Community Proposes Post-Hurricane Plan for Rocky Broad River (NC)
06/12/2025 - by Kevin Colburn
Flooding caused by Hurricane Helene largely destroyed the town of Chimney Rock and the Rocky Broad River as we knew it. The river grew to fill the entire valley with a torrent, and the storm left behind a greatly widened river often lacking a clear channel and with massive carved out banks. Shortly after the storm, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) built a temporary road through the gorge that is often in the middle of the river channel. Now, as the community seeks to rebuild, they have come together with a draft plan to create a river park through town that features a trail, whitewater features and pools, and green space. With a little effort by NCDOT to leave the river in good shape, and in combination with the river park downstream, the Rocky Broad could once again be a beloved staple of the Western North Carolina boating community. Explore the new plan and learn more in this article!
Wild & Scenic Tuolumne River (CA) Access and Advocacy Updates for 2025
06/12/2025 - by Jeff Venturino
American Whitewater has been working since 2023 to build a coalition of support, advocate with policy makers and land managing agencies, and keep the repair of Lumsden and Ward’s Ferry roads moving forward. Funding sources for both road repairs have been identified and it is possible that they will both be repaired before next season. Access unfortunately, however, will not be restored to normal this summer. Interim access involves moving equipment up or down the South Fork Road (which leads to Meral’s Pool), and boaters on the main T need to get vehicles and themselves to Moccasin Point Marina. The following article describes the specifics of this interim access. Thanks to members and passionate Tuolumne donor support, we’ve been able to put forth a tremendous effort toward trying to see reasonable access return as soon as possible. Thank you so much for your love of the Tuolumne and to everyone who has supported this work.
May June American Whitewater Journal Hot Off the Press!
06/11/2025 - by Evan Stafford
The newest edition of the American Whitewater Journal is now available online. American Whitewater member's print editions should have already arrived (if not, they'll be there soon!). We have a wonderful team of talented folks that work on publishing the Journal five times a year, but at its heart the American Whitewater Journal is a volunteer publication that relies on community members to submit their stories, photos, art and other contributions that make up its content. This is OUR Journal!
If you're interested in submitting your original work for publication, you can easily do so via our Journal Submission Form.
Help Us Understand Boating on the Lower Chiwawa River (WA)
06/11/2025 - by Susan Elliott
Do you paddle the Lower Chiwawa River outside of Leavenworth, WA? Your input is needed. Chelan County has launched a survey to better understand how people use the Lower Chiwawa River for recreation–especially whitewater boating. The survey will help project planners and land managers determine whether and how the river is being used by kayakers, rafters, and other river users, and how future restoration and development efforts might support or impact access and navigation. If you’ve ever floated the Lower Chiwawa River, anywhere from Huckleberry Campground to the confluence with Wenatchee River, or even just thought about paddling it—your voice is needed.The survey is part of a broader effort to guide upcoming floodplain and salmon habitat restoration projects in the Lower Chiwawa corridor. Chelan County has already begun design work on multiple projects along this reach, and this input will help ensure that recreational boaters are included in that process. Take the survey today!
2025 Gauley Fest Vendor Registration is Live!
06/09/2025 - by Bethany Overfield
We’re excited to kick start 2025 Gauley Fest planning! Started in 1983 to celebrate the derailment of a hydro-electric project that would have disrupted the flows on the Gauley River, Gauley Fest has grown to become the largest paddling festival in the world. The Gauley Fest vendor marketplace is second to none for reaching the whitewater boating and outdoor community in the US.
The 2025 Festival will take place from September 18th through September 21st. We’ll be posting more details in the coming weeks, but Vendors can register for booth space now!
We expect vendor spots to fill up quickly this year, so get to gettin' and secure your spot today. One 10' x 10' booth space is $400. Nonprofit pricing is available.
Notice: Web Users May Need to Reset Passwords
05/21/2025 - by Kevin Colburn
Heads up that American Whitewater updated our website on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, and website users will be logged out of the site by this update and will need to reset your password by clicking "forgot password" to log back into the site. Follow the steps for resetting your password and log back in. You will need to know the email address that you’ve been using to log into the site. We are working to resolve this issue this week. If you would like to log in and are having trouble, you can contact us at info@americanwhitewater.org. The site update will not result in changes to the website except for how you log in and change your personal information on the site. The update is needed to support upcoming changes to the website and the apps that will benefit our users. We appreciate your patience with us as we improve the web user experience at American Whitewater.
