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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

As many folks know, Gauley Fest is American Whitewater’s biggest fundraising event. As such, we’re very proud to announce another successful Gauley Fest for the record books. First, a huge thanks goes out to Subaru for being Gauley Fest’s title sponsor. Subaru has a long history in the whitewater community as a favored shuttle rig. We’re glad they’ve chosen to support American Whitewater’s river stewardship goals through their partnership with Gauley Fest. Thanks Subaru! We’d also like to thank the

The 21st annual Feather River Festival (CA) will be held during the scheduled releases September 21-23, 2012. The fund-raiser event for American Whitewater is hosted by local paddling club, the Chico Paddleheads. The benefit event will be held at "Indian Jim School" campground located two miles upstream from the small town of Tobin and one mile upstream from Tobin Vista. Free camping and ample parking is available. The Feather Fest will once again include a film festival on Friday night.

The 2012 American River Festival will be held September 7-9 at various locations on the South Fork American River.  Proceeds benefit American Whitewater and several other river conservation and nonprofit groups. Friday night there is a Free Kickoff Dinner, Raffle & Festival T-Shirt Sale at the River Store.  Saturday there is a gear swap, whitewater rodeo and downriver race. A big dinner and party is Saturday night.  Slalom races are on Sunday.   For more information see: American River Festival Website

  We Love Clean Rivers, in partnership with Clackamas River Basin Council, hosts the 10th Annual Down the River Clean Up on the Clackamas!   SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH AT 9AM  @ BARTON COUNTY PARK   This is a on-river, volunteer clean up made possible by a rich network of recreationalists and a strong NW community that joins together on drift boats, kayaks, rafts, tubes and even with SCUBA gear, to scour the banks and river bottom for garbage.   Attracting

Earlier this summer, American Whitewater sent comments to Caltrans about the Access Feasibility Studies the agency is required to complete when building a new state highway bridge over a river. These requirements have been in place for over 40 years, however only one Feasibility Study has been done in that time (it's still in progress), and it was for the Feather River at SR 99. AW is working with Caltrans to ensure that this particular Access Feasibilty Study is done

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 AW's river stewardship work! For complete details on advertising in the American Whitewater Journal, see our 2013 Media Kit. Thanks!

The Anderson Valley Land Trust in cooperation with the National Park Service Rivers Trails and Conservation Assistance Program is evaluating the Navarro River as a potential non-motorized boating water trail. This survey about boating on the Navarro will assist in that evaluation. The Navarro River is located in southern Mendocino County about 2 hours north of San Francisco. The primary focus of the study is between Hendy Woods State Park in the Anderson Valley downstream to Navarro Beach in the