Articles

Do you own or run a website? We hope you'll consider running some of the American Whitewater Ads that we've put together. We hope these ads will encourage people to become AW Members. Membership is of critical importance to funding AW's work and here's an easy way for people to help us increase it. We've got ads in different standard sizes with varied content. We're sure there's something that would appeal to any audience in there. If you own a website,

  The Conservation Alliance has funded American Whitewater river stewardship projects going back to 1993. American Whitewater and KEEN are profiled as an example of an outstanding partnership that is delivering concrete results for river stewardship.   The following is also posted on the Conservation Alliance Blog.   Outstanding Partnership Stories: American Whitewater And KEEN, Inc. Join Forces To Make A Difference In Our Landscape   American Whitewater, Conservation Alliance grantee and nation-wide advocate for the preservation and protection of

    The Upper Youghiogheny River has some of the East's finest expert-level summer whitewater. Memorial Day Weekend is the first of many busy release weekends which create crowded conditions on and off the river. For the past four decades the paddling community has done a good job managing themselves. Here are some things you can do to help your trip run more smoothly. Collisions between boats are very rare on the Upper Yough. Here are a few things to

The threats facing California's Wild and Scenic Merced River continue, and we need your help to protect it and the integrity of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The House will vote very soon on HR 2578, which proposes to de-designate a portion of the Wild and Scenic Merced River, drowning it. The bill would roll back the boundary of the Wild and Scenic section, allowing Merced Irrigation District to raise New Exchequer Dam and Lake McClure. This section of

The Town of Friendsville wishes to update paddlers on progress made on the new boater parking area. Thanks to State of Maryland and Garrett County regulations we are bogged down with permit applications for floodplain construction, State Roads access, and Storm water management. We are pushing the process as fast as it can go since we want boaters to use the area as much as the boaters want to use it. We have spent $800 so far on turf seeding

  PacifiCorp has opened the new take-out facility at Northwestern Park. Construction was completed late last month and for the first time since Condit Dam was breached in October 2011, a public access is once again available downstream of Husum Falls. Outfitters are now able to continue trips down to Northwestern Park and beginner paddlers once again have access to a regionally-important instructional reach. The trip on this lower reach is a fascinating journey that takes you down through the

Economic Study Reveals Colorado River As Top Employer, Major Economic Driver Across West Colorado River Ranks #155, 19th Largest Employer on Fortune 500. Following extensive research into the economic impact of recreational activities along the Colorado River and its tributaries across six western states, Protect the Flows in partnership with Southwick Associates, Inc. today released a study, “Colorado River, Inc.: The $26 Billion Recreation Resource Employing a Quarter Million Americans,” revealing the Colorado River to be the 19th largest employer

Vendor registration for the largest whitewater festival in the world, Gauley Fest, is now open! Registration is now done completely online. Make sure to register before prices automatically increase 15% on Sept. 1st. If you have any questions, please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions. If you don't see your question answered there, feel free to contact us at bookkeeper@americanwhitewater.org or 828-586-1930. See you there!

This is the 40th anniversary of Wildwater West Virginia, the definitive whitewater guide to the rivers of the Mountain State. In 1972, when the book was first published, kayaks were homebuilt fiberglass boats 13’ long. There were no drysuits, pile garments, or hard-sole booties. Neoprene sprayskirts were a recent innovation and many paddlers of that era remember using highway road maps to find new rivers. Bob Burrell and Paul Davidson, both professors at West Virginia University, explored many rivers in

This month, American Whitewater recognizes Scott Downs as our May Volunteer of the Month. Scott is a well respected part of the Pensylvania paddling scene, a safety boater on the Upper Yough, and a 28 year veteran raft guide. Scott has also paddled extensively in the west, and is deeply concerned with the announcement from BLM earlier this year, that nearly 200 gas wells are being permitted within Utah's Green River and Desolation Canyon Wildernes Study Area. Scott turned his

This May 4-6th, 2012, American Whitewater will be at the French Broad River Fest in Hot Springs, NC. Proceeds for the event get donated to American Whitewater and other non-profits. In 2011 French Broad River Fest donated over $5,000 to American Whitewater alone! Events French Broad River Fest features some seriously cool activities and events. This year's event has a Raft Race, River Cleanup, Kids Village and even a Mountain Bike Race! The raft race will likely be of particular

A landmark report and guide has been released by Outdoor Alliance – a coalition of Access Fund, American Canoe Association, American Hiking Society, American Whitewater, International Mountain Bicycling Association and Winter Wildlands Alliance – describing innovative ways to form successful partnerships between Federal land managers and the human powered recreation community that increase the stewardship, protection and enjoyment of America's public lands and waters. The guide is based on the outcomes of the first Outdoor Alliance Partnership Summit in December

  Mark Singleton, American Whitewater Executive Director, recently forwarded a check to the Town of Friendsville, MD for just over $3000, the amount raised on the AW Web Site this past month. The town, which is the takeout for the Upper Youghiogheny River, is working to convert some donated land into a long-term solution to a troublesome parking problem. Donations now total over $22,000 plus pro-bono services of paddling engineer Brian Jacobson valued at over $15K. Design work has already begun

Join Friends of the Cheat on May 5th, 2012 for the 18th annual Cheat River Festival in Albright, WV! FOC has been the driving force behind a dramatic improvement in water quality in the Lower Cheat Basin.  American Whitewater worked closely with them for over a decade and helped develop their river access in Rockville and Jenkinsburg. Area boating opportunities abound! In addition to the Cheat Canyon and Narrows there will be Upper Yough releases and many other options if

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

Dolores, CO – American Whitewater and Lower Dolores Boating Advocates recently sponsored a Leave No Trace (LNT) Awareness Workshop on March 31 in Dolores, Colorado.  Nine whitewater enthusiasts from the Four Corners area joined Rick Ryan, retired Bureau of Land Management river ranger and LNT Master Educator for a fun and informative day.  Volunteer stewardship activities such as this provide excellent opportunities for AW’s members and affiliate clubs to demonstrate leadership in river protection efforts. Various hands-on activities reinforced the

Come see American Whitewater at the 2012 Deerfield Fest in Charlemont, MA on June 30th! Deerfield Fest is one of AW's largest fundraising events and the Northeast's biggest whitewater festival. Surrounded by a three day release schedule on the Deerfield River, it's going to be awesome. Vendors This year, booths are only $50! You can purchase one right now via our vendor registration form. Prices increase to $100 on June 22nd. Volunteering We need your help! Each year we're depressingly short

Ralph William McCarty, a pioneering outfitter on the Cheat and Youghiogheny Rivers, died late last week. He was 92. Ralph was originally from Ohio and spent his life thinking “outside of the box.” He was engineer by profession, an innovator in the automotive and aircraft industries, and holder of several patents. He was also an active whitewater canoeist, a founding member of the Mad Hatter’s Canoe Club of Cleveland, and an early instructor at the Western Pennsylvania Whitewater School. In