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Update – 4/27/11: SB 297 has been pulled from consideration for the 2011 term!  Thank you to everyone who sent in your comments and made phone calls! Amendments to California’s Renewable Energy Legislation could destroy the undammed steep creeks of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades.  Places like Brush Creek, Big Kimshew, South Silver, Deer and Mill Creeks could be at risk if these amendments to California’s Renewable Portfolio Standards are signed into law.  If you want to keep hydro projects

The May/June issue of the AW Journal features Road Trips and includes: Pacific Northwest Huckfest The Southern Sierra Whitewater Road Trip The American Road Trip . . .plus much more! Want to read the AW Journal online: You need a current membership and you must be registered with the AW website and have your membership associated with your website user account. Current members – Read the Road Trip issue now! Not a current member? Renew or Join today!

American Whitewater is celebrating a recent court victory from the Sacramento Superior Court that protects the recreational, cultural and historic values of the Mokelumne River.  The April 11, 2011 decision by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley held that the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s ("EBMUD") 2040 Water Plan violated California’s Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA"). The suit was filed by AW partners Friends of the River, Foothill Conservancy, and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance in an effort to halt EBMUD’s

For over 30 years Glen and Donna Miller of Mount Nebo, West Virginia drove shuttles for Cheat and Big Sandy River paddlers in their big stake-bed truck. Thousands of us have looked forward to their friendly greeting, a beer from the cooler, and a memorable ride home. Glen, a logger by trade, is known as one of the hardest-working men in the area. What other kind of man would decide to run boater shuttles in his spare time? Glen began

American Whitewater is excited to announce our new patch for Lifetime Members. This patch is only available to our Lifetime ($750) and above members. If you’re a lifetime member, you should have already received this patch in the mail. We hope to see all our Lifetime members proudly wearing this patch! All individuals that sign up for a Lifetime membership in the future will receive this patch too. If you’re interested in becoming a Lifetime, or above member, you can

This April 29 – May 1, 2011, American Whitewater will be at the French Broad River Fest in Hot Springs, NC. Proceeds for the event get donated to American Whitewater and two other non-profits. In 2010 French Broad River Fest donated over $5,000 to American Whitewater alone! Purchase your tickets now for $65 or they can be purchased for $75 at the gate. Past festivals have featured multiple stages w/ over 20 bands, a whitewater raft race, a mountain bike

              Date:                        Spring 2012 From:                         Norwood Scott, Vice President To:                        All interested and qualified AW members     Dear AW Member,   American Whitewater is seeking nominations of interested and qualified candidates to serve as a Director. We are seeking candidates to fill 4 board seats to begin a three-year term starting January 1, 2012.   A healthy, vibrant, participatory and functional board of Directors is critical to the long

Tallulah Fest May 13-15 presented by BBB paddling Even with Tallulah releases being cancelled, the Tallulah Fest is still going to happen! Come out and paddle other close-by southeastern classic rivers; Chattooga, Cheoah, Nantahala and Ocoee. Get ready for an outdoor festival thrown by a bunch of kayakers.  Tallulah Fest will feature games, camping, live entertainment Friday and Saturday night, kayaking videos presented by John Grace, over $1,000 worth of gear to be raffled away, giveaways, some friendly competition and

American Whitewater received notice yesterday that GA Power is canceling May Tallulah boating releases. GA Power first delayed the usual April flows and tentatively moved releases to May due to ongoing repairs of dam gates damaged in August 2010. Below is an excerpt of a letter that GA Power sent to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to inform the commission that the repairs to the dam have not been completed. In the letter GA Power states, "Due to the uncertainty

AW is pleased to share the following fellowship opportunity within the Outdoor Alliance. The Outdoor Alliance, a coalition of human-powered recreation organizations, seeks a highly motivated individual to fill a two-year Grass-top Advocacy Fellow position. The Fellow will build coalitions of climbers, paddlers, hikers, backcountry skiers and mountain bikers to positively impact conservation policy at the state, regional and national level. The Fellow will be based in Boise, Idaho, but will spend time in Washington, DC on a regular and

Several paddlers have sent us photos of accident and rescue sites. One picture is worth a thousand words, and there’s a lot to learn here. Although the photos do not meet the publication requirements of the AW Journal they look fine on the web and can be used to suppliment our regular accident reports.Photos of four accident sites from last year covering the Blackwater, Gauley, Arkansas, and North Fork of the Feather now published as articles on the Safety Page.

                  On August 29, 2010 Susan Marie Kaiser paddled the “Lowbin” section of the North Fork of the Feather in an inflatable kayak. According to postings in Boof.com, Ms. Kaiser, a former river guide, flipped her IK on a large breaking wave near the bottom in a long Class IV rapid below the first (Bucks Creek) power house. The current pushed her to the left and she pinned in a slot between a large boulder and

Frog Rock Rapid on Colorado’s Arkansas River is a deceptively dangerous place. At high flows it’s a straightforward Class III, at lower levels much of the water runs under a massive rock . It has been the scene of at least six deaths in the last two decades; the lower the water, the worse it gets. Signs warn boaters to stay left or portage, but for those used to higher levels, its hard to shift gears. On July 11th  a

Pillow Rock Rapid on West Virginia’s Upper Gauley has been thought of as big, powerful, but relatively hazard free. That changed on October 10th when a veteran paddler died after pinning on a previously unknown undercut rock. Mark Hanna, 55, had been paddling the river for over a decade. His friends agree on these facts: At Pillow rock, running fourth in a group of 9, Mr. Hanna flipped on the big pressure wave that gives the rapid its name. He

Photo shows Flatliner Falls, the site of Carl Schneider’s drowning on the Upper Blackwater River in West Virginia on October 2, 2010.This classic Class V run was running at 400 cfs, a high but commonly run level, when a group of 7 expert paddlers put in below the falls. Here Mr. Schneider, 35, missed a boof and washed over a 6’ ledge sideways. His bow hit rocks at the bottom, and the left side of his boat washed against an

Cullowhee, NC – American Whitewater, the leader in conserving and restoring America’s whitewater resources, is proud to announce it has been awarded the highest four-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s premier independent charity evaluator.   Charity Navigator works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,500 of America’s largest charities. Ratings reflect the organizational efficiency and organizational capacity examining financial records to evaluate the balance and growth of such things as