Articles

Search Articles:
Image for It’s Time to Support River Access in Colorado!

It’s Time to Support River Access in Colorado!

Colorado Gives Day is happening now through December 5! Donate today to have your dollars go even further in supporting American Whitewater’s river access work in Colorado.    What is Colorado Gives?    Community First Foundation and FirstBank partnered to make this time every year more rewarding for givers, nonprofits and communities across Colorado. Colorado Gives Day is the state’s largest online giving event, raising more than $415 million for Colorado non-profits since 2010.    Community First Foundation and FirstBank

Read More
Image for A Vision for the Future of the Lower White Salmon River (WA)

A Vision for the Future of the Lower White Salmon River (WA)

The Lower White Salmon Coalition, formed in 2016, is releasing its Vision Plan for the approximately five hundred acres of land owned by PacifiCorp along the lower White Salmon River representing the former project lands for the Condit Hydroelectric Project. For whitewater boaters this includes the Lower Gorge from Buck Creek to the Columbia River. The removal of Condit dam in 2011 – 2012 restored a free-flowing river, which quickly returned to its historic channel, a major change for fish,

Read More
Image for An Important Milestone on the Klamath – Removal of the Copco 2 Dam Complete!

An Important Milestone on the Klamath – Removal of the Copco 2 Dam Complete!

Crews spent October putting the final touches on the removal of the Copco No. 2 Dam on California’s Klamath River, removing the remaining diversion infrastructure, grading the river channel, and performing erosion control. Deconstruction of the dam structure was completed in September. This work prepares the river canyon for consistent river flows, something which the river canyon below the dam hasn’t seen in 98 years. Restored flows in this reach will provide new whitewater boating opportunities on a section of

Read More
Image for National Forest Rivers to Receive Protections in Colorado

National Forest Rivers to Receive Protections in Colorado

On the western slope of Colorado, twenty-two new rivers are poised to receive administrative protections under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. American Whitewater has been advocating for river protections on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) for nearly a decade and we are closing in on the finish line. On August 30, the Forest Service released a revised Forest Plan which will serve as the management blueprint of over 3 million acres for the next 20-30

Read More
Image for American Whitewater Secures Grant Funding for Wilson Creek USGS Gage (NC)

American Whitewater Secures Grant Funding for Wilson Creek USGS Gage (NC)

American Whitewater is pleased to announce that we were awarded a Google Data Center Grant of $5,000 to help fund the USGS water level gage on Wild and Scenic Wilson Creek. American Whitewater worked in partnership with Duke Energy and the USGS on the construction and initial funding for the gage, which came on-line three years ago and has proven invaluable to the recreating public. The water level gage, which requires annual funding, supports thousands of diverse recreationists as they

Read More
Image for Index-Galena Road Providing North Fork Skykomish Access Repaired! (WA)

Index-Galena Road Providing North Fork Skykomish Access Repaired! (WA)

Nearly 20 years ago, the Index-Galena Road which provides access to the North Fork Skykomish River sustained heavy damage in a high water event that washed away portions of the road between milepost 6 and 7. At the time, the North Fork Skykomish was one of the most popular whitewater runs in the North Cascades of Washington State known for its outstanding recreational and aesthetic values. The Mt. Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest Plan notes that the North Fork Skykomish

Read More
Image for Urge Congress to Repair the Clean Water Act

Urge Congress to Repair the Clean Water Act

You might want to tighten those nose clips and buy some earplugs: earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled on a long running legal dispute about which streams and wetlands the Clean Water Act actually protects from pollution – and it’s not good. Their decision, which ignored even the most basic science, stripped protections for an estimated 50% of streams and 70% of wetlands that had been protected since the 1970s.  Congress is considering a bill, the Clean Water Act

Read More
Image for American Whitewater Appeals FERC Dam Removal Refusal

American Whitewater Appeals FERC Dam Removal Refusal

American Whitewater filed a legal appeal of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC’s) decision to allow the owner of a failed hydropower project on the Salmon Falls RIver, which forms the Maine and New Hampshire border, to abandon its deadbeat dams. The appeal, filed in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, argues that dam removal is in the public interest because leaving the dams in the river blocks fish passage and recreation, and also violates the Clean Water Act.  American

Read More
Image for Paddlers' Opinions Sought on Catawba River's Great Falls (SC)

Paddlers’ Opinions Sought on Catawba River’s Great Falls (SC)

