Articles

American Whitewater is pleased to recognize Todd Hoffman as our Volunteer of the Month for January, 2011.  River stewardship issues are really heating up right now in the Northern Rockies and Todd has been a big help, especially in Northern Idaho.  There are new dam proposals, Wild and Scenic planning and protection issues, and a proposal to turn the Lochsa River corridor into an industrial transportation corridor.  With all this going on it is great to have the support of

A report released today links acid mine drainage remediation on the North Branch of the Potomac River with significant regional economic benefits of angling and paddling.  The Report, prepared by Downstream Strategies for the Maryland State Water Quality Advisory Committee, reveals a compelling and cautionary case study of the economic benefits of protecting and restoring rivers.   As many paddlers know, the North Branch of the Potomac was severely impacted by bright orange acidic mine drainage for much of the last half

Newspapers reported this week that the removal of a dam on South Carolina’s Twelvemile Creek will begin by the end of this month.  The dam will be the first of two dams on the creek slated for removal in 2011.  The fate of a third dam remains uncertain.  The dam removals were triggered by the presence of PCB laden sediments trapped by the dams, which are currently being dredged as a precursor to dam removal.  Foothills Paddlers representative and American

Changes were just announced for the 2011 Savage River release program, which provides three recreational releases each year.  The new schedule plans releases for June, July, and late September rather than July, August, and early September.  The changes are intended to increase the storage of cold water for downstream sport fishing, and thus reduce the chances of releases being cancelled.     Once a valued whitewater boating destination, the dam on the Savage River eliminated almost all paddling opportunities for

Last month American Whitewater filed a motion to intervene and comments on a new proposal to dam northern Idaho’s Boulder Creek.  Boulder Creek is listed as critical habitat for the federally threatened bull trout, and offers paddlers at least two runnable waterfalls. The proposed diversion project would likely only generate power in the spring when there is a glut of cheap hydropower on the regional market.  It would also result in significant impacts associated with the construction of the dam,

Last week water was allowed to flow through a newly restored Clark Fork River channel flowing through the old Milltown Dam reservoir site, near Missoula, Montana.  Over the past few years the river was diverted into a man-made bypass channel to allow the removal of the dam and vast quantities of contaminated sediment.  The sediment removal uncovered the original floodplain, through which a new channel was created. Now, the Clark Fork River once again meanders across its floodplain at the

The US Forest Service has announced yet another 45 day comment period regarding paddling on the Upper Chattooga River, a form of outdoor recreation which they have banned on that section of river for 34 years.  Their announcement states that all comments since 2005 will be considered, and are only seeking any new comments, information, or ideas.   In late 2009 the USFS reached a new decision to ban paddling following at least 6 years of analysis.  They almost immediately

American Whitewater and many conservation-oriented paddlers worked to designate several new Wild and Scenic Rivers in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in 2009. The Park Service must now define the values that they intend to protect and enhance in perpetuity, and must develop a river management plan for these rivers.  Part of that plan must be a Visitor Capacity Analysis that defines the numbers and types of appropriate uses on each river reach.  The Park Service is seeking your

This week American Whitewater, New England Flow and the Vermont Paddlers Club are filing a detailed written request for studies relating to a proposed hydropower project on the popular West River.  The proposed project would install hydroelectric turbines and new fish passage facilities at the Army Corps of Engineers’ Ball Mountain Dam.  The requested studies would provide critical insight into the effects of the proposed project on recreation, hydrology, and Atlantic salmon. The proposed project would operate the dam in

The final countdown for the Elwha River restoration project has begun, and the largest dam removal in U.S. history is set to begin in September 2011. Built in the early 1900s, prior to the establishment of Olympic National Park, the 108-foot high Elwha Dam and 210-foot high Glines Canyon Dam have blocked the Elwha River’s once-legendary salmon runs for nearly a century. Removing the dams will free the Elwha River and allow all five kinds of Pacific salmon, plus steelhead, sea-run

In late November the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and Lone Star Industries, Inc., known as Buzzi Unicem USA, announced an agreement that will allow a treasured whitewater reach of the Vermilion River to be re-opened for public recreation. The river was closed by the company presumably in response to a lawsuit filed against the company after a drowning occured in the reach.   The agreement will permit the IDNR to install safety measures and additional warning signs on

On December 2, 2010 United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs issued a decision regarding the management of the Wild and Scenic upper Chattooga River, located in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The decision follows a hearing held in October.  The decision denied the US Forest Service’s motion to dismiss a case against them that was filed late last year by conservation-oriented paddlers.  The decision also denied a preliminary injunction request that would have granted paddlers the ability to

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are hosting two "scoping" meetings this week in order to help them craft a good management plan for newly designated Wild and Scenic Rivers in the parks.  These meetings will help them define the "outstanding remarkable values" of the rivers, and then create a plan for protecting and enhancing those values.  The plan will also dictate the types and amounts of recreational use allowed on the rivers.  Paddlers are encouraged to attend these meetings