Conservation • Access • Events • Adventure • Safety BY BOATERS FOR BOATERS Sep/Oct 2019 PROPOSED FOREST SERVICE RULE CHANGE THREATENS PUBLIC INPUT THE WHITEWATER LEGACY OF JIMMY CARTER aire.com | 800.247.3432 A VOLUNTEER PUBLICATION PROMOTING RIVER CONSERVATION, ACCESS AND SAFETY American Whitewater Journal Sep/Oct 2019 – Volume 59 – Issue 5 COLUMNS 5 The Journey Ahead by Mark Singleton 41 Accident Summary by Charlie Walbridge STEWARDSHIP 6 History of Gore Race by Hattie Johnson 11 First New River Dries Releases by Kevin Colburn 12 Sultan River, WA by Thomas O’Keefe 15 Instream Flows Restored to Bardees Bar on the North Fork Feather! by Evan Stafford 16 Russell Fork Releases by Kevin Colburn 18 Proposed Forest Service Rule Would Significantly Reduce Public Input by Kevin Colburn and Evan Stafford FEATURE ARTICLES WHITEWATER HISTORY 22 Jimmy Carter – A Wild River Legacy by Doug Woodward 30 Tales of Early Paddling on the Cumberland Plateau with the East Tennessee White Water Club (ETWWC) by John Tansil We’re hoping to make some of Colorado’s best paddling streams around Crested Butte (CO) eligible for Wild and Scenic designation as a part of the current Forest Publication Title: American Whitewater Issue Date: Sep/Oct 2019 Statement of Frequency: Service Planning underway in the Gunnison Grand Mesa Uncompahgre (GMUG) Published Bimonthly Authorized Organization’s Name and Address: National Forest. Access and other management scenarios that will affect whitewater American Whitewater recreation on the Forest are being considered as well, but rest easy knowing American P.O. Box 1540 Whitewater is positioned to make sure boater’s voices are heard during the planning Cullowhee, NC 28723 process. Oh Be Joyful. Photo Evan Stafford PURPOSE processes, grassroots advocacy, coalition building, whitewater rivers, as well as river recreation, RIVER STEWARDSHIP: empowerment of volunteers, public outreach and conservation, access, and safety. This is accomplished AN INTEGRATED APPROACH education, and, when necessary, legal action. through our bi-monthly AW Journal, a monthly e-news, americanwhitewater.org, paddling events, RIVER ACCESS: To assure public access to whitewater Our mission: “To conserve and restore America’s educational events, and through direct communication rivers pursuant to the guidelines published in its whitewater resources and to enhance opportunities with the press. to enjoy them safely,” is actively pursued through official Access Policy, AW arranges for river access our conservation, access, safety and education efforts through private lands by negotiation or purchase, Together, AW staff, members, volunteers, and affiliate under the umbrella of River Stewardship. The only seeks to protect the right of public passage on all rivers clubs can achieve our goals of conserving, protecting national organization representing the interest of and streams navigable by kayak or canoe, encourages and restoring America’s whitewater resources all whitewater paddlers, American Whitewater is the equitable and responsible management of whitewater and enhancing opportunities to safely enjoy these national voice for thousands of individual whitewater rivers on public lands, and works with government wonderful rivers. agencies and other river users to achieve these goals. enthusiasts, as well as over 100 local paddling AW was incorporated under Missouri nonprofit club affiliates. SAFETY: AW promotes paddling safely, publishes corporation laws in 1961 and maintains its principal AW’s River Stewardship program adheres to the four reports on whitewater accidents, maintains a uniform mailing address at PO Box 1540, Cullowhee, NC 28723; tenets of our mission statement: national ranking system for whitewater rivers (the phone 1-866-BOAT-4-AW (1-866-262-8429). AW is International Scale of Whitewater Difficulty) and tax exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal CONSERVATION: AW’s professional staff works publishes and disseminates the internationally- Revenue Service. closely with volunteers and partner organizations recognized American Whitewater Safety Code. to protect the ecological and scenic values of all whitewater rivers. These goals are accomplished EDUCATION: AW shares information with the through direct participation in public decision-making general public and the paddling community regarding American Whitewater Journal Staff Board of Directors & Staff BOARD OF Directors Chris Tulley Bob Nasdor Editor Ambrose Tuscano Folsom, CA NE Stewardship Director Brent Austin P.O. Box 913, Soda Springs, California 95728 [email protected] Sudbury, MA e-mail: [email protected] Lexington, KY [email protected] [email protected] Graphic