Articles

John L. Berry, whitewater pioneer, died peacefully on Aug. 11th at the age of 86. Berry lived in Bethesda, Maryland and was an outstanding whitewater canoeist and competitor during the 50's and 60's. He began racing in 1956 at the Brandywine Slalom, He was National C-1 and C-2 Champion in 1960-61 and a member of the first US whitewater team, at the 1961 World Championships. What he and his teammates learned there resulted in huge advances in American whitewater sport.

The Clackamas River in Oregon is home to old-growth forests, bird species, steelhead, and one of the last remaining wild salmon runs in the lower Columbia basin.  Did you know the Clackamas River is also “home” to inflatable dolphins, chains of flip-flops, and lawn chairs?  Come hunt for “sunken treasures” on Sunday, September 11 at 9:00 a.m. as part of the 9th Annual Down the River Clean Up! This year’s event will launch from Barton County Park, where a flotilla

Fall whitewater boating flows are coming to the Pit River in Northern California.  On June 14, 2011, FERC issued an order approving four days of recreational whitewater boating flows in the Pit 1 Bypass Reach on or before the 30th of October each year. The flows will take place annually either over two weekends in October or four consecutive days during the Columbus Day weekend. Annual flow schedules will be set each year based on river conditions, and will be

Submissions for the “Mental Game” edition of the American Whitewater Journal are due by August 25th, 2011. Submissions can be made online. The Mental Game issue is meant to feature articles about the mental side of running whitewater. Musings on what it takes to maintain confidence, stories about people who kept their head in emergency situations, and thoughts on what it takes to stay sharp as paddlers become older. These topics are merely suggestions. The theme of "Mental Game" as

This Saturday, August 6th the annual Friendsville Days Parade will block the usual Maple Avenue access until 1:00 pm. The town park is also closed to paddlers. Boaters wishing to drop a shuttle car in town have two choices. First, from the Friendsville Exit, go south on Route 42 towards Sang Run. Turn left after crossing the high bridge onto 1st Avenue and enter the town south of Maple Street. Park on First Street or major side streets like Chestnut

Virginia’s stream access laws are about as clear as muddy water.  This lack of clarity results in a wide range of opinions among paddlers, law enforcement officials, state agencies, and landowners.   Those differing opinions in turn create unnecessary conflicts and in some cases foregone recreational opportunities.  States around the Country are increasingly recognizing the many benefits of public river access, which include rural economics, quality of life, environmental awareness, and even raising healthy and happy kids.  River enthusiasts in Virginia,

Arkansas River, Colo. – Today the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Royal Gorge Field Office released the Over The River (OTR) Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The preferred alternative identifies eight panel segments totaling 5.9 miles within a 42-mile stretch of the Arkansas River corridor between Salida and Cañon City. The OTR Corp has projected a cost $50 million to build. The FEIS projects that OTR will generate $121 million in economic output and draw 400,000 visitors during construction and display.

Bailey Fest – August 13-14th, 2011 – Bailey, CO The 2nd Annual Bailey Fest will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 13th and 14th, 2011. The event is a gathering to celebrate the whitewater opportunities on the North Fork of the South Platte River. Bailey Fest is coordinated with a release from Denver Water’s Dillon Reservoir that will deliver low to medium flows through Roberts Tunnel during the event weekend. Paddlers can enjoy the Bailey run (IV/V), or the Foxton

On Thursday, July 14th, the Army Corps of Engineers cancelled their environmental review of a massive pipeline from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir to the Front Range of Colorado known as the Regional Watershed Supply Project or Flaming Gorge Pipeline. The Project, proposed by Aaron Million and the Million Conservation Resource Group (MCRG), involves building a 560-mile long pipeline to divert 250,000 acre-feet of water each year from the Green River to provide additional water supply to Colorado’s Front Range and

In April of this year, the Sacramento Superior Court sent the East Bay Municipal Utility District (“EBMUD”) back to the drawing board on its Environmental Impact Report for its 2040 Water Plan. This month, EBMUD is seeking public comment as it moves forward in preparing a revised plan, which still seeks to expand Pardee Reservoir and drown parts of the Electra Run and the entire Middle Bar reach on the Mokelumne River. The initial plan failed to recognize the importance

The Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) is in the process of relicensing the Middle Fork American River Project, and information is being collected to identify the range of flows suitable for whitewater boating on the Rubicon River between Hell Hole Dam and Ralston Afterbay. In 2011, there have been a number of boating opportunities on the Rubicon River and numerous boaters have run this section over a wide range of flows. If you’ve run the Rubicon between Hell Hole Dam

You may have already noticed, but we recently added some Twitter and Facebook sharing buttons to articles on the AW website. You’ll see these buttons just underneath an article’s title. Here’s a quick screenshot. We hope you’ll find these buttons useful to spread AW’s river stewardship message far and wide!