American Whitewater Stewardship Highlights from 2020
By: Evan Stafford
Tags: Rivers, Public Lands, Environment, Nonprofit, Wild And Scenic

Stewardship Highlights 2020

Great American Outdoors Act Becomes Law

It’s never exactly clear how the political stars are going to align, but they did in a big way for public lands and American’s access to the outdoors. Billions in funding for public lands and waters, river access, trails, parks and more passed with large bipartisan margins. After decades of work from countless individuals, including members of AW staff, it’s incredible to finally see full, guaranteed funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, AND the equivalent of a new jobs program in the form of billions of dollars to address decades of congressional neglect in public land and river maintenance. A huge win for whitewater recreation and for rivers across the country! You helped make this a reality with your letters and support of American Whitewater.

Montana Wild and Scenic Bill Introduced

At the end of November, Senator Jon Tester introduced the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act, new legislation that would designate as Wild and Scenic 336 miles on 17 rivers and streams in the Greater Yellowstone and Upper Missouri Headwaters! The Senator’s office noted that the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act would be the “most significant Wild and Scenic River designation in the state in nearly 45 years.” Included in this list is some classic whitewater on the Yellowstone, Madison, Gallatin, Stillwater, and Boulder rivers, all stacked between the ultra-scenic multi-day section of the Smith, and the rarely paddled expedition run on Hellroaring Creek.

Gila Wild and Scenic Bill Introduced

The M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act was officially introduced this May after years of hard work and dedication from local stakeholders and monumental grassroots support. The legislation would designate 440 miles of free-flowing rivers and streams in the Gila and San Francisco watersheds. While the Gila legislation gives flexibility to existing uses and landowners, the free-flowing nature and outstanding values of these rivers and streams would be protected now and for future generations to enjoy. The main stem Gila and San Francisco Rivers offer some of the most remote and wild paddling opportunities in New Mexico and have been explored and loved by paddlers for decades.

Wild Olympics Bill Passes House Alongside Major Conservation Package

The Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act passed out of the House twice this year, marking the first and second time the Wild Olympics legislation went to a vote in either chamber of Congress. A priority for the whitewater paddling community for more than three decades, the bill represents the single most significant opportunity in the history of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to expand protections for Washington State rivers. The bill was part of a package of conservation bills aimed at protecting our public lands and waters including hundreds of other miles of new Wild and Scenic designations in California and landscape protections for the Dolores titled the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act, that was also linked to legislation that would expand protections for the Grand Canyon. Demonstrating robust community support for this legislation has been critical and will continue to be going forward as we work to pass this package in the final days of 2020, or more likely in early 2021.

Gold Mine Stopped on the Arkansas River in Colorado

There will be no gold mine near the Numbers put-in on the Arkansas River. Your voices combined with our advocacy made the difference. We received notice this summer that the Oro Vista project proponent officially withdrew their proposal to mine placer gold in the Arkansas River and the project is no longer under consideration by the Forest Service. In March, the San Isabel National Forest sought comment on this proposal from a mining claim owner to implement mining activities Near the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area Number’s river access site. The scoping process failed to consider how these mining operations would impact one of Colorado’s premier and historic paddling destinations. We sent around one of these easy action forms asking our members to let the Forest Service know how this dredge mine had the potential to impact boating, and our community responded in HUGE numbers! We delivered over 600 comments from the river community, delivered official American Whitewater comments, and had numerous conversations with the Forest Service imparting how important this river is to the whitewater community and the local economy. Thank you for stepping up to protect the recreation, habitat, and water quality of the Arkansas.

A Victory For the San Joaquin River Gorge in California

American Whitewater efforts to protect the San Joaquin River Gorge received a big boost with the news that the Temperance Flat Dam Proposal was put on indefinite hold due to its high cost. This dam proposal threatened to drown 18 miles of river including the entire San Joaquin River Gorge. Supporters of this project had to provide final costs to receive $171 million from the Proposition One, Water Storage Investment Program. But as reported by GV Wire, a draft analysis put together for the Temperance Flat Authority pegged the cost of water provided by a new dam at $9000 per acre-foot of water during the 50-year capital cost repayment period. To compare, when this new dam was first conceived, water in California was estimated to cost an average of $70 per acre-foot. Overall, this cost analysis backs up statements made by American Whitewater in the 2018 film, You Can’t Dam Your Way to Paradise — “All the dams that make sense to be built on the San Joaquin River Gorge have already been built. If they were economically viable, they would have been built a long time ago.” Now American Whitewater can push forward efforts for a Wild and Scenic designation on the San Joaquin River Gorge!

