Become a member of American Whitewater (AW)

[frenchy]

Dear fellow paddlers,

If you are already an American Whitewater (AW) member, that's great. If not, please consider becoming a member: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/membership/

Increasing the number of paddlers that support American Whitewater is the best way to ensure American Whitewater can continue its important mission, and benefit the entire river community. Please take the time to learn more about American Whitewater today at http://www.americanwhitewater.org/ and consider adding your membership to help support their efforts.

American Whitewater's mission is "to conserve and restore America's whitewater resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely." The work of American Whitewater is largely supported by individual memberships and the efforts of local volunteers.

American Whitewater
Founded in 1954, American Whitewater is a national organization with a mission "to conserve and restore America's whitewater resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely." American Whitewater is a membership organization representing a broad diversity of individual whitewater enthusiasts, river conservationists, and more than 100 local paddling club affiliates across America. The organization is the primary advocate for the preservation and protection of whitewater resources throughout the United States, and connects the interests of human-powered recreational river users with ecological and science-based data to achieve the goals within its mission.

American Whitewater activities fall into four main areas.

Stewardship: American Whitewater river advocacy work and success relies on a network of grassroots volunteers spread across the country to protect and restore whitewater rivers. American Whitewater firmly believes local paddlers and their clubs possess important knowledge about their local resource and a firm commitment to protect and restore these rivers in their backyard. Over the years, American Whitewater's network of volunteers has grown to more than 100 clubs dedicated to river protection and restoration. Examples of river stewardship efforts include:

Alberton Gorge Land Transfer, MT
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/archive/article/1361/

Middle Fork Snoqualmie, WA
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/archive/article/1341/


River Access: To assure public access to whitewater rivers American Whitewater arranges for river access through private lands by negotiation or purchase, seeks to protect the right of public passage on all rivers and streams navigable by kayak or canoe, and resists unjustified restrictions on government-managed whitewater rivers. Examples of access work include:

Gauley River Access, WV
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/archive/article/1369/

Grand Canyon Management Plan Summary, AZ
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/archive/article/1257/


Safety: American Whitewater promotes paddling safety, publishes reports on whitewater accidents, and maintains both a uniform national ranking system for whitewater rivers (the International Scale of Whitewater Difficulty) as well as an internationally recognized whitewater safety code. An on-line accident database is coming soon.

American Whitewater Safety Code
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/ar...ty/safety.html

International scale of river difficulty
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/ar...rating%20scale

Communication: The American Whitewater web site, http://www.americanwhitewater.org/ is a resource for paddlers and includes a wealth of information on local paddling opportunities. The AW Journal is published six times a year as a member benefit and contains information written by boaters, for boaters. A historical archive of the Journal is available to members at: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/journal/archive/

[Mike B]

Here is a summary from their website of American Whitewater activities in and around Colorado. Please lend your support.

Mike

AW in the West
The West may be known for its wide open spaces, yet boaters also recognize that many of the continent's mightiest rivers have their headwaters in this region, including the Colorado River and Salmon. Given the strict water law in these states, it's a wonder that the public is left any water to recreate on and the fish any water habitat to breed. Yet, with our focus on conservation and access, we are trying to protect the environment, rivers, and water that the public adores in this majestic landscape.

Recent Successes
*Protecting the public right to float on the Gunnison, CO.
*Preventing dredging on the Platte, CO.
*Preventing legislation to restrict navigability in CO.
*Preventing fees and permits to boat in MT.
*Protecting access to the Rio Chalma, Salt, and Verde Rivers in AZ and NM.
*Directing the Park Service to develop a Colorado River Management Plan in the Grand Canyon.
*Victory on Gross Reservoir, CO includes boating below reservoir and on S Boulder Ck. Denver Water Board to provide flow info and development of access sites.
*Settlement agreement on Swan River, MT includes improved access and annual schedule of whitewater releases between July 1 and Aug 31.
*Settlement Agreement on Bear River, ID includes improved access facilities and flow schedules on Grace bypass and Oneida reach.

Ongoing Projects
*Protecting the public right to float in Colorado.
*Fixing the 25-year wait for a permit to float through the Grand Canyon.
*Protecting salmon in Idaho on the Snake River.

Future Challenges
*Restructuring the fee and permit system on the Green and Yampa Rivers in Dinosaur National Monument.