I spent over two years in southwestern China studying the Mandarin Chinese language and helping a friend with research on one of the many minority people groups there.  Because no national level whitewater advocacy exists in China (and probably would be ignored anyway), you can bet I've seen some things that would make any whitewater enthusiast sad or furious (seeing dams even on the sub-tributaries and pollution), and have went boarding in water where'd you'd better take your antibiotics before you get in to avoid catching whatever is in the water.  When I had first arrived and was still in my touristy phase it was very easy to be overly critical about this, but I'm thankful to have stayed long enough to be able to look at things from a balanced view.  I understand that they have huge energy needs and realize that the western part of China is still comprised of a lot of rural area and small communities without septic tanks or sewers, so I won't fault the government or the people on everything, even though I know that things could be done in a wiser way and find a balance between modern progress and concern for the environment.  

But enough about my experiences in China.  I mention them only to say that for those of us in the States, we do have a great resource in American Whitewater.  We should be thankful for this and more than that, we should support them and their efforts so that we don't have experience rivers being dewatered or horrible water quality as often.  

What does American Whitewater do for us?  If you want the specifics, then go to their website: www.americanwhitewater.org and read their yearly reports, but I'll just throw out some general things that they do.  

They fight for more river access.  Whether it's getting releases on new rivers, getting additional release days on others, being a proponent for the removal of old dams that no longer serve a purpose, or seeing to it that we have a legal put-in or take-out, they get us on more rivers more often.

They fight for better water.  Both in advocating the Clean Water Act and in trying to prevent excessive development too close to streams (something that affects both water quality and can also lead to dangerous flash flooding), they try to make the water we're in a lot cleaner and healthier.  

They provide information.  Through their national river database, you can look up each state's rivers and get information about class, length, hazards, and much more.

I know I've only scratched the surface about what they do, but I believe in their causes and in their ability to bring about positive change for many river situations.  If you like to use the rivers and aren't currently a member, then get out that check or plastic and become one today.