Top Ten Stewardship Issues 2018
From the American Whitewater Stewardship Staff
Twenty-eighteen marks the 50th Anniversary of the historic passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. River runners were among the first to advocate for a national system designed to protect pristine and free-flowing rivers in the United States. As paddlers, we know our rivers intimately and we have the first-hand experiences to speak passionately about the grandeur of a river in its most raw and wild state. Through the American Whitewater Journal, American Whitewater founders Oz Hawksley and Wolf Bauer shared the magnificence of several of the original eight rivers that were eventually designated as Wild and Scenic when the Act was signed into law in 1968. Hawksley and Bauer both wrote passionately about the need for a national river protection system and worked with leaders in the national river conservation community to successfully develop and support what would become the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
Just as during the inception of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, American Whitewater is right in the thick of it today, working towards bringing 5,000 new miles of river under Wild and Scenic protection in the coming year. Our Top Ten Stewardship Issues for 2018 reflect this goal, with many of our top issues being Wild and Scenic in nature. But, don’t think we’re going to give up on any of the other challenges our rivers face, or that we’re limiting our work in 2018 to just these 10 issues. Our Top Ten list highlights the areas that we think have the potential to be game changing and where we’ll focus a lot of our energy striving for positive outcomes. From national policy issues that affect water quality, landscape level river protections and our successful flow restoration programs, to local access, flow and conservation issues, you can count on American Whitewater’s stewardship team to lead the way.
1. Forest Planning
Every 20 years or so each National Forest puts together a new management plan that includes a list of streams the agency will protect for potential future congressional designation as Wild and Scenic. American Whitewater and the paddling community take this opportunity to share the special values of these rivers and creeks that we know and love. In doing so, the Forest Service adds our favorite waterways to the list of Wild and Scenic “eligible” streams that it will protect for at least the next 15–20 years. Forest planning marks an incredible once-in-a-generation opportunity for local paddlers to protect a batch of their favorite back yard runs.
The Forest Service will be making pivotal decisions on forest plans in 2018 in California, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, and North Carolina. American Whitewater will be there, in meetings, filing comments, and asking you to join us each step of the way. The stakes are high, as the rivers that are up for consideration are some of the finest whitewater streams in the United States.
A couple of National Forests in Idaho have proposed to go rogue and release many eligible streams from protection by inappropriately weighing the current (lack of) political support for Congressional designation. American Whitewater and our partners have let the Forests know that their actions, if carried out, will be illegal and an insult to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act during the year of its 50th anniversary. We’ll be closely tracking and actively opposing this effort to thwart the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 2018.
2. Wild Olympics
American Whitewater is continuing to advocate for long-term protection of the spectacular free-flowing rivers of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Our Wild Olympics legislation, which is the result of a broad coalition effort led by local residents, includes 19 major river systems on the Olympic Peninsula representing 464 miles of opportunities for new Wild and Scenic Rivers. These rivers cascade through deep gorges and ancient forests where Sitka spruce and Douglas fir tower overhead and maidenhair ferns and mosses blanket the canyon walls. We have seen dam proposals for some of these rivers come and go over the years; now is the time to secure permanent protection for this place where opportunities for epic whitewater adventures abound and salmon and steelhead still find high quality habitat.
While we are working to permanently protect these rivers and the forests they flow through, we are also actively engaged in efforts to build new relationships with the timber industry. The outdoor recreation economy continues to grow and local employers recognize the competitive advantage that easy access to outdoor recreation provides, but timber jobs continue to be important for local communities. In partnership with local community leaders, we are working to protect wild rivers and ancient forests while also recognizing opportunities to improve timber harvest in a manner that restores ecosystem function while still providing good-paying jobs. We are confident that this pragmatic approach will build community consensus for lasting conservation outcomes that provide economic benefits and lead to better forest management.
Passing federal legislation is always a long and complex process but we are well positioned for success on Wild Olympics and our Congressional champions Senator Patty Murray and Representative Derek Kilmer have consistently identified the Wild Olympics bill as a top priority. We will continue our efforts to secure legislative protection, and after we are successful, transition to developing management plans that recognize the important values of these rivers.
3. Montana Headwaters
American Whitewater has been working with our friends in Montana for several years to build support to designate about 50 outstanding rivers and streams as Wild and Scenic. Over 200 businesses have weighed in with their support, along with several major newspapers and thousands of individuals. That is a lot in a state with only 1 million citizens. Despite the overwhelming support, Montana’s congressional delegation has lagged in delivering new designations. Frequent turnover in Montana’s sole House of Representative seat has hampered the state’s effectiveness in Congress, where key members take a dim view of federal designations. As an election year, 2018 offers both challenges and opportunities for the campaign.