American Whitewater and our partners are seeking paddlers’ input on how you used the Great Falls of the Catawba River (SC) in 2023, how you plan to visit the area next year, and what your impressions of the run are. We’ll be meeting with Duke Energy and other partners like Catawba Riverkeeper in a few weeks to discuss lessons-learned from this year and to plan next year. Your input matters, and will help us maximize the recreational benefits of the

Read More
Image for Crystal Wild and Scenic Feasibility Community Summit Oct 26th

Crystal Wild and Scenic Feasibility Community Summit Oct 26th

American Whitewater is excited about the upcoming Crystal River Wild and Scenic and Alternatives Community Summit taking place October 26th, from 5:00 to 8:30 pm in Carbondale at the Roaring Fork High School Auditorium (2270 CO-133, Carbondale, CO 81623). We hope you will join us in learning about and providing feedback on all the potential options for protecting the upper Crystal River that the Steering Committee has identified. Food will be provided along with an interactive agenda. Save the date!

Read More
Image for PG&E PROPOSAL IMPACTS 500 MILES OF CA RIVERS

PG&E PROPOSAL IMPACTS 500 MILES OF CA RIVERS

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) operates 22 hydropower projects on 500 river miles across California that American Whitewater has spent nearly 30 years of work to protect and restore. This includes whitewater reaches on the North Fork Feather, the Pit, the McCloud, Butte Creek, Fordyce, the South Yuba, the Bear, the Eel, the Mokelumne, the San Joaquin and the North Fork Kings. Now, in an application before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), PG&E is proposing to transfer all non-nuclear

Read More
Image for Dolores River 2023 Season Debrief

Dolores River 2023 Season Debrief

Dolores River Boating Advocates is hosting a virtual event on Wednesday, October 11th. This will be a great chance to hear about what  the 2023 Dolores River season looked like and a chance to provide feedback on your experience. We will listen to presentations from water managers and dam operators, fish biologists, and recreation advocates. This event will be hosted on Zoom, and will span from 6:00PM – 8:00PM with an opportunity to ask questions. For future boating seasons, we

Read More
Image for Montana Agency Proposes Paddling Prohibition on Fish Creek

Montana Agency Proposes Paddling Prohibition on Fish Creek

Earlier this week Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (MTFWP) proposed to ban paddling on the entire length of Fish Creek, located near the popular Alberton Gorge section of the Clark Fork River downstream of Missoula. The proposal is an element of the agency’s Draft Fish Creek Recreation Strategy. Their rationale is extremely concerning, and the proposal marks a significant shift for a state that has a long history of strongly supporting the public freedom to float rivers. Paddlers across the

Read More
Image for Planning for Colorado River Basin Future Moves Forward

Planning for Colorado River Basin Future Moves Forward

More and more voices call for major renovation or complete removal at Glen Canyon Dam   In August, American Whitewater and many others submitted scoping comments on the complex planning process for Post-2026 Operations at Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams on the Colorado River. The outcome of the multi-year process led by the Bureau of Reclamation will guide reservoir operations at both Glen Canyon Dam (Lake Powell) and Hoover Dam (Lake Mead) and has the potential to affect river recreation

Read More
Image for Uinta Basin Railway Must Assess Impacts to Colorado River

Uinta Basin Railway Must Assess Impacts to Colorado River

In August a D.C. Circuit Court vacated the Surface Transportation Board’s environmental review and directed further evaluation of the human and environmental impacts of a proposed segment of railway in the Uinta Basin in Utah. The new 88-mile track would provide for efficient export of waxy crude oil extracted from northeast Utah, along the Colorado River, to Gulf Coast refineries. Eagle County in Colorado sued the Transportation Board, indicating that both the up and downstream impacts – such as oil

Read More
Image for Wins and Losses for Eastern Colorado Rivers

Wins and Losses for Eastern Colorado Rivers

American Whitewater is formally objecting to the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Final Plan for the Eastern Colorado Field Office. The planning area includes the majority of the Arkansas River and its key tributaries like Grape Creek. As part of the planning process the BLM is required to conduct a thorough review of which river segments are free-flowing and possess at least one Outstandingly Remarkable Value. These river segments should then be protected by the agency as eligible Wild and

Read More
Image for Pit River (CA) Whitewater Boating Opportunities in September & October

Pit River (CA) Whitewater Boating Opportunities in September & October

Every late summer and early fall, it’s time for boating on California’s Pit River when the hydropower boating flow releases that American Whitewater has secured come into play. Here’s how it looks this season for the Pit 5 and Pit 1 runs. Pit 5 Run With the August releases already behind us, the second and final scheduled release for the Pit 5 run will be on September 9th & 10th from 10 am to 4 pm each day at  a

