Articles

Army Corps postpones F.E. Walter Dam public meeting PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 31, 2011) – Due to the inclement weather forecast, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers postponed the public meeting scheduled for Feb. 1 regarding the 2011 Francis E. Walter Dam Flow Management Plan. The meeting has been rescheduled for Feb. 16 at the Mountain Laurel Resort, Route 940 West, White Haven, Pa., from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Corps partners, including the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Pennsylvania

Currents is a river stewardship focused WebTV program (online video documentary) which uses white water kayaking as a means to educate a broader audience about the risks threatening the world’s rivers and to help highlight the intrinsic value of preserving rivers in their natural state.   See Currents latest release on the history of boating on the Moose River and the early role that American Whitewater played. Click here.   New York’s Moose River was first run in the late 70’s and

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