Front Page News

The US Army Corps of Engineers has added a public hearing on the Moffat Collection Project.

Date: December 8, 2009

Location: Keystone Conference Center (0633 Tennis Club Road, Keystone, CO, 80435)
Time: Open House 4:00 pm; Public Hearing begins at 6:00 pm

American Whitewater has been working for three years to get improved flows on the McCloud River, quite possibly the best class III/ IV wilderness run in California. In order for this to become a reality we need your support!

The state of South Carolina is considering funding the removal of the third of three dams on Twelvemile Creek. The other two dams are already slated for removal. Take an online survey to support the full restoration of Twelvemile Creek, and the potentially great whitewater currently lost under reservoirs.

The deadline for our March/April edition is right around the corner. Don't miss your chance to be a part of our "Intro to Whitewater" themed issue...

American Whitewater continues to play a leadership role in efforts to protect the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie and Pratt Rivers through Wild and Scenic River designation, Wilderness designation of the federal lands along the river, and designation of state-managed forest lands as a Natural Resource Conservation Area. Paddlers can take action today to keep these efforts on track.

Earlier this year Cody Erhart, a recent landscape architecture program graduate, produced images for American Whitewater depicting what Sullivan Creek (WA) might look like following the removal of Millpond Dam. We are pleased to share these images which are a blend of science and art aimed at facilitiating discussion about the future of Sullivan Creek.

Earlier today the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to designate the Molalla River as a Wild and Scenic River (H.R. 2781). This legislation will protect 15.1 miles of the Molalla River and 6.2 miles of the Table Rock Fork of the Molalla River in Oregon.

Each fall American Whitewater sends out an end of year appeal to members for donations. Please take some time to review the American Whitewater winter appeal letter arriving in your mailbox. 


Help! If you have submitted any material for publication in American Whitewater in the past several months, there's a good chance we don't have it anymore. Due to a pernicious computer failure, we're scrambling to recover much of the content for our January/February issue now, and we don't necessarily have contact info for authors and photographers. So, if we haven't already contacted you personally to re-send your contributions, please do so as soon as possible.

The November/December issue of the AW Journal is our INFLATABLES ISSUE.

Current members - Read the Inflatables Issue of the Journal Now!

Nevada Irrigation District (NID) will be releasing 350 cfs into California's Bear River below Rollins Reservoir on Saturday, and Sunday, November 14 & 15. Releases will also happen from Wednesday to Sunday, November 18 to 22, 2009. A third release of 200 cfs will happen from November 25 to 29. NID, with the cooperation of AW, will conduct an "opportunistic flow study" to take advantage of these flows.

Boaters are getting a surprise fall boating season on the NF Feather river in California, due to dam maintainence. Poe Dam to Poe powerhouse section will have flows through November and probably into December. At the same time, a new AW online gauge has just started reporting flows in that same reach.

To meet their projected future water needs, Denver Water proposes to develop 18,000 acre-feet per year of new water from the Upper Colorado River basin. Denver Water's prefered project, currently being evaluated by the Army Coprs of Engineers (ACOE), includes raising Gross Reservoir on South Boulder Creek in Boulder County to store an additional 72,000 acre-feet of water from the Fraser River and Upper Colorado basin.

AW is evaluating how severely the project will impact paddling opportunities in the Upper Colorado and Boulder Creek drainages.

For more info, attend one of three public hearings announced by the ACOE.

For the low price of $45, this package includes a one year membership with American Whitewater (or a one year extension to a current membership) plus a copy of Doug Ammons' book "Whitewater Philosophy"! This package deal could be the perfect gift for the whitewater paddler in your life, or a great way to renew your own membership. A year saving rivers with AW and a book from one of the highest regarded whitewater writers and paddlers in the world.

Just in time for the Holidays this year, American Whitewater will be offering two books for sale from well-known paddler and author Doug Ammons: Whitewater Philosophy and Laugh of the Water Nymph. These books are some of the most well read in the all of whitewater. What's more, purchasing these books helps support American Whitewater but also Doug's decades long efforts to support rural schools in Nepal. Check out the book links for full details.