American Whitewater Releases New River Guide App!
05/15/2025 - by Kevin Colburn
American Whitewater is excited to announce the release of our new mobile app, available for both ios and android devices! The new American Whitewater app shares crowdsourced information on over 6,000 whitewater runs, including easy driving directions, improved flow information, maps, descriptions, and photos. The new app is a volunteer-led project supported by American Whitewater staff and contractors. We hope you love it, and that it inspires you to explore our nation’s many awesome rivers and contribute to the app.
Stand Up for River Access in Colorado!
05/15/2025 - by Kestrel Kunz
American Whitewater needs your help to secure the right to float in Colorado. Many people are not aware that there is no secured legal right to float, fish, boat, portage, or swim Colorado’s rivers and creeks that run through private property. American Whitewater has helped reduce conflict and secure landowner agreements where possible, for example access to the Cheeseman Gorge or supporting access easements on the Upper Colorado. Despite these site specific solutions, every year we get calls from boaters that they have been confronted by landowners or the local police, threatened with firearms, entrapped in barbed wire, or otherwise threatened. We want to know if this has happened to you and any incidents involving conflicts on the river will be critical to the success of our campaign. With a rapidly growing population in the state and new ownership of river front property, the status quo is not sustainable and it is time to secure permanent, legal public access to Colorado’s rivers for all.
California 2025 Recreational Releases Reminder & Updates
05/14/2025 - by Theresa Lorejo-Simsiman
American Whitewater and California boaters are victims of our own success. As a result of over two decades of work from stewardship staff and dedicated community volunteers, negotiated recreational flows from hydropower projects abound in water years like 2025. It definitely can fill up your paddling calendar! Here are date reminders and updates for the California Wild & Scenic Mokelumne River, South Fork Silver Creek, North Fork Feather, and the Pit River.
Congress Thinks You Don’t Care About Public Lands and Rivers
05/14/2025 - by Evan Stafford
Last week, the US House Natural Resources Committee passed a budget-related bill that–if it becomes law–will sell off significant public lands and weaken our collective ability to have a say in public land management in unprecedented ways. This legislation will go through one more committee and merge with other bills to become one huge bill that can pass with a simple majority vote in the Senate through a process called reconciliation. Boaters are encouraged to speak up (and can do so easily right now using our action form) in support of public lands and waters, and our ability to participate in their management.
Volunteers needed: Help keep Mokelumne Big Bar Launch open! (CA)
05/14/2025 - by Theresa Lorejo-Simsiman
The Bureau of Land Management’s Big Bar Launch facility off of Highway 49 is the only legal boating takeout for the Electra Run on the California Wild & Scenic Mokelumne River. Due to circumstances beyond the BLM Mother Lode Field Office’s control, BLM recently announced the closure of Big Bar to vehicles through October 15 of this year (you can still walk in, but parking nearby is very limited).
American Whitewater is looking for volunteers to help BLM keep this crucial access open.
Senator Murray & Representative Randall Reintroduce Wild Olympics Bill (WA)
05/13/2025 - by Thomas O'Keefe
Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Representative Emily Randall (D-WA-06) reintroduced the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, legislation that would permanently protect more than 126,500 acres of Olympic National Forest as wilderness and 19 rivers and their major tributaries—a total of 464 river miles—as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Designed through extensive community input to conserve ancient forests and pristine rivers, protect clean water and salmon habitat, and enhance outdoor recreation, the legislation would set aside the first new wilderness on Olympic National Forest in over four decades and the first-ever protected wild and scenic rivers on the Olympic Peninsula. With a strong foundation of overwhelming local support, the bill has made steady progress each successive Congress—passing the House with bipartisan support twice before and passing out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last Congress for the first time in the bill’s history.