Flow Releases Rescheduled and Protected Across the Country

American Whitewater was able to reschedule releases and protect instream flows on a number of rivers in 2020. Out West, scheduled whitewater releases for the Black Canyon of the Bear River (ID) were rescheduled in August and September, and in the East, releases on the West Fork of the Tuckasegee and Upper Nantahala were rescheduled for late summer and early fall. In California, American Whitewater made sure recreational releases on the South Fork American River below Chili Bar were saved from an indefinite cancelation. We even found some bonus flows when the New River Dries (WV) had natural flows for 60 days in September, October and November, while a drawdown on the New River also exposed seldom-seen rapids beneath the Hawks Nest Reservoir.

American Whitewater has broadly supported local, state and agency responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, while also advocating that dispersed recreation like paddling, hiking and biking on public lands and waters should not be prohibited under most circumstances. You fought alongside us to restore access to rivers like Clear Creek in Colorado and the White Salmon River in Oregon because the positive effects recreating has, and will continue to have, on the health and well-being of our community depends on our ability to paddle on backyard rivers.

Bringing Whitewater Back to West Canada Creek

American Whitewater members participated in two whitewater boating studies recently on West Canada Creek (NY) demonstrating the importance of whitewater boating on this beautiful river set in the Adirondacks. These studies are a part of the relicensing process for the hydropower dams at Prospect and Trenton. The upper reach, including the dramatic 35-foot Prospect Falls, is located in the natural river channel below Prospect Dam, and is normally completely dewatered. Participants in this whitewater boating study likened the scenic high-walled canyon below the falls to the Ausable Chasm. The lower reach, located far downstream from Trenton Falls, but above Kast Bridge, is a critical boating resource for developing whitewater paddlers and providing opportunities for a wide range of recreational use. Once a popular whitewater boating run, paddling on West Canada Creek was vastly diminished after hydropower peaking operations limited boating opportunities. These whitewater flow studies will aid us greatly as we forge ahead with our advocacy to restore flows and access to West Canada Creek.

New Stream Gage on Wilson Creek

After years of negotiations, a new Gage was finally installed on Wild and Scenic Wilson Creek (NC)! American Whitewater is incredibly pleased to see a new USGS stream gage on one of North Carolina’s five federally-designated Wild and Scenic Rivers. The new stream gage is the result of a partnership between American Whitewater, Duke Energy and the USGS. Wilson Creek is a spectacular large stream with crystal clear water and smooth bedrock pools and rapids. As a free-flowing river, stream flows change dramatically in response to rainfall and its changing water levels can significantly change the recreation experience. At lower flows, Wilson Creek is a favorite picnic and swimming destination for diverse families and anglers. Higher flows turn Wilson Creek into a classic advanced whitewater run that attracts paddlers from around the region. The new gage will help visitors plan their trips for times when flows are appropriate for their activity, and provide timely information to residents, emergency management services personnel, and other governmental officials during times of extreme high water.

Klamath Dam Removal Going Forward

A big step towards action on dam removal for the Klamath River (CA/OR) happened this past November. The dam operator PacifiCorp agreed to transfer ownership of their hydropower project to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, a non-profit formed for purposes of removing the dams, and to the states of California and Oregon. American Whitewater is committed to continuing to work with the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, as well as resource agencies, tribes, whitewater outfitters, and the local boating community to ensure dam removal remains on track and that the public will be able to access and enjoy the restored river once the dams are removed.

Wild and Scenic Rivers Coalition Stepping Up

We spent a week in DC fighting for more Wild and Scenic Rivers last February with the newly formed Wild and Scenic Rivers Coalition. This was the inaugural gathering of the group we helped found, with an emphasis on working towards expanding our nation’s system of protected rivers and ensuring agencies have adequate resources to manage them. Legislation with over 1,000 miles of new designations passed twice in the House this year, and there’s a host of other new Wild and Scenic bills recently introduced or that we’re expecting to be introduced early in 2021 with nearly 5,000 more miles of river up for designation. We’ll be working with the Conservation Alliance strategizing not only on how to push Wild and Scenic designation across the finish line, but also on implementing the use of funds appropriated in the Great American Outdoors Act and working towards passage of a host of other conservation bills that would protect wild and scenic river landscapes our community holds near and dear. It’s a complex political beast to move conservation legislation, but it’s also one of, if not the most bipartisan issues of our time. We see opportunity now and we’re working hard to figure out how all the puzzle pieces will come together next year.