A private hydropower company has proposed to install hydropower generation facilities in two Army Corps of Engineers Dams on the West River (VT), including Ball Mountain Dam which provides releases into the popular whitewater section of the West. The Company, Blue Heron Hydro (BHH) is hosting a public meeting and site visit to discuss their proposal. Paddlers interested in the effects that the hydropower installation may have on the West River are encouraged to attend the meeting and site visit.

American Whitewater has reached agreement with Snohomish PUD and other parties to the relicensing of the Jackson Hydropower Project on the Sultan River. The future proposed license will support whitewater boating on the Sultan River and in particular the reach between Culmback Dam and the Powerhouse known as the Upper Sultan.

Earlier this week the US Forest Service cancelled their plans to allow a paltry six days of paddling on one small section of the upper Chattooga River (NC/SC/GA) this winter. As it has been for 33 years, the entire Upper Chattooga River now remains banned to all canoeing and kayaking, while all other existing uses have no limits. Conservation-oriented paddlers have challenged the overarching agency decision to ban paddling on the Wild and Scenic Upper Chattooga River in court and in the administrative appeals process over the past two weeks.

Earlier this week FERC granted a permit that gives a private company sole rights to study and seek to develop a damaging hydropower project on Montana's famed Madison River. The project would pipe water from Quake Lake around the Class IV/V Slide section of whitewater to a new powerhouse downstream. American Whitewater and regional paddling clubs have opposed this project and will continue to do so.

With a prolonged maintenance outage at Nantahala Hydro Station and higher than expected rainfall Duke Energy is expecting to begin releasing water through a gate at the Nantahala Lake Dam on Monday, November 2, 2009. This management marks an opportunity for paddlers to enjoy the Class IV+ Cascades and Class III+ Upper Nantahala, and is likely to last until late December.

It's really rather simple - human-powered outdoor pursuits need a healthy climate. If the climate is out of balance, then our favorite ways to enjoy the outdoors can go from being degraded to actually disappearing. Check out a new short video on the topic, and consider taking action.

After a two-year drought in the southeast, Tallulah releases are on track for this fall. Scheduled releases occur the first three weekends in November. Release dates for November 2009 are 7 & 8, 14 & 15, and 21 & 22. On Saturday 500 cfs is released and on Sunday 700 cfs.

Olympic gold medalist Joe Jacobi recently featured the Atlanta Whitewater Club's clean up of the Ocoee River in his "Gold to Green TV" video series. The featured clean up was assisted by a 2008 Clif Bar Flowing Rivers Grant provided through American Whitewater.

Ready for your viewing pleasure, you can now purchase the American Whitewater 2010 Calendar! A huge thanks goes out to all the many AW members who submitted their photos.

Conservation-oriented kayakers and canoeists sought protection in federal court on Wednesday from an illegal decision by the United States Forest Service involving the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River. The USFS decision, which was the culmination of a 2004 administrative appeal by American Whitewater, makes it a federal crime for paddlers to float the northernmost 21 miles of the River and its tributaries except on a limited seven-mile section during 6 or fewer days per year.

If you have the day off, can get the day off, have a furlough day or can even call in sick we need boaters at the October 13th EBMUD Board of Directors Meeting where they will vote to certify the Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for their Water Supply Management Plan 2040.

Our January/February issue is going to highlight our members' tales from the steep, tight, and technical. Got a story to share? We'd love to hear from you. The catch? Deadline to submit material is Monday, October 26th, so start writing up your adventures today.

If you want to obtain a permit to float the Selway, Snake, Middle Fork of the Salmon, or wild main Salmon Rivers in 2010, you need to know about changes coming in the Forest Service permit lottery and launch reservation system. The Four Rivers Lottery is going "green", incorporating an entirely online system as part of our desire to go paperless.

Show your support of American Whitewater and your love of the Feather River by volunteering some time at the Festival!

"Current" members you can Read the Canoe Issue of the Journal Now! In order to read the online version, you must be registered with the AW website and have your membership associated with your website user account.