Read More
Image for New EPA Rule Greatly Reduces Clean Water Act Protections

New EPA Rule Greatly Reduces Clean Water Act Protections

Earlier this week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a new federal rule that eliminates protection for a majority of our nation’s wetlands and estimated totals of well over a million miles of streams. The rule aligns the law with a recent Supreme Court Case that limited the kinds of wetlands and streams that can be covered by the Clean Water Act, known as Waters of the United States, or WOTUS. American Whitewater joined an amicus brief in that pivotal

Read More
Image for National Park Service Shares 2023 Gauley Season Details (WV)

National Park Service Shares 2023 Gauley Season Details (WV)

American Whitewater received the following open letter to boaters from the great rangers and staff of the Gauley River National Recreation Area. This letter will keep you up to date on important management actions of the National Park Service on the Gauley River for the 2023 season. In addition, as part of our agreement with the land owner, there is no camping allowed on the Legg field that American Whitewater leases for overflow parking. As always, respect this and other

Read More
Image for Speak Up For Dam Removals On TN’s Little River

Speak Up For Dam Removals On TN’s Little River

The Army Corps of Engineers is proposing to remove two low head dams on the Little River in Tennessee, and considered but passed on the removal of a third dam. These dam removals are located in scenic Class I-II reaches that are popular with beginner and local paddlers. Sadly, these two dams, called Rockford Dam and Peery’s Mill Dam, have been responsible for seven drownings in recent years. Dam removal would significantly benefit the many members of the public who

Read More
Image for North Fork French Broad Wild and Scenic Storymap Available!

North Fork French Broad Wild and Scenic Storymap Available!

The North Fork of the French Broad, a class IV+ creeking destination in western North Carolina, is now eligible for National Wild and Scenic River designation! More work is needed to help this river gain its well-deserved Wild and Scenic status. Once designated, the North Fork of the French Broad will forever be protected from development projects like dams – a huge victory for a river that was almost lost to them twice in the last 60 years. Explore this

Read More
Image for Recreation Roundtable on the Wild & Scenic Tuolumne River (CA)

Recreation Roundtable on the Wild & Scenic Tuolumne River (CA)

American Whitewater, Outdoor Alliance California, Tuolumne River Trust and the Tuolumne River Outfitters spearheaded a recreation roundtable to highlight recreation and access issues on the Wild and Scenic Tuolumne River with Congressman Tom McClintock and his senior staff. Our goal for the two-day event was to build appreciation for this iconic stretch of river among all the stakeholders who manage, recreate, and depend on it for the local economy. We also wanted to call attention to last winter’s atmospheric rivers

Read More
Image for Eagle Falls Graffiti Scrub and Clean Up, Saturday 8/26 (WA)

Eagle Falls Graffiti Scrub and Clean Up, Saturday 8/26 (WA)

Back in 2017 the local whitewater paddling community rallied to clean up Eagle Falls on the Skykomish River (short film). Ongoing stewardship of the site is necessary and this August American Whitewater is supporting a volunteer-led effort to remove graffiti and clean up the site. Time: Meet Saturday August 26th at 8am. Later arrivals are welcome but our intent is to secure parking and set up equipment before day users arrive. We will plan to wrap up by early afternoon.

Read More
Image for New Access Completed on North Fork Feather River

New Access Completed on North Fork Feather River

As part of the Poe hydropower license on the North Fork Feather River, Pacific Gas and Electric company was required to build a new trail from the Cresta Powerhouse house parking lot, down to the Poe Reservoir. This trail now provides much improved takeout access for the lower section of the Class II/ III Cresta run. Previously, taking out at the Cresta Powerhouse required paddlers to climb a steep scree slope that was challenging with kayaks and nearly impossible with

Read More
Image for Volunteers Needed! Gauley Fest 2023 w/ 40th Anniversary 80s Party

Volunteers Needed! Gauley Fest 2023 w/ 40th Anniversary 80s Party

Gauley Fest 2023 is almost here! Our largest membership drive and biggest whitewater event of the year is just a few weeks away Nicholas County Veterans Memorial Park, Summersville, WV.   The festival grounds open up September 14th for weekend camping onsite, with our vendor market and live music running thru the weekend, plus our infamous silent auction and an 80s theme party Saturday, September 16th to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Gauley Fest! We will wrap up the festival

Read More