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EnglishWhat Is American Whitewater and What Does Its Website Offer?
Updated
American Whitewater (americanwhitewater.org) is a U.S. river stewardship organization whose stated mission is to protect and restore America's whitewater rivers and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely. Its website is the public face of that mission: a mix of advocacy information, river and safety resources, news, events, and membership tools. It is useful if you want to understand the organization, look up boating safety material, follow river-protection work, or find ways to get involved. It is not a booking or trip-planning service, and the site does not present itself as a commercial outfitter.
What the organization says it does
The homepage frames the work around three verbs: Protect, Restore, Enjoy.
- Protect — advocating for and improving state and federal legislation, regulations, and rulemaking covering rivers, their watersheds, water quality, and public access.
- Restore — removing dams and advocating to return instream flows to dewatered or altered rivers below hydropower projects, diversions, and other impoundments.
- Enjoy — creating opportunities for people to safely visit and play in rivers.
The stated vision is that remaining wild and free-flowing rivers stay that way, developed rivers are restored to function, the public has access to rivers for recreation, and river enthusiasts become active, effective advocates.
Main sections of the website
The site's navigation groups content into a few clear areas:
| Area | What you'll find |
|---|---|
| Safety | Safety Code, International Scale of River Difficulty, Accident Database, biannual accident summaries, a form to report an accident, safety videos, signage guidance, and rescue and risk management material |
| River Info | Background on the organization and its work |
| About American Whitewater | Employment opportunities, Board of Directors, staff, and the American Whitewater Journal (latest issue, archives, and contribution guidelines) |
| Engage / Take Action | Dam Removal, Education, Flow Advocacy, River Access, the Navigability Toolkit, Recreation Management, River Protection, and Water Quality |
| Events | Event calendar, clubs, and volunteer events |
| Resources | Articles, documents, and projects |
| Support | Individual memberships, affiliate club memberships, donations, the Enduring Rivers Circle, incentive gifts, the American Whitewater Store, and industry partners |
Who the site is for
- Paddlers and river runners who want safety references — the Safety Code, the difficulty scale, and accident data are the most directly practical pages.
- Advocates and volunteers who want to follow or join campaigns on dam removal, instream flows, river access, and water quality.
- Club organizers and affiliates looking at membership structures and the clubs section.
- Researchers or journalists using the Journal archives, accident summaries, and documents library.
Membership-driven model
The homepage describes the organization as "membership-driven river stewardship" and displays a current member count of 7,355+. Membership is presented through two routes — individual memberships and affiliate club memberships — alongside donation options and a store. The site does not publish membership prices or payment details on the homepage, so check the membership pages directly for current terms rather than assuming cost or access conditions.
Practical notes before you use it
- Safety content is reference material, not a substitute for training. The Safety Code, difficulty scale, and accident database are informational; they don't replace instruction or local knowledge.
- Accident reporting is a two-way resource. The database and summaries are only as useful as the reports submitted through the site's report-an-accident form.
- Advocacy pages describe positions and tools, such as the Navigability Toolkit, rather than offering personalized legal or regulatory advice.
- Start with the section that matches your task: Safety for trip preparation references, Engage for campaigns and toolkits, Events for the calendar and volunteer opportunities, and Support for membership and donations.