Articles

  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

In 2012 AW volunteers will  once again maintain the Sang Run river access on Maryland's Upper Yough. Our decade-long agreement with Maryland State Parks uses volunteer labor to keep your paddling costs down. An early spring required us to cut the grass several weeks before its usual time. Local kayaking legend John Regan used his tractor to grade and spread 36 tons of fresh gravel over the heavily used parking lot. John's activities at Sang Run actually predate AW's involvement. After the

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Jul/Aug 2012 (Apr. 25 Deadline) See Your Name in Print! Reading the American Whitewater Journal is good … getting published in it is great! Be the envy of your boating friends by getting a story published in American Whitewater. Deadline for stories on the topics listed below is April 25. At this time, we're looking for stories on any and all of the following:   Family paddling How does the phrase go? “The family that paddles together…” Well, never mind the

Blackwater Falls State Park has asked AW to remind paddlers running West Virginia’s Upper Blackwater River to sign in at Blackwater Lodge before putting on. Park Manager Rob Gilligan says that although many kayakers are complying, a significant number are not. American Whitewater believes that registration is our best interest. In addition to helping emergency responders, registration demonstrates to political leaders  that we are a responsible, law abiding group. It’s also helpful for both AW and the park to know

Dartmouth College's Ledyard Canoe Club, a sub club of the Dartmouth Outing Club, will be hosting it's 4th annual River Festival April 12th-15th. The festival will include a screening of a film on conservation Thursday the 12th, a triathlon on Friday the 13th, a downriver mass start race on the Wells River in Vermont on the 14th, a festival party with music, food and free Smuttynose beer (for participants 21+) the evening of the 14th, and the festival will finish

American Whitewater is pleased to announce the recipient of our April 2012 Volunteer of the Month award: Francheska Thompson! Francheska was one of the rockstar volunteers at Gauley Fest, donating an incredible amount of time and positive energy to American Whitewater's biggest fundraiser. We were honored to have her help! Gauley Fest's Volunteer Coordinator, Natalie Price, had this to say about her: "Francheska contributed over 50 hours of her time over four days assisting AW management at our Gauley Fest