceeds from the clinics will go

We built a mobile friendly version of the American Whitewater river data and it's available to AW Members only. If you're a current member, login at http://m.americanwhitewater.org. If you're not a current member, join today! It’s a beta product (e.g. unfinished) so this means that it will have bugs and imperfections. Despite this beta status, we wanted to get it in the hands of our members so they can start using it. Why Members Only Our website sees over 700,000

In a bipartisan effort last month, the Senate introduced the Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act of 2013 (S.338). If passed, the bill will reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), continuing 50 years of funding projects that conserve and protect our natural resources, benefit local, state and national parks, and protect water quality and communities from natural hazards. The LWCF also preserves open spaces for wildlife habitat and secures recreation access. We have the LWCF to

Tallulah releases for spring 2013 are going to be held on April 6, 7 and 13, 14. Releases begin at 9:30 am and all boaters must start down the stairs by 3:00 pm to beat the flow down to the lake. Releases on Saturday are 500 cfs and Sunday releases are 700 cfs. You will need to sign a waiver at the top of the stairs to be permitted to paddle the river. Please continue to park across the road from

The March/April issue of the AW Journal features "Water Wars Heating Up In California Again". this issue also includes. . . Wisconsin's Penokee Hills West Magpie by Train EZ Rolling: Prewiring Your Kayak Roll for Success Heat Exhaustion on the Upper Taos Box Caveman Kayaking: the Verdon Gorge . . .plus much more! Want to read the AW Journal online: You need a current mebmership and you must have a website user account that has been linked to your membership

  Last month President Obama nominated Sally Jewell for the post of Secretary of the Interior, but she must first be confirmed by the Senate and her hearing is scheduled for March 7th. The Department of the Interior is central to much of the work that we do here at American Whitewater, and the Secretary has critical oversight over many of the projects we are engaged in across the country.   Among the programs housed within the Department of Interior

  American Whitewater, New England FLOW and the Appalachian Mountain Club today filed comments and study requests with FERC in response to the proposed Connecticut River hydroelectric license application by TransCanada and FirstLight.  The companies are seeking to relicense their projects at the Wilder, Bellows Falls, and Vernon dams in New Hampshire and Vermont, and at the Northfield Pumping Station and Turner’s Falls Dam in Massachusetts.  We are asking FERC to require the licensee to study the feasibility of providing

In response to calls by American Whitewater, New England FLOW and the Appalachian Mountain Club, FERC today ordered FirstLight and TransCanada to study the potential for whitewater boating on the Connecticut River at Turner's Falls and Bellows Falls. The companies are seeking to relicense their projects at the Wilder, Bellows Falls, and Vernon dams in New Hampshire and Vermont, and at the Northfield Pumping Station and Turner’s Falls Dam in Massachusetts. FERC responded to the comments and testimony provided by

  The U.S. Army Corps Engineers' Philadelphia District will host a meetingto announce the 2013 Francis E. Walter Dam recreation program on March 7 in White Haven, PA. The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the MountaClass II-III Lehigh River Gorge, one of the most popular intermediate runsin the Mid-States. In 2012, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held 22 of 24scheduled whitewater events and numerous releases for fisheries throughoutthe recreation season. For more information, visit the USACE

On Tuesday, February 5, 2013, former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt gave a speech to the National Press Club calling for more balance between the amount of public land leased for oil & gas and the amount set aside for conservation. (Read the prepared speech, "On Equal Ground.") Babbitt noted that the U.S. has a long history of protecting our federal public lands and rivers through the National Park System and Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Acts, but

Get your story out there. The American Whitewater Journal is the oldest publication of its kind, and yours can be the next story it tells! Whether you’re an explorer of rivers, a passionate river steward, or someone who likes to blow off steam on the local run every weekend, you’ve got a story to tell and we’d love to hear it. To submit a story and photos, please go to our Journal Submission Page. Our deadline for the topics listed

Yesterday a landmark stream recreation bill for the commonwealth of Virginia was reported out of subcommittee and will now go to the full Senate for a vote.  The vote could come as early as next week.  This is the closest the public has come to gaining clarity on our rights to float down Virginia's rivers in a very long time. The bill would ensure that paddlers would not be liable for trespass for simply floating down second order or larger streams,