American Whitewater received an open letter to boaters from the National Park Service outlining Gauley River access for 2009. For the last decade AW has leased the open field at Mason Branch for private boater parking - we are leasing the field again this year. These are your AW dues at work!

CANCELLED--September 5, 6, 7 Bear River Study Flow

Based on recent scouting trips on the Bear River below Drum Power House, AW, PG&E and NID have agreed that the boating flow study of the Drum Power House and Dutch Flat Power House reaches on the Bear River is to be postponed until 2010. Based on recent scouting trips, the reaches have a level of difficulty and a level of potential hazard that will require better information regarding the reach, and a more controlled study than the "opportunistic" study that we had planned.

American Whitewater is asking our members, particularly those living in Oregon to take action to protect the Wild Rogue. The Rogue River Wilderness and Rogue River Wild and Scenic River represents one of Oregon's most treasured natural landscapes. Legislstion in Congress (H.R. 2890 and S. 1271) will provide more comprehensive protection for the river corridor for future generations.

Public Notice - Regional Watershed Supply Project proposed by Million Conservation Resource Group.

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers announces the scoping comment period for the Flaming Gorge/Green River Pumpback has been extended to September 28, 2009.

Since 2007, American Whitewater has negotiated with various state agencies and urban water providers intent on developing new management criteria for the headwaters of the Colorado River, that threaten to allow water providers to nearly dry-up the river without protecting instream flows necessary for fish, wildlife, and outdoor enthusiasts. For two years, American Whitewater has been the lone recreation voice in these negotiations, and we have had measurable success protecting the Colorado River.

Annual fall releases on Piru Creek in southern California will begin on September 10 this year and last for almost 2 months. Escorted access to the upper put in will be provided at a specific time (to be announced) on weekends.

A short note regarding summer flows on the Pit River. Releases of about 850 cfs will be happening Saturday and Sunday, August 29 & 30.

Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill (SB 670) placing a moratorium on suction dredge mining in California. This is a huge victory for paddlers, anglers, and anyone who enjoys California's rivers.

The 19th annual Feather River Festival (CA) will be held during the scheduled releases on Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27, 2009. The fund-raiser event for American Whitewater is hosted by local paddling club, the Chico Paddleheads.

Paddle rafters, catarafters, IKers, and inflatable paddlers of all kinds, our issue celebrating inflatable paddlers--their unique approach to whitewater, their accomplishments, and their culture--is coming up soon. Deadline for submitting material for the Inflatible Issue is August 31. Please contact the editor directly at editor@americanwhitewater.org

Last summer and fall, and then through the winter and spring, AW worked with Licensees NID and PG&E to conduct "opportunistic flow studies" on numerous reaches within the Yuba Bear Drum Spaulding Relicensing project area. Surveys filled out by boaters are an important part of the "Recreational Flow Study" that is being conducted as part of the Relicensing process.

Features articles on:

* Whitewater of the Sea
* It's Nile or Never!
* Women's Canoe Headed for Int'l Competition
. . . .and much more

"Current" Members Read the Journal Now! (In order to read the online version, you must be registered with the AW website and have your membership associated with your website user account.)

Over the past several months American Whitewater has been participating in mediated settlement negotiations regarding the fate of two dams that are part of the Sullivan Creek hydroproject, which has not generated power in over half a century. The negotiation team is exploring opportunities for enchancing the management of Sullivan Lake in a manner that benefits both recreation and the environment, and is considering options including removal for Millpond Dam.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has written a letter to FERC and the State Water Resources Control Board recommending that the releases on the Pit River, above the Pit 1 Powerhouse, should be canceled this summer. They cite concerns of potential impacts to Shasta Crayfish. American Whitewater was not consulted before making this recommendation and USFWS staff has stated that impacts to recreation was not a consideration. If you wish to boat the Pit this summer or in the future you need to write a letter now!

American Whitewater has released an updated website! This is the first release of the new website since February of last year. There are hundreds of updates, new features, and several bug fixes as well. Please excuse us over the next couple days as we tweak our website settings for optimal performance.

