IF I AM A BOATER, SHOULD I SUPPORT BUILDING MORE DAMS? 1

Kent sat slumped in his chair. His shoulders were visibly drooping and his eyes glazed downward toward the floor. He avoided making eye contact with Katherine who was walking past him.

“Kent, you look downright awful,” asked Katherine? “What is the matter? You really look glum.”

In a soft and muffled voice, Kent responded to Katherine’s question. “I came to this major revelation today. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I have two conflicting goals that are irreconcilable . On the one hand, I am an environmentalist who is interested in protecting the land in its unspoiled state. On the other hand, I want to promote whitewater boating by encouraging more people to participate in and enjoy the sport.”

“I don’t see anything unusual in your two goals? They sound fairly typical for most boaters to me,” responded Katherine rhetoricall. Captivated with curiosity, she proceeded to sit down in a chair across from Kent. “So, I don’t understand why you are some glum.”

“I am glum because I came to the realization that in order to promote more whitewater boating, we need to build more dams.” Still slumped in his chair, Kent raised his head a little so that his eyes made contact with Katherine’s. “In 2000, manufactures produced roughly 700 thousand touring and sea . These boats are used on flatwater. In contrast, they produced approximately 150 thousand whitewater kayaks and only ten thousand whitewater . Even worse, I have one boating manufacturer who privately suggests that there were only 500 whitewater canoes produced last year. Compared with touring and sea , whitewater boating is dying. is still hanging on and unfortunately for whitewater , it is suffering from rigor mortis.”

“So, why do we need to build more dams in order to promote whitewater,” asked Katherine?

“It is really very simple,” continued Kent. “During the summer, where can a paddler whitewater?”

Katherine thought for a moment and then smiled. She was starting to comprehend Kent’s point. “On the east coast, there is the Nantahala in North Carolina, the Youghiogheny River in Western Pennsylvania, and the Black River in up state New York. Then there is the Gauley, but it has suitable flows only during Fall releases. Then there is the Upper Youghiogheny in Maryland which has scheduled releases on Fridays and most Mondays. I can mention some additional , but I see your point.”

“My point exactly. You can count on both hands the number of suitable whitewater sites,” added Kent. “Each of these rivers is dam controlled. And it is because they are dam controlled, that the sport has blossomed in and around these rivers. The question is where is there dependable water throughout the year?”

1 This article is copyrighted © Robert B. Kauffman, 2010, 2017. Robert B. Kauffman, Professor of Recreation and Parks Management, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD 21532. e: [email protected]. Whitewater Paddlers Should Support Dams (6/19/17) page / 2

“I am beginning to see your point. Without a dam to augment low flows, the season is too short to support a whitewater paddling industry,” summarized Katherine. Then she added her own observation. “It is why Albright, West Virginia is comparatively a ghost town in terms of its whitewater industry to that found in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, just a few miles away. The paddling season on the Cheat is too short to support a viable commercial market. In addition, the season is primarily during the runoff when the weather and water are cold and miserable. Again, the short season is for only the most hearty commercial clients. In contrast, the water flows all summer past Ohiopyle which provides for a thriving whitewater industry that includes rafting, kayaking and canoeing.”

Kent generalized his comments. “The problem facing whitewater is true for any outdoor activity. If you want to promote your sport you need to provide more facilities. If you want to promote swimming, you need to build more swimming pools. If you want to promote more basketball, you need to build more basketball courts as they have already done. If you want more skiing, you need to build more ski slopes with chair lifts. If you want more , you need more rock faces or as it has happened, you can develop indoor climbing.”

Katherine continued Kent’s train of thought and made the obvious conclusion. “And if you want more whitewater kayaking, you need to build more whitewater facilities. So this means that we need to build more dams,” added Katherine.

“Unfortunately, you are correct,” sighed Kent. “And the opposite is equally true. If the government limits where you can do the activity or if the industry doesn’t provide places for the participant to do the activity, the sport will die a slow death. With no place to do your activity, the sport will ‘wither on the vine and die,’ sort of speaking.”

“So whitewater boating is suffering the same fate as or climbing. Both activities are limited by the availability of where you do the activity. Surfing is limited by known beaches with suitable waves and climbing is limited by known rock faces,” noted Katherine. She pondered the thought for a moment about climbing and then continued. “Indoor climbing walls have revolutionized the sport of climbing. For whitewater, is there any other way to increase whitewater facilities other than building dams?”

“The other way to increase whitewater opportunities is to convert low head dams into whitewater courses, or to build courses,” continued Kent. “For example, we have a sixteen foot low head dam in the downtown portion of our city which could easily be backfilled and converted into a whitewater course. Then, for example, there are the whitewater courses in South Bend, Indiana or Denver and Golden Colorado. However, for really good whitewater, we need augmented water flows during the summer months when most people normally want to go boating.”

“So, other than building artificial whitewater courses, the only way to really increase whitewater for canoeing and kayaking is to build more dams to augment the flow of the whitewater below the dam,” concluded Katherine. She paused for a brief moment and then drove home her point. “And as an environmentalist who was interested in protecting the outdoor resource, you are facing a Hobson choice between promoting whitewater boating and protecting the natural resources in its natural state.” Whitewater Paddlers Should Support Dams (6/19/17) page / 3

“Now you know why I am sitting here looking so glum,” responded Kent as he continued to slouch in his seat.

Like Kent, Katherine was now slouching in her seat with her shoulders drooping. She felt glum too. In her heart, she wanted to promote whitewater paddling to more people, yet she didn’t want to build more dams to do it. She was not sure what she should do.”

Charlie entered the room and walked past both of them. They both avoided making eye contact with him. Surprised that Kent and Katherine looked so glum, Charlie queried. “You both look downright awful. What is the matter?”