American Whitewater is Working for You!

Will you Support AW? 

Lobbying for Upper Ocoee releases.  Buying land for Watauga River access.  Negotiating for Daddy’s Creek access during hunting season. Actively supporting the TN Paddle Festival for the Obed. Working to save the Tellico and Little River gauges (see related story on opposite page).  Assisted in making the gauges at Alley Ford (Obed) and Antioch Bridge (Daddy's Creek) electronically available.  Successfully worked to preserve the Caney Fork River gorge as a state wilderness area.  Successfully fought dams on the Caney Fork River and a Daddy's Creek tributary.  Worked to restore Tallulah River releases and manage boater access on release weekends.  Restoring Pigeon River flows.  Working to restore Cheoah River flow.  Working to gain upper Chattooga River access and protection. 

 These are just some of the recent American Whitewater (AW) activities in our immediate area.  AW does this as well as working issues at the regional and national level.  The mission of the American Whitewater is to conserve and restore America's whitewater resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely.  AW’s activities fall into five main areas.

                EDUCATION: Through publication of its magazine, American Whitewater, and by other means,

               AW provides information and education about whitewater rivers, boating safety, technique, and

               equipment.

               CONSERVATION: AW maintains a complete national inventory of whitewater rivers, monitors

               threats to those rivers, publishes information on river conservation, provides technical advice to

               local groups, works with government agencies, and --when necessary -- takes legal action to

               prevent river abuse.

EVENTS: AW organizes sporting events, contests and festivals to raise funds for river Conservation and access, including the Ocoee Whitewater Rodeo in Tennessee and the annual Gauley River Festival in West Virginia, the largest gathering of whitewater boaters in the nation.

               SAFETY: AW 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.

               RIVER ACCESS: To assure public access to whitewater rivers AW 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.

There are an estimated 80,000 whitewater paddlers in the U.S.  There are about 8,000 members in American Whitewater.  AW does not discriminate.  Their work benefits all paddlers.  One could look at this a couple of ways; 1) 10% of us are carrying the rest of you guys, or 2) just think what we could accomplish if 20% or 50% of paddlers supported AW’s efforts!  Interested?  Read on.

For $25 AW members get;

·         A full year (6 issues) of a terrific journal, American Whitewater

·         A FREE Safety Code and American Whitewater sticker

·         Discounts on sports gear

·         Legislative alerts on river issues and details on how to help

·         Plus, if you join at $100+, a special T-shirt; over $250, a KAVU cap!

·         All but $15 of your membership dues are tax deductable

* Plus until the end of this year, the opportunity to when a 7-day trip to Ecuador. 

* Plus through a Chota recruiting program the opportunity to support Chota’s conservation efforts and a 2^nd chance to take a 7-day trip to Ecuador. 

That’s right, when you sign up for AW membership you will be registered for a drawing to win the Ecuador trip.  Notify me by email at wepaddle@icx.net or phone at 675-6084 and Chota will also get credit towards winning the Ecuador trip.  If Chota wins we will auction the trip at our annual Canoe & Kayak School and the proceeds will be donated to conservation efforts.  You can pick up an AW membership form at the Chota club meetings or online at http://www.americanwhitewater.org/membership/.

AW is a great organization working for you!  Please sign up or renew and don’t forget to contact me.

Jason Darby