Articles

                  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

American Whitewater is incredibly excited to announce the arrival of a new Class V ($20,000) partner: Bliss-Stick US! This year, Bliss-Stick US (a division of WakaWai Distribution) came to us with a novel idea: “Instead of spending money on marketing, we’re just going to spend it on saving rivers”. Share an eddy with the folks behind company and their team, and you’ll see what makes them so special. Bliss-Stick US is made up of true boaters, but, they’re true environmentalists

Spring is definitely in the air and we want to give folks an update on the changes to expect this year for the Bear River Black Canyon whitewater releases, located in Southeastern Idaho. When do whitewater flows occur in Black Canyon of the Bear?  No change here…the window for potential whitewater flows in Black Canyon is still weekends April 1 thru July 15th (excluding Memorial Day weekend and “Idaho free fishing day”) when the river flow exceeds 700 cfs. There are expected

The March/April issue of the AW Journal features Whitewater Kids and includes: River as a Metaphor The Exploration Project The Paddle Snake Going with the Flow . . .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 Whitewater Kids issue now! Not a current member? Renew or Join today!

Legislation has been proposed to change the boundary of the Merced Wild and Scenic River in order to accommodate raising the New Exchequer dam and the level of Lake McClure in California. The Wild and Scenic Merced River, located in the central Sierra Nevadas, is feeling the pressure to increase the water supply for irrigation for the San Joaquin Valley.  The Merced Irrigation District seeks to increase the carrying capacity of Lake McClure behind New Exchequer Dam, which will push

American Whitewater and Clif Bar are pleased to announce the 9th annual Clif Bar Flowing Rivers Campaign, pledging $2,500 to American Whitewater Affiliate Clubs for river stewardship work. Funding for this program is provided by Clif Bar. AW Affiliate Clubs have the opportunity to apply for one of two $1,250 grants. Grants will be distributed to clubs for projects that promote river stewardship, conservation, access, and/or safety on our nation’s rivers. Current American Whitewater Affiliate Clubs should download the Flowing

The federal agencies have recently updated their maps of all the nation’s Wild and Scenic Rivers and in an effort to make this information more accessible to our members and the general public, AW volunteer Alex Zendel has produced a Google Earth layer of Wild and Scenic Rivers based on GIS data available from the federal river management agencies. The map includes the newly designated rivers that were protected with the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009 and can be

PacifiCorp has released the schedule for summer whitewater boating opportunities on the North Fork Rogue. This is the last year of a 3 year trial to evaluate instream flow needs for recreation and demand for these releases. All releases will be from 10am to 4pmJuly 30, Saturday, 150 cfs July 31, Sunday, 500 cfs August 20, Saturday, Full NF inflow (approx 400)August Sunday 21, Full NF inflow (approx 400)September 4, Sunday, 350 cfsSeptember 5, Monday (Labor Day), 250 cfsSeptember 10,

On Thursday, February 24, 2011, American Whitewater’s California Stewardship Director Dave Steindorf presented at the Northwest Hydroelectric Association’s annual conference in Portland, Oregon.  The theme of the conference was “Hydropower: Generating a Clean Future.”   Dave was a member of a panel that discussed the lessons learned from addressing conflicting expectations while negotiating and implementing 30 to 50 year FERC licenses ("Long Licenses, Short Memories").  He and other panelists from NOAA Fisheries, the Forest Service and a local county PUD outlined