American Whitewater Helps Defend State’s Rights Under Clean Water Act, Again
07/17/2025 - by Bob Nasdor and Evan Stafford
The D.C. Circuit issued its opinion in Nevada Irrigation District v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a court case deciding whether the irrigation district could stop providing instream flows below their hydropower projects in the Yuba and Bear watersheds in California.This case follows the recent case of Village of Morrisville v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission where we filed an amicus brief. In the Nevada Irrigation District case, we were represented by Julie Gantenbein at Water Power Law. Relying on its Morrisville decision, the Court rejected Nevada Irrigation District’s claims that the Water Board waived its Clean Water Act 401 authority to certify the project's compliance with water quality standards by failing to act timely on the certification request. The Court found that it was Nevada Irrigation District’s own failure to comply with California Environmental Quality Act requirements that caused the delay, rather than due to some coordinated scheme to circumvent 401's timeliness requirement. American Whitewater is leading in its advocacy to protect and strengthen the critical role of states in hydropower licensing proceedings. These cases also pair with our state litigation in New York, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, holding states accountable when they fail to use their 401 authority to protect flows and existing recreational uses.
Call for Nominations to the American Whitewater Board of Directors
07/17/2025 - by Clinton Begley
American Whitewater is now accepting nominations for volunteer positions on our Board of Directors. Serving on the Board is a rewarding opportunity to help shape the future of river conservation, access, and safety while giving back to the boating community. We welcome nominations from members and affiliate clubs who are passionate about protecting rivers and have skills and experience that support our work. In particular, we seek candidates with: Demonstrated commitment to river conservation and recreation, experience in areas such as nonprofit governance, fundraising, finance, law, marketing, or organizational leadership, interest in supporting American Whitewater’s mission through personal engagement and outreach, and the ability to reflect the geographic, demographic, and professional diversity of our boating community. For nominations to be considered for terms beginning in 2026, the deadline is August 15th, 2025. For more info and to submit a nominee, please click read more below.
Fires in Grand and Black Canyons (AZ, CO), Use Our Fire Map to Stay Up to Date
07/17/2025 - by Kestrel Kunz
It's mid-summer and for much of the country that means it's prime boating and river season. For some areas, particularly the West, it's also fire season. This means that in addition to checking flows and weather before heading to the river, it's a good idea to also check for any wildfires, smoke issues, or closures that may impact your plans. We built the American Whitewater Wildfire Information Map to help you with trip planning and safety. There are currently major fires impacting rivers in Black Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon National Park. The South Rim Fire at the Black Canyon has burned over 4,000 acres and the Park is completely closed to visitors. The Dragon Bravo on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim has completely destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. As of July 17, Grand Canyon river trips are still permitted to launch and river exchanges are allowed to travel on Bright Angel Trail to Pipe Creek. Boats are not allowed to stop at Phantom Ranch, and many of the inner canyon hikes are closed.
2025 Deerfield Festival on August, 2nd! Volunteer with us!
07/15/2025 - by Bethany Overfield
American Whitewater is kicking off our festival season in a few weeks with our annual Deerfield River Festival at Berkshire East in Charlemont, Massachusetts. We’ll gather on August 2nd to celebrate the Deerfield River together. This is a significant fundraiser for our work in the northeast and we can’t pull it off without our great volunteers! Please sign up for a volunteer shift (or two) and get a free event tshirt!
For more than 25 years, American Whitewater has hosted the Deerfield Fest to celebrate the successful dam relicensing process that provides 32 annual whitewater releases on the Dryway and 106 annual whitewater releases on Fife Brook. The main festival activities take place on Saturday evening from 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. at Berkshire East and provide entertainment for both paddlesport and non-paddlesport enthusiasts young and old. The Deerfield River Festival is a critical fundraiser for American Whitewater, and is one of our premiere events. All proceeds from the festival support American Whitewater’s conservation and access work throughout the Northeast including the dam relicensings on the Deerfield and nearby Connecticut River
Administration to Strip Protections From 58 Million Acres of Backcountry Forest
07/08/2025 - by Kevin Colburn
The Trump Administration has announced that they will rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which has protected popular backcountry recreation destinations spanning nearly 60 million acres of Forest Service lands across the country since 2001. The result of this action, if successful, would open remote landscapes valued for backcountry recreation to road building and logging. The announcement is anticipated to kick off a formal rule-making process that will include opportunities for the public to speak up for these important areas. In advance of this action, you can make your voice heard with Members of Congress by supporting the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025.
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.
Defending the Clean Water Act in the Northeast
05/13/2025 - by Robert Nasdor
With ongoing efforts to weaken federal environmental safeguards, American Whitewater and its partners from throughout the Northeast are defending the Clean Water Act in state legal challenges to hydropower dam permits. American Whitewater is challenging state water quality certification of hydropower dams in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. State certification that hydropower dams meet water quality standards is required before the dams are licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Looking ahead, American Whitewater expects to focus more advocacy efforts on states to protect rivers through the Clean Water Act and other state environmental laws.
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.
San Joaquin Horseshoe Bend Recreational Flow Forecast for 2025 (CA)
05/08/2025 - by Theresa Lorejo-Simsiman
American Whitewater is excited to announce the 2025 forecast for recreational flows on the San Joaquin Horseshoe Bend reach. Southern California Edison (SCE) is providing boatable flows for a spill year and these flows are forecasted to begin on Friday, 5/16/2025 and last through Sunday, 5/18/2025. These flows are provided under the Big Creek 4 Hydropower Project Long-Term Operating Rules (LTOR).
Photo by Paul Martzen