Access to a Renewed Klamath River (OR/CA)
05/12/2025 - by Thomas O'Keefe
With the removal of four Klamath River dams, 45 miles of restored river are now open to boating. While several new access sites are now, most remain under construction or have limited hours. Boaters should check current site status and respect all closures and guidelines to help protect sensitive natural and cultural resources and to ensure continued access to the river for all.
Support the West Virginia Bridge Access Bill
04/10/2025 - by Kevin Colburn
The West Virginia Public Waterway Access Act would require that significant bridge construction projects include river access if it is safe and practical to do so. This common-sense bill would efficiently protect and improve river access across the state over time, and would benefit countless communities by providing simple close-to home paddling and fishing opportunities. In a state where boating is big business, this proposed law makes a ton of sense. If you live in WV, reach out to your legislators (house and senate) and share your support for Senate Bill 801, the West Virginia Waterway Access Act.
2025 Southeast Advanced Release Schedule
12/18/2024 - by Kevin Colburn
American Whitewater and our affiliate clubs have spent the past 25 years working to restore flows to incredible Southeastern rivers impacted by dams. A lot of our work has focused on releases and access on Class II and III rivers like the lower Nantahala, Tuckasegee, Hiwassee, and Catawba, but we also secured releases in some classic steeper reaches previously dewatered by hydroelectric diversions. Each year we meet with power companies and agencies to schedule future releases, review ongoing ecology studies, and discuss any issues with the release programs. We strive to create a schedule with minimal conflicts to maximize recreational value. Below are the 2023 dates for the Class IV/V Cheoah, Nantahala Cascades & Upper, West Fork Tuck, and Tallulah rivers. Also 2025 marks the third year of releases on the Great Falls of the Catawba! Thankfully, none of these rivers were significantly affected by Hurricane Helene.
Local Coalition Celebrates Commission Ruling to Protect Colorado's Waters
09/09/2022 - by Kestrel Kunz
A Big Win for Rivers in the Sierra & Sequoia National Forests (CA)!
07/25/2022 - by Theresa Lorejo-Simsiman
The Sierra and Sequoia National Forests have released final forest land management plans containing protections for 498 miles of rivers found eligible for inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Since 2013, American Whitewater has been engaged in this forest planning process with the goal of getting California's whitewater resources included in the eligibility inventory and recognized for their outstandingly remarkable values. As a tenet of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, managing agencies like the Forest Service (USFS) provide interim protections for eligible river's free flowing character and outstandingly remarkable values until they can be designated by Congress.
American Whitewater Prevails in Case to Protect the Tuolumne River
06/21/2022 - by Theresa Lorejo-Simsiman
In a case before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, American Whitewater and our allies prevailed to uphold the Clean Water Act in protection of the Tuolumne River. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act which requires that any utility applying for a hydropower license that may discharge pollutants into waters of the United States must receive state certification ensuring the project complies with all state standards for beneficial use, water quality, and anti-degradation of the waterway. The case brought forth by the Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts (the Districts) challenged a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) order upholding California’s clean water certification for the Don Pedro and La Grange Hydropower Projects located on the Tuolumne River.
It’s Finally Time to Protect Colorado’s West Slope Rivers!
08/16/2021 - by Kestrel Kunz
Today, the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forest Unit announced the much-anticipated release of the Draft Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The Draft Plan materials were released on Friday, August 13, initiating a 90-day review period. The GMUG National Forest is home to gems like Oh-Be-Joyful Creek, the Taylor River, Norwood Canyon on the San Miguel, and numerous others. Many of these rivers are free-flowing and offer outstanding values, including paddling, breathtaking scenery, fish habitat, and profound history and culture. This point in the plan revision process is the most important time for the river community to engage and speak up to protect our beloved West Slope rivers in Colorado!
Black Canyon Put-In Closed for 2021 Season (CO)
04/06/2021 - by Kestrel Kunz
The National Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation announced this week that the East Portal Road which serves as the put-in for the Black Canyon section of the Gunnison River will be closed for maintenance for the duration of the 2021 season. While the road closure is an unfortunate obstacle for many this season, the needed maintenance of the road will lead to fewer unexpected road closures due to rockfall and will improve access to the Black Canyon for the long term. American Whitewater will track the status of the road closure and we will share an update as soon as access to the Black Canyon is reopened.
