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American Whitewater, along with New England FLOW and the Appalacian Mountain Club, filed comments and provided testimony this week at FERC scoping meetings held in New Hampshire and Massachusetts to discuss the five dam relicensing proposals filed by TransCanada and FirstLight for hydroelectric projects on the Connecticut River.  The projects are located at Wilder, Bellows Falls, Vernon, Northfield Mountain and Turner's Falls.  AW, along with Tom Christopher from NE Flow and Norm Sims from the Appalachian Mountain Club, asked FERC

Last month, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the release of the Colorado River Basin Study – a joint effort by the US Bureau of Reclamation and the seven Colorado River Basin states – that projects water supply and demand imbalances throughout the Colorado River Basin and adjacent areas over the next 50 years. Already, water supply falls short of demand, creating what water managers refer to as a system imbalance. With Colorado River flows likely to decline by

Western Maryland is home to the Marcellus Shale formation, now infamous for burgeoning natural gas production accomplished by a controversial technique known as hydaulic fracturing or "fracking."  This region is an important headwaters and freshwater resource for millions of people that depend on water from both the Potomac and Youghiogheny River basins.  These rivers also offer paddlers incredible recreational opportunities, and provide the regional economy with a significant and sustainable recreation-related stimulus. Currently no permits for fracking have been issued

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA8) have reintroduced their Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act (H.R. 361/S. 112) along with cosponsors Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA1). "We are thrilled that Congressman Reichert, Senator Murray, and Senator Cantwell have once again made this popular bill a top priority and to see new Congresswoman DelBene join them," said Thomas O'Keefe, American Whitewater's Pacific Northwest Stewardship Director. This legislation

The Wall Street Journal released an article today outlining the current threat to the Wild and Scenic Merced River. While the effort to de-designate part of the Wild and Scenic Merced failed to make it through the last Congress, we have every expectation that a bill will be reintroduced this next year.  The Wall Street Journal article correctly describes this as not just a battle for the Merced but rather a threat to the entire Wild and Scenic Rivers system.

First Published in Site Zed, a web site for essays on paddlesports. http://www.sitezed.com/life-and-death-beyond-the-edge/ Please check the link for more articles and thoughtful comments on this essay. Used by permission Life and Death Beyond the Edge   I watched a man die, for the first time, on the Green River.  Witt was vertically pinned against a tombstone shaped rock at the bottom of Chiefs.  I was scouting Gorilla when I heard shouting. “He’s pinned” a panicked voice rang out.  I turned and

The Bureau of Land Management manages more than 2.5 million acres in western Oregon. These lands provide forest products, fish and wildlife habitat, and countless recreation opportunities including whitewater recreation. Unlike national forests, BLM western Oregon public lands are generally not large contiguous blocks. A "checkerboard" of lands make up these federal lands. Currently the BLM is updating their management plan for these lands and the associated rivers and as part of this process they are evaluating rivers for their eligibility

  As an organization, American Whitewater has been quite fortunate to have a committed group of volunteer Board of Directors that provides the organization with high-level oversight and strategic direction. American Whitewater’s Directors are the trustees of organization and act as fiduciaries for the members we serve. AW Directors are responsible for all policy outcomes of the organization including: Strategic direction and initiatives Organizational governance Monitoring operational performance including the fiscal health of the organization and working with the Executive

The lack of clarity regarding the rights of residents and visitors to paddle Virginia's certain rivers and streams has long been an unnecessary source of conflict.  Virginians are now ready to change that by clarifying that in Virginia people have the widely supported right to float down rivers.  Thanks to this grassroots effort, a new stream access bill, SB 737, has recently been introduced in the state legislature that needs your support.   If you are from Virginia, please look

In 2011, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkely reintroduced legislation to create the Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness Areas in Eastern Oregon. If passed, the legislation would protect almost 18,000 acres as wilderness along the John Day River, which flows freely along its entire length. The river provides habitat for diverse species, including wild steelhead and Chinook salmon, and the area is home to stunning basalt cliffs and rolling hills of high desert juniper and sagebrush. It's no

On December 19th I represented American Whitewater at the annual meeting of their Whitewater Advisory Committee for Summersville Dam . The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the project, has worked closely with whitewater interests for many years. After whitewater was declared a project purpose of the dam in the early 80's the Corps worked closely with commercial and private paddlers to make the famous Gauley Season run smoothly. Their management plan takes into account both lake and downstream

  We are pleased to announce that Bob Nasdor has accepted our offer to become American Whitewater’s Northeast Stewardship Director.  Bob brings a wealth of experience to the position from his 20-year career as a public interest attorney.  Bob served as the executive and legal director for several programs aimed at improving policies and services benefitting low-income and homeless families.   Following these roles he served as the Assistant Attorney General for the state of Massachusetts and has since formed a

This fall, American Whitewater joined with other conservation and recreation groups to file a "Friend of the Court" brief in a case before the Supreme Court. The case addresses whether municipalities should be responsible for cleaning up stormwater pollution. The case was originally brought by NRDC and Santa Monica Baykeeper in 2008. Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District had violated their NPDES permit under the Clean Water Act, and the organizations sued to hold them

American Whitewater is proud to announce Adam Rettig as our December Volunteer of the Month! AW's Kevin Colburn had this to say about Adam's overall stellarness: A few months ago Adam Rettig called us up and offered to volunteer his mad statistics skills and knowledge of water management. He didn't really care what the project was – he just wanted to help out and keep his skills sharp. After discussing a few possible projects the perfect opportunity came up for

Colorado – American Whitewater is pleased to announce the addition of Chris Menges as a Stewardship Fellow in Colorado, where he joins our Colorado River Program as the Gunnison River Stewardship Assistant.  Chris will be working with AW staff on ongoing strategic efforts to define recreational flow-needs across the Colorado River basin, and to grow our network of grassroots activists engaged in advancing river management policies at the state and federal levels.  In this new role, Chris will work with

  American Whitewater has received a third 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities.   Dec 1, 2012, Charity Navigator announced that American Whitewater has earned its third 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. Only 9% of the nonprofits Charity

Deadline approaching: You have through Midnight Pacific Time, December 14th to cast your vote. As an organization, American Whitewater has been quite fortunate to have a committed group of volunteer Board of Directors that provides the organization with high-level oversight and strategic direction. To sustain this healthy and vibrant board an effective process is in place to insure an appropriate transition of Directors over time. This transition process balances the need for fresh ideas with appropriate leadership continuity. Current American Whitewater members