Articles

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

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