Today, American Whitewater was in Washington D.C., attending the Department of Interior's Partnership in Conservation Award Ceremony.  American Whitewater, along with our project partners from the seven-state Colorado River basin, were given the Partnership award for our work on the US Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study.

Fall Tallulah releases are right around the corner. These releases occur the first two weekends in April and the first three weekends in November. There are a couple of important changes for this year so please review this information if you are planning a Tallulah trip.

Today is the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Clean Water Act. There’s no doubt that the river you love to play on would be very different today if not for this important piece of legislation, and the majority of our work here at American Whitewater has a connection to it. American Whitewater celebrates the environmental, public health and economic benefits that the Act has brought to everyone! 

On Thursday, October 4th, American Whitewater testified before California's State Water Resources Control Board in support of more stringent water quality protections at the City of Mt. Shasta's wastewater treatment plant, located on the Box Canyon run of the Sacramento River. The Board accepted recommendations from AW and the boating community that these protections be implemented year-round. The final permit is expected to be released in the coming weeks. 

American Whitewater is initiating an open hiring process for a half-time regional stewardship position. The Northeast Stewardship Director will represent American Whitewater in strategically selected regional river conservation and access issues.  Qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

Did you meet that special someone on the river? Nearly cause a breakup teaching your significant other to boat (yikes!)? If you haven't got a great whitewater love story (yet), what about a favorite gnarly river? Surely you can share some love for one or the other... 

If you think you've got a story to tell here, get cracking, 'cause our deadline for the Jan/Feb American Whitewater Journal is just a couple of weeks away! Check out the full article for details.

The National Park Service (NPS) has released for public comment a Study Report of Wild and Scenic River designation of Connecticut's lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook.   Your comments filed before the October 17 deadline will help secure lasting protection for these rivers.

Moab, UT - American Whitewater is asking for your input to define recreational streamflows on the Colorado and Green Rivers in Canyonlands National Park. Please take five minutes to participate in this study, being conducted in cooperation  with the National Park Conservation Association.  Your input is very important to our efforts to protect river flows in the west.

American Whitewater has a long running partnership with the Conservation Alliance and KEEN Footwear. A new video highlighting these partnerships and the stewardship efforts they support has just been released.

Cortez, Colorado - After several years of work to restore healthy flows in the Lower Dolores River, American Whitewater and a small group of water and conservation interests in the basin have released the Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation Plan for new management opportunities for McPHee Dam and the Lower Dolores River.  The Plan's goal is to restore native fish populations between the dam and the San Miguel River, while protecting world-class whitewater boating opportunities and other Wild and Scenic values. Among the opportunties presented in the Plan, are changes to spring relases from McPhee, which seek to provide better predictability, quality, and reliability of boating flows between April and July.

Gunnison, Colorado - American Whitewater is pleased to announce a new fellowship position within our Colorado River Stewardship Program. The part-time fellowship is a key addition to our ongoing strategic efforts to define recreational flow-needs across the Colorado River basin, and to grow our network of Colorado-based paddlers engaged in defending streamflows across the state. 

American Whitewater is now accepting applications for this part-time position.

American Whitewater is pleased to announce Bryan Mahoney as our October 2012 Volunteer of the Month! Bryan has served AW as a lead volunteer for our annual Gauley Festival fundraiser for over 5 years. In recognition of his efforts, Bryan will be receiving a custom Kokatat OuterCore shirt! Thanks Bryan!

A memorial service was held on September 29 to celebrate the life of Alan Panebacker. AW Executive Director, Mark Singleton delivered the following comments at the memorial.

Advertising in the American Whitewater Journal is a great way to reach your customers in the paddling and outdoor community. What's more, your advertising dollars help support AW's river stewardship work! For complete details on advertising in the American Whitewater Journal, see our 2013 Media Kit. Thanks!

Due to the ongoing Chips Fire in California's Feather River Watershed, the August 25th and 26th whitewater release on the Feather River has been cancelled. Heavy smoke is blanketing the area, and PG&E has shut down most of the hydroelectric system on the North Fork. The Feather River Fest, scheduled for September, is still on schedlue. The August release has been rescheduled for the 27th and 28th of October.

The rangers and staff of the Gauley River National Recreation Area have provided the boating community with a letter outlining what's in store for this year's Gauley season. As in previous years and to help with boater parking at Mason’s Branch, American Whitewater has leased the Legg field for additional space.

On Thursday, August 9th, American Whitewater and Friends of the River notified the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and PG&E of their intent to sue for violations of the Endangered Species Act at the Pit 1 and Hat Creek Hydroelectric Projects in California. The projects have numerous impacts on the endangered Shasta crayfish and have been in violation of the Endangered Species Act since 2005. 

Earlier this week the owner of the Holtwood Hydroelectric Project on the Susquehanna River (PA) initiated a construction process that will result in two sizeable whitewater waves at the base of a defunct fish ladder on the west side of the dam.  Once completed, the waves will be activated by 264 hours of scheduled water releases each year as well as by significant periods of spill.  The waves will provide for high quality freestyle kayak surfing opportunities.  Construction is anticipated to be complete by year end, and releases should begin no later than the summer of 2013.

American Whitewater takes a look back at the previous year and distills the organization's projects, supporters and financial information - plus much more - into one document, our Annual Report.

American Whitewater and KEEN are profiled as an example of an outstanding partnership by the Conservation Alliance. 
The Conservation Alliance is a group of outdoor industry companies that disburses its collective annual membership dues to grassroots environmental organizations. They direct funding to community-based campaigns to protect threatened wild habitat, preferably where outdoor enthusiasts recreate.

Charity Navigator has recognized our diligence in adhering to strict financial accountability for the second straight year. It is an honor to receive this top rating two years in a row for our philanthropic efforts in river conservation. We will strive to maintain the high standards set forth by Charity Navigator and continue to earn the trust and respect of our members.