Articles

Tellico Plains was hit really hard by a tornado last Friday. It ripped through a gas station and destroyed a campground on the gorge side of town then roared uphill. Sixty-seven homes were badly damaged. The Atlanta Whitewater Club has coordinated with Mayor Patrick Hawkins to help with the cleanup this Saturday, March 10th. Meet at the Tellico Plains Community Center across from Hardees at 9:00 AM. The Rescue Squad will manage the operation and put everyone to work. It's

American Whitewater is pleased to announce the recipient of our March 2012 Volunteer of the Month award: Brandon Jett and Bethany Overfield! Brandon and Bethany are both key members of the team that puts on the National Paddling Film Festival (NPFF) each year, an event that usually raises over $5,000 for AW's river stewardship work. Allen Kirkwood, the President of the Bluegrass Wildwater Association (the American Whitewater Affiliate Club that puts on NPFF) had this to say about Brandon and

On March 5th American Whitewater presented Friendsville Mayor Spencer Schlosnagle with a check for $14,100, the total amount donated to our web site during the past month. Add pledges and money sent directly to the town the total is just over $18,000. Additionally, Brian Jacobson, a paddler who is also a licensed Maryland engineer, is donating services valued at over $15,000. This project marks a big step in the growing partnership between AW and the small town that has become

  American Whitewater participated in the White House Conference on Conservation — Growing America’s Outdoor Heritage and Economy — which took place at the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. The conference explored the connection between stewardship, outdoor recreation, healthy lands, rivers, wildlife and the job creation strategies fueled by nature based tourism.   President Obama addressed the crowd, reinforcing the importance of conservation and expressing that it can go hand-in-hand with economic vitality and a sustainable approach

Upper Colorado River-Gore Canyon Whitewater Park Grand County has proposed the Gore Canyon Whitewater Park in the Colorado River which consists of two features or “waves” in the river and a new put-in and take-out access to the river along with parking and other facilities (the Project). The Project complements the County’s broader goal for the Upper Colorado River–to protect, restore and enhance the river ecosystem and provide nationally protected, outstandingly remarkable, diverse river based recreational opportunities. As part of

  Tallulah Fest April 13-15, 2012   Tallulah Fest celebrates the release of the Tallulah Gorge, and donates money to AW.  A weekend of being outside, listening to handmade music, and having a good time with the coolest crowd of people you might not remember.  We show big screen adventure movies, have photo and video contest, give away a lot of cool prizes and jam all night to live music.   Come represent for the Southeast and help raise money

Colorado – In consultation with the Lower Dolores Boating Advocates, one of American Whitewater's affiliate club members, a crew from the Dolores Public Lands Office removed willows from the boat ramp at the Gypsum Valley River Access site.  The Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service's "Service First" program coordinated with the Army Corps of Engineers to thin willow overgrowth, remove root balls with a back hoe, improve ramp gradient and spread gravel.  Work wrapped up in early

The Clean Water Act has traditionally applied to all headwater rivers, and is directly responsible for the quality and safety of the water we all enjoy.  Lawsuits over the past few years have left the level of protection afforded many headwater (and whitewater) rivers and streams in question.  Last year the Obama Administration released draft guidance on which streams should be covered by the Clean Water Act.   The new guidance would help remedy this problem by developing a clear protocol

American Whitewater is pleased to announce that we have negotiated a modified flow regime for the Black Canyon of the Bear River in Idaho.  Under the new agreement between AW and the other members of the Ecological Coordination Committee that was set up to implement a 2002 hydropower settlement agreement, PacifiCorp will provide nine scheduled pulse flows between April 1 and June 5 each year for the next three years.  These flows should provide a range of high quality Class

The Northeast's largest whitewater festival and American Whitewater fundraiser, Deerfield Fest, has been scheduled for June 30th, 2012 in Charlemont, MA. Members and Vendors alike should put the event on their calendar and plan on attending. Why The Date Change? Astute paddlers will notice that the date is about a month earlier than in past years. The reason for this change is pretty simple, actually. We want to have a three day release weekend on both the Dryway and Fife Brook

A generous 4 acre land donation from a Friendsville resident has put a permanent, convenient takeout for the Upper Yough within paddlers’ reach.The donated land is in the field on the upstream side of Route 742.This new lot will greatly improve boater parking in town. The current arrangement, with paddlers parking on both sides of busy State Route 742 ,is a source of friction with town residents as well as a real safety concern. Your donations are needed to fully

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 February 25. At this time, we're looking for stories on any and all of the following: Creeking Back for another issue due to ridiculously low contribution numbers last time on this usually popular topic, Creeking is many

Today, the US Forest Service released their newest proposal regarding how to manage recreation on the Wild and Scenic Upper Chattooga River, where they currently maintain a controversial ban on paddling. The proposal will, if it is implemented, allow more paddling than has been proposed by the Forest Service in prior proposals as soon as March of this year. It will also correct some of the degrading ecological conditions and will employ specific capacities for all visitors. However, like previous proposals,