Protecting a suite of streams as Wild and Scenic in Montana remains a top priority for American Whitewater. The streams are just so good: clean, cold, healthy, and beautiful. They also support a vital economy based on floating, fishing, and downstream farming. In 2018 we’ll keep the pressure on and leverage the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. We’ll gather more support from businesses and opinion-leaders, and encourage individual outreach to key politicians. We’ll also celebrate Montana’s awesome streams at events and through film. With steady pressure applied over the long haul, we’ll reach our goal of protecting upwards of 500 miles of Montana streams.
4. Ocoee River
The Ocoee River supports over 15,000 private paddler descents and 200,000 commercial rafting customer descents each year. This makes the releases on the Ocoee a big deal by any measure, especially when considering the economic value for rural communities near the river. The unusual contract between the outfitters and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) that provides for the releases has been renegotiated and will be churning its way through federal review in 2018. The good news is that so far things seem to be on track to continue the historic release schedule with perhaps a few relatively minor changes.
American Whitewater will ensure that the interests of private boaters are addressed throughout the federal review and that private boaters are in the know. We expect at least one comment period and a round of public meetings as we roll into 2018. The current contracts expire after the 2018 paddling season, so the clock is ticking to resolve this issue prior to the first scheduled releases in the spring of 2019.
Also in the Ocoee area we are exploring options for restoring flows to the Hiwassee Dries, and are supporting the Tennessee Wilderness Act, which includes a Wilderness Area between the Ocoee and Hiwassee. We also remain interested in designating new state scenic rivers in Tennessee following our recent success in designating Soak Creek.
5. National Monuments
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is not the only tool we use to protect rivers. The Antiquities Act is a conservation tool that authorizes the President to designate National Monuments through a Presidential Proclamation. It was signed into law in 1906 by President Teddy Roosevelt and provides broad authority for the President to set aside “historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest.” President Roosevelt took quick action to protect the Grand Canyon (AZ) as one of the first National Monuments in 1908 and Congress followed in designating it as a National Park in 1919.
While the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, once targeted for mining and hydropower development, is arguably among the most iconic rivers protected under the Antiquities Act, many other paddling destinations have benefitted from this conversation tool. Olympic (WA), Zion (UT), Katmai (AK), Black Canyon of the Gunnison (CO), and Denali (AK) are all examples of National Parks that embrace whitewater paddling and were first protected as National Monuments. Bears Ears — San Juan River (UT), Browns Canyon — Arkansas River (CO), Dinosaur — Green and Yampa River (UT), Giant Sequoia — Middle Fork Tule and Kern Rivers (CA), Grand Staircase Escalante — Escalante River (UT), Katahdin — East Branch Penobscot River (ME), and Rio Grande del Norte — Rio Grande River (NM) are all examples of National Monuments with great whitewater paddling.
The current Congress and Administration are seeking to roll back National Monument protections established over the past two decades and limit the authority of Presidents to use this conservation tool in the future. In December, the President signed proclamations reducing two National Monuments in Utah with significant whitewater resources. Multiple lawsuits have already been filed, but if this precedent stands, many more whitewater rivers in national monuments will be in danger of losing the protections afforded under their designations.
While many rivers are modified for water storage, hydropower generation, and flood control, our remaining wild and free-flowing rivers are an important resource for outdoor recreation and serve as habitat for the aquatic species we share rivers with. American Whitewater is pleased that recent designations for Bears Ears and Brown’s Canyon explicitly identified whitewater recreation as a value. However, with the new proclamations for monuments in Utah, we not only lost the identification of whitewater recreation as a valued activity, we lost protections for 28.4 miles of the 34 miles of the San Juan and Colorado Rivers that were previously protected. The Antiquities Act has protected rivers that are important to our community, and it remains an important conservation tool. In 2018 ensuring protection for rivers that have been included in National Monuments will be a top priority as we continue to preserve the integrity of this important conservation tool.
6. Colorado Water Plans
When Colorado embarked on its first ever Statewide Water Plan, American Whitewater championed themes of recreation and environmental health as a way to ensure the Wild & Scenic Values of the State’s rivers are recognized and protected. The Governor advanced these themes when he signed an Executive Order authorizing the Colorado Water Conservation Board to draft the plan. In the two years since the Colorado Water Plan (CWP) was released, local groups across the state have organized to develop stream management plans for 80% of Colorado’s watersheds, one of the key directives of the CWP. American Whitewater is positioned to continue to advise on these planning efforts, and to bring important science-based information to how changes in future water availability will impact our environment, recreational opportunities, and our outdoor economy.