Please feel free to leave feedback on the new website by logging in and posting on our new website thread in the American Whitewater general forum.

After three years of waiting a new flow schedule for the Cresta reach of the North Fork Feather River has been approved by FERC. This flow shecdule is a result of colaboration between American Whitewater, PG&E and the State and Federal resource agencies. New higher base flows will begin on May 1st.

American Whitewater has joined the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in their Green Power Partnership. AW has purchased enough renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Clean Currents, a leading supplier of wind energy credits, to offset energy usage in our national office.

American Whitewater would like to recognize Molly Buirgy as our April Volunteer of the Month.

As a fan of healthy rivers and the iconic Colorado River rafting trip, Molly never hesitated to invest her energy over the past several months in helping AW update it's inventory of whitewater rivers in Colorado. Paddlers around Colorado will now find the AW River database to be the most comprehensive and organized listing of whitewater runs available. Thanks Molly!

Green River, Wyoming - After much anticipation, the US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) has announced the first set of public meetings on thecontroversial Regional Watershed Supply Project (RWSP)--also known as the Green River or Flaming Gorge Pumpback. The Project proposes to remove up to 250,000 acre-feet of water from the Green River at Flaming Gorge, sending it east through 500 miles of pipelines to Colorado's Front Range. The project also proposes two new reservoirs for Colorado's Front Range. The ACOE will be holding several meetings to describe the project, the NEPA process, and to solicit input on the issues and alternatives to be evaluated before permiting the RWSP.

Dolores River - Colorado

Here we are in mid-March with the high elevation snow in the Dolores and San Miguel watersheds at about 106% of normal and dropping daily. Therefore estimates for spring flows in the Lower Dolores River below McPhee Reservoir are a little below normal. The first projections of this years releases for the Lower Dolores are now available.

Utah House Bill 187, a recent bill that would have made it illegal to paddle all but a short list of rivers, was voted down last week in the Utah Legislature, reintroduced, and was voted down again. We would like to encourage continued participation in this important public debate and hopefully public access to public rivers can be protected.

The deadline for contributing to our May/June issue is Wednesday, March 4th! Contact editor@americanwhitewater.org for more details.

Our nation's leaders are currently considering the passage of a large economic stimulus package designed to put people to work and stimulate the economy. All current versions of the package include significant funding for construction and restoration projects on federal lands. American Whitewater has joined forces with other members of the Outdoor Alliance to compile a list of infrastructure projects that are important to the active outdoor recreation community. Please offer your suggestions through our easy online survey.

Prevent the transport of nuisance species. Clean all recreational equipment.

There is a new invasive species in California. The zebra and quagga mussels, originally from Ukraine, landed in the Great Lakes in the 1980s and have spread steadily throughout the Midwest and Mississippi River.

American Whitewater and various stakeholders have formed a Working Group in the Lower Dolores River Valley to update the 1990 US Bureau of Land Management's Lower Dolores River Management Plan. In December 2008, the Working Group launched a year-long process to develop and evaluate alternatives to Wild and Scenic River designation for the Dolores below McPhee Dam.

We ask that paddlers familiar with Idaho's Black Canyon of the Bear River fill out a short one-page online survey. The survey will help us understand paddler's preferences for flow volumes and scheduling. American Whitewater strives to represent the interests of the paddlers that are out on the water, and surveys are a big help.

The Bureau of Reclamation has released the long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Windy Gap Firming Project. The Project, proposed by the Municipal Subdistrict of Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District would move the Colorado River another step closer to being a "flat lined" river, with flows perpetually at low flow levels. The Bureau of Reclamation has scheduled two public meetings where citizens can offer written and oral comments: one in Loveland on October 7 and one in Granby on October 9.

A new SC state Attorney General's opinion suggests that public river access at bridges, and recreational activities like fishing and boating (including scouting and portaging) within the bounds of the high water mark are likely legal activities on navigable rivers in the state. This positive opinion is not a substitute for a definitive judicial ruling, however it will guide the officers and agents of the State in their law enforcement practices.