If you’re coming out to Gauley Fest, make sure you check out the Ladies on the Lower G fundraiser put on by Anna Levesque and Girls at Play. It’s a fun paddle down, you guessed it, the Lower Gauley and all the funds raised goes to American Whitewater. It should be an awesome trip and we hope you’ll check it out. But, there is a catch, you have to sign up in advance! Check out the link above for full
Grand Junction, CO – This week, after much deliberation, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) approved a highly diluted proposal to fund a study for the Flaming Gorge Pipeline. The request for state funding was brought to the CWCB by the Colorado Springs-based Pikes Peak Water Authority. Pikes Peak Water Authority’s intent for funding is to investigate the feasibility of building a 570-mile pipeline to bring water from the Green River in Wyoming, to Colorado’s Front Range. The original request
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced a higher than normal whitewater release for World Kayak’s Canyon Doors Freestyle Festival on Tuesday, September 20, 2011. Summersville Dam will release to 4700 cfs from 5:30 – 11:00 am; afterwards, the release will gradually drop to 700 cfs over the next 8 hours. This is significantly more water than our regular weekend Gauley releases of 2800 cfs. The added water makes all sections, especially the Upper Gauley, more challenging. Paddlers utilizing the
The biggest dam removal in history begins September 17, 2011 on Washington’s Elwha River. Removing the two dams on the Elwha will restore a free-flowing river, abundant salmon runs, and deliver significant cultural, economic, and recreation benefits to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and surrounding communities. American Whitewater is partnering with American Rivers and the Hydropower Reform Coalition on a series of four Year of the River episodes about the Elwha and White Salmon rivers. View Episode 1 below: Year
The national Wild and Scenic Rivers System protects free flowing rivers throughout the country with outstandingly remarkable values. Since the Wild and Scenic Rivers system was established in 1968, American Whitewater has advocated for the responsible management of these rivers, and worked to protect and preserve the recreational, wildlife, scenic, geologic, historical and cultural values of these special rivers. The inherent values of free-flowing Wild and Scenic Rivers are currently under threat by several pieces of legislation in Congress –
Proponents of the 501-mile long "Flaming Gorge pipeline" that will send water from the Green River in Wyoming to Colorado’s Front Range, have submitted an Application for a Preliminary Permit with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The project, known as the Regional Watershed Supply Project had been under consideration by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for more than two years until the agency canceled it’s environmental review this year. Revised plans for the pipeline now include hydropower production, requiring
American Whitewater is pleased to announce the recipient of our September Volunteer of the Month award: Shanti Savage! Jay Loschert, AW’s Dolores River Stewardship Assistant, had this to say about Shanti: I’d like to recognize volunteer extraordinaire, Shanti Savage. Shanti is a school teacher and river guide on the San Juan. She is very involved with our new group, Lower Dolores Boating Advocates. In May we had a chance to take members of the local media on a day trip
Gauley Fest, presented by Subaru, can’t happen without your help! Please sign up for 2 hours (or more) and become a part of the Gauley Fest Volunteer Team! It’s a fun and easy way for you to be a critical part of an amazing festival that’s also AW’s biggest fundraiser. All it takes is two hours of your time to help AW execute the most memorable Gauley Fest yet. Slots are on a first come, first serve basis so sign
South Feather plans to release 400 cfs for about 25 days. The release will start after the finish of repairs at the dam. They anticipate starting to ramp up the flows beginning September 26, reaching 400 cfs by end of day September 28. The releases would continue through October 23 and would start to ramp back down on October 24.
The September/October issue of the AW Journal features a Celebration of Wilderness Rivers . Our index now provides direct links to each article. this issue includes. . . A Night on the Michimahuida Detour on the Talkeetna Riding Out the Storm: Meadow Creek Updates on this fall’s Elwha and White Salmon Dam removals Feature article on what a restored Klalmath might look like . . .plus much more! Want to read the AW Journal online: You need a current membership
Yesterday, national and regional conservation-oriented paddling organizations submitted comments on the US Forest Service’s 489-page Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding recreation on the Wild and Scenic Upper Chattooga River. Also joining the comments were three individuals that enjoyed paddling the river prior to the controversial 1976 paddling ban. The same groups and individuals are engaged in federal litigation against the Forest Service over the agency’s unlawful mismanagement of the river. The comments highlight the many ways in which the Forest
August 22, 2011 An Open Letter to Gauley River Boaters Dear Boaters, The rangers and staff of the Gauley River National Recreation Area welcome you to the 2011 boating season. National Park Service (NPS) employees have been working, and are continuing to work, on preparing the put-in’s, take-out’s, and other public use spots for upcoming Gauley River NRA visitors. We hope that this season will prove to be safe and spectacular for everyone. There
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
American Whitewater is pleased to announce the recipient of our August Volunteer of the Month award: Katrina O’Brien! Katrina is a rockstar volunteer for AW’s Deerfield Fest in Massachussetts, the biggest paddling festival in the Northeast. American Whitewater board member Evie Locke, who runs Deerfield Fest, had this to say about her: "Events like Deerfield Fest require a large corps of volunteers to be successful. And you can see those people working at the Fest itself. But they also take
This year’s Over the Falls Festival will be on Saturday Aug 20, 2011. You can preregister or register at the event. We need plenty of help, and will require everyone 18 and over who wants to run the Falls to give the event at least one hour of safety! Registration fees have been reduced to $15 and volunteers who give us at least two hours of their time will receive a cool T-shirt. Registration forms and waivers are included on
This year’s Over the Falls Festival will be on Saturday Aug 20, 2011. You can preregister or register at the event. We need plenty of help, and will require everyone 18 and over who wants to run the Falls to give the event at least one hour of safety! Registration fees have been reduced to $15 and volunteers who give us at least two hours of their time will receive a cool T-shirt. Registration forms and waivers are included on
On June 30, 2011, PG&E turned the flow of the North Fork Feather River in California down to 6% of what it had been the day before, and in turn destroyed virtually all of 2011’s viable foothill yellow-legged frog egg masses below the Poe hydroelectric dam. These frogs have evolved in unregulated riparian systems where they know the seasonal rate at which peak flows will gradually recent to base flows, and lay their egg masses at an appropriate depth so
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
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
Dear Paddler, If you care about being able to enjoy rivers flowing through public lands, we ask that you submit a comment regarding the upper Chattooga River (NC/SC/GA), and to call your political representative. The Forest Service recently published a 500-page manifesto aimed at continuing the 35 year old ban on paddling the upper Chattooga. The sole reason for excluding paddlers from the river is that the USFS claims the mere sight or thought of boaters on the river will
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,
