Articles

  American Whitewater is asking all paddlers and river lovers to take 5 minutes and read our 2012 Winter Appeal (pdf). In it, we layout the hard work we’ve done on behalf of river lovers everywhere, members or not.   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 help funds our river stewardship program. We think our consistent successes

Gunnison, Colorado – American Whitewater is pleased to announce a new one-year fellowship position within our Colorado River Stewardship Program. The part-time fellowship is a key addition to our 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.  American Whitewater is now accepting applications for this one-year position, which will play a lead role in organizing local

The Bureau of Land Management is currently receiving comments on proposed changes to the river permitting system for the Desolation and Gray Canyons of Utah's Green River. Currently, the permitting system for private boaters is on a first-come, first-serve call in reservation process. The proposed system would change to an online lottery, housed on Recreation.gov. If approved, private lottery applications for the 2013 season would be accepted between December 1, 2012 and January 31, 2013. The fee structure would also change.

The November/December issue of the AW Journal features California Bridges – New Opportunities for River Access. Our index now provides direct links to each article. this issue includes. . . Board Elections An Education on the Lower Pecos Talkin’ Kayakin Desert Family Float I’m Flipping! I’m Flipping! I’m Flipping! . . .plus 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

Keith Backlund, a master woodworker who created canoe and kayak paddles of unmatched quality, died on the evening of October 25th. He was 60 years old. Born in the Pocono Mountains of Eastern Pennsylvania, he grew up making many of the things he needed. An interest in whitewater lead him to concentrate on wood paddle making and he soon became expert at both. He knew wood and woodworking better than anyone we know and his paddles were probably the finest

There’s no doubt that the river you love to play on would be very different today if not for the Clean Water Act. On this 40th anniversary of the Act, American Whitewater gives a nod to the signficance of the law in our work, knowing the majority of what we do has a connection to this important piece of legislation. This is particularly true where we work to restore flows through the hydropower relicensing process. The hydropower dams and diversions

  Fall 2012 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 3:00 pm to beat the flow down to the lake. You will need to sign a

Position: Northeast Stewardship Director Description: The Northeast Stewardship Director will represent American Whitewater in strategically selected regional river conservation and access issues.  These issues include hydropower project management, public land and river management, community planning / river access, and policy issues that affect the region. This highly diverse workload will require review and comment on technical and legal documents, participation in multi-party negotiations, and significant collaboration with volunteers and partner organizations.  In addition to the direct program work, the Northeast

The Tohickon Creek is a favorite run for many mid-states paddlers. Every Fall and Spring there are 750 cfs releases from Lake Nockamixon on the first weekend of November. The river is about an hour north of Philadelpia and empties into the Delaware River. Water arrives at Ralph Stover Park around 9:00 am; the five miles below here are playful Class III. Most people take several laps down this wonderful creek. The take out is at Point Pleasant Canoe and

Love and Whitewater Got a cool whitewater-related love story? Did you meet that special someone on the river? Nearly cause a breakup teaching your significant other to boat (yikes!)? Whether it's a cautionary tale, or a sappy soulmate search, we want you to submit your story and photos for our next edition of the American Whitewater Journal by Oct. 25th. Something tells us this could be a really cool issue! Based on the response last time we asked, there are

American Whitewater is pleased to announce Bryan Mahoney as our October 2012 Volunteer of the Month! Bryan has served AW as a lead volunteer for our annual Gauley Festival fundraiser for over 5 years! Bryan's contributions have included, but are not limited to, countless hours of time shared in unpredictable weather training new volunteers and serving as a supervisor for our front gate admissions. Bryan also shares his time as a volunteer for the Stoney Creek River Festival in his

  Posted with the permission of Doug Ammons. Originally published in Doug’s book Whitewater Philosophy, see  www.dougammons.com. Doug is a very experienced expedition paddler and a gifted writer. American Whitewater appreciates the opportunity to reprint his thoughtful article on our safety page.     Adding Death into the Equation  Doug Ammons            Usually we don’t have to defend our reasons for paddling because it is so obvious to us why we do it, but a funeral is different. Some time ago a

    American Whitewater Northeast Stewardship Director, Alan Panebaker, of Montpelier, Vt., passed away on Sept. 19, 2012, while paddling the Pemigewasset River (NH). Alan came to American Whitewater with a Juris Doctor (JD) and a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from the Vermont Law School, as well as a B.A in Journalism from the University of Montana. He had experience working in both journalism and environmental law fields, and possessed a deep knowledge of the regional rivers and paddling community. 

  American Whitewater Northeast Stewardship Director, Alan Panebaker, of Montpelier, Vt., passed away on Sept. 19, 2012, while paddling the Pemigewasset River (NH). Alan came to American Whitewater with a Juris Doctor (JD) and a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from the Vermont Law School, as well as a B.A in Journalism from the University of Montana. He had experience working in both journalism and environmental law fields, and possessed a deep knowledge of the regional rivers and paddling

Whitewater boating releases on Northern California's Pit River between Fall River Mills and Highway 299 will take place on October 6-7 and 20-21. The Pit River is heavily impacted by hydroelectricity, and whitewater recreation opportunities have been decimated as a result. Releases were agreed upon in the 2003 FERC relicensing process to mitigate the loss of boating opportunities, and in June 2011, FERC approved four days of recreational whitewater boating flows to take place in October each year. This year's

  All of us at American Whitewater are very sad by this news. Alan Panebaker, AW's Northeast Stewardship Director, drowned yesterday while paddling the Upper Pemigewassett in NH. The details of the accident are still very sketchy, what we know so far is best summarized in this NHPR news story that can be viewed here.   Alan was smart, strong and capable. He represented the future of river stewardship in the northeast and we are all stunned by this tragic

  The Upper Nantahala River and Cascades (bypass reach) releases mandated from FERC Relicensing of the Nantahala River will begin September 29-30, 2012.  These releases will be for 7 hours each day with the water at the Cascades by 10AM.   On Sept.29, Duke Energy will release approximately 300 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water into the river, resulting in Class V water conditions in the Cascades area and a Class III-IV rocky/technical section between the end of the