Evaluating how changes in streamflow will impact the future of river recreation requires a big crystal ball. First, we have to define current conditions. Over the past several years we’ve had thousands of American Whitewater members participate in surveys, providing info that helps define the range of flows that meet paddler expectations for specific river reaches across the West. Knowing what flows sustain recreational use today allows us to perform a “Boatable Days Analysis” that defines recreational opportunities and quantifies how often they are available, for any river.
To evaluate how boatable days may change in the future, and to identify where state tools like Instream Flow protection or Recreational In-Channel water rights can be applied to protect W&S values, we are working with a suite of five planning scenarios defined by the State Water Plan. Defining current conditions and modeling how changes in flow will affect recreational opportunities is an important step in shaping how Colorado’s Water Plan is used. It requires substantive input from paddlers that know our rivers and have experienced them at different flow rates.
In 2018, American Whitewater will be working with managers in the Rio Grande River Basin to define and quantify recreational needs on the river’s main-stem and its tributaries in Colorado. This portion of the river is upstream from the Wild & Scenic Rio Grande in New Mexico, which was designated in 1968. With support from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, American Whitewater will be asking paddlers that reside in, or visit, areas like South Fork, Del Norte, and Alamosa, Colorado for input on how flow levels affect the quality of your recreation experience. We are leading this effort to provide paddlers with the opportunity to have direct input into the state water planning effort, and help us shape what the future of Colorado’s rivers will look like.
7. Hydropower Legislation
While we use the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to protect free-flowing rivers, we have used important provisions of the Federal Power Act to restore rivers impacted by hydropower by returning flows. For years, the hydropower industry has been lobbying hard to strip away these provisions that give equal consideration to non-power values that include recreation. They aren’t stopping, and last year the House responded by introducing and passing legislation that threatens river across the country–the “Hydropower Policy Modernization Act of 2017.” American Whitewater isn’t stopping either. As the bill moves onto the Senate and through the rest of the legislative process, we’ll continue to fight to protect our rivers.
Photo Thomas O’Keefe
The tools that the hydropower industry is targeting are the very ones that we have used to revive rivers across the country, including the Cheoah (NC), Tallulah (GA), Deerfield (MA), Feather (CA), Yuba/Bear (CA), Sultan (WA), and Bear River (ID). If the hydropower industry gets its way, our work to restore flows to rivers with hydropower dams will be seriously compromised. If you’ve enjoyed boating rivers like these, or others that have been restored through dam removal, you’ll be directly affected.
Here’s how it works. All hydropower dam operators are required to get a license to operate their dams from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). These licenses outline how a dam will operate for the next 30–50 years, meaning that it is basically a prescription for whether or not a river a will be healthy enough to still be considered a river. Since the late 1980s, local communities, tribes and agencies have had a seat at the table as decisions are made about what is in a license. The end result has been better outcomes for our rivers for fish, wildlife and yes, paddlers. American Whitewater works in partnership with state and federal agencies to restore flows for paddlers, and if the hydropower industry gets its way, this legislation will weaken these agencies’ authority to protect water quality, habitat for fish and wildlife, and flows for recreation.
The hydropower industry claims that they seek to “modernize” hydropower for the sake of “clean and green” energy. However, their bill gives strong preference to hydropower operations over all other river values, while making fish passage, river flows, and public access harder–and in some cases impossible–to achieve. The industry continues to seek a way to weasel out of environmental provisions that protect water quality and habitat for fish and wildlife. There’s nothing “clean” or “green” about that.
In 2018, these large and powerful energy companies will continue to seek special treatment in order to squeeze our rivers dry for their own interests. American Whitewater has played a leadership role in opposing this legislation, and will continue to do so this year. We’ll need your help. Stay tuned to our website and social media channels for ways to take action.
8. Protecting Clean Water
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act protects many of our most pristine waterways, but the Clean Water Act has been essential in cleaning up many polluted waterways that were generally undesirable for outdoor recreation and avoided by paddlers. Rivers like the Pigeon (NC), Menominee (MI/WI), Cuyahoga (OH), Potomac (MD/VA), and Black (NY) to name a few are waterways that were once polluted that are now regularly enjoyed for paddlesports.
Protecting the important conservation gains we’ve made in recent years for water quality will be a top priority in 2018. In 2015, the U.S. EPA and Army Corps of Engineers implemented a new rule–the Clean Water Rule–that clarified which water bodies are covered under the Clean Water Act. American Whitewater and the paddling community actively supported the rule and participated in its development. Why? Two Supreme Court cases in the early to mid-2000s created a great deal of confusion about which headwater streams and wetlands the Clean Water Act protected, leaving to question the quality of the creeks, streams and rivers we paddle on. The Clean Water Rule brought much needed clarity to the issue.