Design/Production/Photo Editor Megan Seifert Charlie Walbridge, Honorary Thomas O’Keefe Assistant Editors Patricia Rutka, Erica J. Seifert, Barry Tuscano Melissa Driver [email protected] Pacific NW Stewardship Director Asheville, NC Bruceton Mills, WV Contributing Writers Seattle, WA [email protected] Mark Singleton, Hattie Johnson, Kevin Colburn, Thomas O’Keefe, [email protected] Evan Stafford, Doug Woodward, John Tansil, Charlie Walbridge Courtney Wilton Susan Elliott [email protected] Bethany Overfield Photo Contributors Lyle, WA Evan Stafford, Chan Zwanzig, Kevin Colburn, Daniel Patrinellis, Portland, OR Membership Director Dave Steindorf, Sarah Ruhlen, Payson Kennedy, Doug [email protected] Lexington, KY Woodward, Robert Humphries, Reid Gryder, Linda Seaman Christopher Hest Tansil, Jeff Moore, John Tansil BOARD OFFICERS bethany@americanwhitewater. Chico, CA org Industry Partnerships and Adverstising: Mark Singleton [email protected] President: Susan Elliot e-mail: [email protected] Theresa Simsiman Safety Editor Charlie Walbridge Brian Jacobson Vice President: Chris California Stewardship Director Route 1, Box 329F, Bruceton Mills, WV 26525 Long Creek, SC Neuenschwander Sacramento, CA e-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Secretary: Brent Austin [email protected] Stewardship Reports Editor Evan Stafford [email protected] Greg Lee Treasurer: Brian Jacobson Mark Singleton Executive Director Missing Copies and Address Changes West Lebanon, NH At Large: Erin Savage and Melissa Bethany Overfield [email protected] [email protected] Cullowhee, NC Driver [email protected] Founded in 1954, American Whitewater is a national non-profit organization (Non-profit # 23- 7083760) with a mission “to conserve and restore America’s whitewater resources and to enhance Megi Morishita Evan Stafford opportunities to enjoy them safely.” American Whitewater is a membership organization representing AW STAFF a broad diversity of individual whitewater enthusiasts, river conservationists, and more than 100 Bend, Oregon Communications and Outreach local paddling club affiliates across America. The organization is the primary advocate for the preservation and protection of whitewater rivers throughout the United States, and connects the [email protected] Kevin Colburn Fort Collins, CO interests of human-powered recreational river users with ecological and science-based data to achieve the goals within its mission. All rights to information contained in this publication are reserved. National Stewardship Director [email protected] April Montgomery Asheville, NC Dave Steindorf Norwood, CO [email protected] Special Projects Director [email protected] Hattie Johnson Chico, CA [email protected] Chris Neuenschwander Southern Rockies Stewardship EDITORIAL DISCLAIMER Pike Road, AL Director Laura Wilson The opinions expressed in the features and Chris.Neuenschwander@jackson- Carbondale, CO Finance Manager editorials of American Whitewater are those of thornton.com [email protected] Cullowhee, NC the individual authors. They do not necessarily [email protected] represent those of the Directors of American Kestrel Kunz Whitewater or the editors of this publication. Erin Savage Colorado Assistant On occasion, American Whitewater publishes Asheville, NC Buena Vista, CO official organizational policy statements drafted [email protected] [email protected] TOLL FREE NUMBER and approved by the Board of Directors. These 1-866-262-8429 policy statements will be clearly identified. 4 americanwhitewater.org THE JourNEY AHEAD f you were lucky enough to catch the boaters. In partnership with the Gauley the Friday night film festival featuring the epic boating season in the West this year, River National Recreation Area (part of the latest films from local paddling filmmakers. you know that it was one for the record National Park Service), a shuttle is provided Ibooks. If you live in other parts of the on busy weekends from the river corridor Both the Gauley and the Feather represent country, we still have boating celebrations to the Legg Field parking area. significant milestones in river conservation and opportunities to gather at the river at and stewardship for American Whitewater. least one more time before the short days One of the recent success stories in West They join our other two annual festivals, of winter arrive. Virginia is the New River Dries where, in Gore Fest in Colorado and Deerfield Fest the final days of 2017, Federal regulators in Massachusetts, as ways to connect I often get asked about our river festivals issued a new 47-year license for the dam our community with what these amazing and the reason we host them. Many folks