Auburn Dam–the project with more lives than an alley cat–has been dealt a mighty blow: on December 2, the California Water board voted unanimounsly to revoke the water rights it granted over 30 years ago to the US Bureau of Reclamation. This means that the federal governement would have a seriously uphill battle to sucessfully […]
This is one controversy that takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin, I’ll tell you what. After more than thirty years (!) the proposed Auburn Dam saga just got a whopping new chapter: the possibility that the State of California Water Board will revoke the water rights it granted to the Federal government back when Led […]
Friends of the River’s largest fundraising event of the year, the California River Awards is coming up in October. We’re one of the event’s sponsors and are looking forward to an evening of tasty wine, food, good conversation and the opportunity to tell Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard how much we love his fleece jackets. He, along with […]
As you float down the South Fork, you notice the whitewater, the rocks, the sunbathers on the beach…but hopefully you also notice the broader beauty of the canyon. The families of wild ducks, tawny deer, soaring vultures, chattering chickadees. The hillsides of the Coloma-Lotus Valley rise low and wide above the South Fork, dotted with […]
Once again the American River Conservancy’s annual fundraising event was a smashing sucess. The day began with talks, seminars, and demonstrations for river guides and community members. Highlights included a talk by Mark Dubois, the legendary conservationist who chained himself to a rock to try and save the Stanislaus River in the early 1970s. The failure […]
Has Arnold smoked too many of his famous cigars or does he have an inside scoop that we missed out on? Because we’ve been telling ourselves–and you, Dear Reader–for months that this is really a very standard year, nothing to write home about, perfectly and wonderfully normal. So now what? Did we spend a little […]
Those who have been lucky enough to experience the solitude and scenic beauty of the Tuolumne realize the significance of the Wild and Scenic designation this river received twenty-four years ago in 1984. At times, you feel like the only people in the canyon while navigating its magnificent waters. Rafting the Tuolumne on a multi-day […]
I just learned about a Congressional bill that has been introduced to protect 17,000 acres of riparian environment along the Sacramento River near Redding. The area includes Salmon fisheries, Blue Oak trees, and many species of birds including the Bald Eagle (hey–if you can’t find space in this great country for our national bird what have things […]
Scott Armstrong is doing a radio interview with local radio station KFOK 95.1 FM on March 8th at 9pm. Along with other guests he’ll be discussing topics like how recreational industries like whitewater rafting companies in California can “go green.” What “going green” actually means can be difficult to assess–for us, it means combining a […]
After a brief hiatus, river conservation and advocate group Friends of the River (FOR) is bringing back the California Rivers Festival. This FREE event is great way to contact other whitewater enthusiasts, meet the Pros, swap gear, and learn about what’s going on in the California whitewater scene in 2008. Highlights of the event include […]