Last year an Executive Order directed the EPA and Army Corps to begin the process of rescinding the Clean Water Rule and replacing it with language that will likely leave our nation’s headwater streams and wetlands at risk. As paddlers, we know first-hand how important it is to keep pollution out of these waters. We directly experience the way that the streams we paddle–and the pollution they carry–rise during rain and snowmelt. It’s important that these waters receive protection under the Clean Water Act, not only for the sake of our health and for the health of the rivers we love, but for all those whose livelihoods and businesses depend on clean water, including the 117 million Americans that get their drinking water here.
The Clean Water Rule was based on a thorough scientific review and in consideration of extensive public comments that clearly showed that protecting headwater streams and wetlands is necessary in order to meet the Act’s goal of making all of our waterways fishable, swimmable and drinkable. It confirmed what paddlers have known for a long time…it’s all connected, and you have to protect the source if you want a healthy, clean river.
American Whitewater weighed in last year when the U.S. EPA and Army Corps of Engineers proposed to repeal the Clean Water Rule. This year, we expect the agencies to continue their push to replace the rule so that the Clean Water Act no longer applies to headwater streams and hydrologically connected wetlands. We’re standing up for clean water in 2018.
9. California Hydropower Relicensing
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act mandates that designated rivers be protected during hydropower relicensing. It requires a look at whether a project unreasonably diminishes the scenic, recreational, fish or wildlife values that were present when the river was designated. In 2018, American Whitewater will be working on whitewater study plans that will help protect and restore two Wild and Scenic Rivers during the FERC hydropower relicensing process. The first is on the Eel River, from 100 yards below Van Arsdale Reservoir to the confluence with the Middle Fork Eel. The Eel River was once known for its robust wild salmon and steelhead populations but today, unbalanced water diversions through the Potter Valley Powerhouse to the East Fork Russian River deplete instream flows. Further south, on the Wild & Scenic Piru Creek below Pyramid Lake, we have the opportunity to restore instream flows and boating opportunities on a river that is less than an hour drive from downtown Los Angeles.
The purpose of each whitewater study plan will be to evaluate the impacts of the hydropower project on recreational whitewater boating using a robust hydrology assessment, stakeholder focus groups, thorough site visits, and potential on-water recreational flow studies. American Whitewater will use the Information gathered to advocate for outcomes that are in-line with the tenants of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. As work on each whitewater study plan progresses, we’ll be calling on you to participate in the stakeholder focus groups. Stay tuned for opportunities to help protect our Wild and Scenic Rivers.
10. Restoring Flows to the Connecticut River
The once mighty Connecticut River, abundant with sturgeon, salmon, and shad, has been dammed, diverted and dewatered for 410 miles from source to sea. Dams along the Connecticut have damaged or destroyed aquatic habitat, prevented effective fish passage, and eliminated boating opportunities for more than a century. For the past five years, American Whitewater and our partners and resource agencies have been working to restore the Connecticut River through the relicensing of five hydropower projects from central Vermont down into Massachusetts. In 2018, we’ll be working to reach a settlement agreement on one or more of these river reaches that will restore flows to the river when FERC issues a final license.
These efforts will restore flows and create new boating opportunities at Bellows Falls and Turners Falls where flow diversion, barrier dams, and lack of access have prevented whitewater paddling. The boating community is eagerly looking forward to the restoration of minimum boatable and variable pulse flows, the removal of an obsolete barrier dam, improved access, and real-time flow information. Local communities burdened by abandoned mills and loss of any connection to their rivers look forward to economic renewal and improved quality of life.
Participate in Our Wild and Scenic Success!
Help us make 2018 a year to remember for river stewardship. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by joining us in our quest for new protections for 5,000 miles of river.
We need you to play an active role in our stewardship success and we’ll be bringing you a host of simple ways to contribute towards our stewardship goals. Taking action for rivers has never been easier. Whether it’s submitting comments on management actions, contacting your representatives about upcoming legislation or finding the details for a public meeting or hearing, American Whitewater is here to help. The larger our membership base, the bigger our voice. Those membership dollars and donations directly fund this work. Your photos, videos, and stories about the rivers we’re working on help build public awareness and enthusiasm. Let’s work together in 2018 towards successful outcomes for our rivers and for all of us who receive so much from them! Stay tuned to our webpage or social media channels for updates throughout the year!
