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Working to restore traditional whitewater releases to the West River.
| Press Release - October 26, 2009 | |
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Vermont Governor Douglas asks Agencies to Review Recreational Whitewater Releases Click here to read the entire press release... |
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| Letter to Governor - September 19, 2009 | |
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Dear Governor Douglas; Click here to read the entire letter...
September 30, 2009 Response from the Governor of Vermont |
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| Press Release - September 17, 2009 | |
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Contested Fall Release of the West River in Jamaica VT Scheduled for September 26th , Local Economy To Be Impacted Over the last decade, actions by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), (who manage Ball Mountain Dam on the West River), and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (VANR), have significantly reduced scheduled opportunities for whitewater boating tourists to enjoy the West River in Jamaica VT. Click here to read the entire press release... |
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| Press Release - July 2, 2009 | |
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Exuberant White Water Enthusiasts Flock to Jamaica, VT for a Surprise White Water Release This past weekend hundreds of White Water Paddlers of all types descended upon the Jamaica State Part for a surprise summer release from the Ball mountain dam. Click here to read the entire press release... |
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| FOTWR Mailing List | |
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Friends of the West River now has a Mailing List, and a Supporters Page. Please join - Thanks! |
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| Press Release - April 19, 2009 | |
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Troubled local economy dealt a new blow by Vermont State and Federal Agencies – Jamaica, VT For the past four decades, over a thousand visitors flocked to Jamaica, VT each spring for the drawdown of the Ball Mountain Dam Reservoir. They won’t be visiting this year. Click here to read the entire press release... |
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Summary
Representatives from various whitewater organizations including the AMC, FLOW, American Whitewater and others have been meeting and corresponding with the Army Corps of Engineers since March 1998 regarding the Corps’ lack of communication and steady reduction of whitewater releases on their dams in New England especially on the West River.
Knowing full well of the concerns of the whitewater groups, the Army Corps of Engineers met separately with and reached flow agreements with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and deliberately excluded the whitewater representatives from this process. Subsequent meetings and correspondence with the Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources have resulted in no progress.
As a result of the agreement made between ACOE and these agencies, Spring releases on the West which historically took place over two weekends in April and May have been reduced to one April weekend. In addition these agencies eliminated the second day whitewater release on the Fall weekend, unless there is an unusual amount of rain.
NO ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE OF ANY KIND TO THE WEST RIVER ECOSYSTEM BY WHITEWATER RELEASES THAT HAVE BEEN ONGOING FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED.
The alleged basis for the new dam operating rules is the possibility that environmental damage might occur. In fact, non of the agencies have conducted fish habitat flow studies on the West. Instead, they are relying purely on a “one size fits all” generic base flow level set by the USF&W. We believe that whitewater releases are not environmentally significant given the manner in which the dam has been operated historically. We protest being deliberately left out of the negotiation process and being listened to ‘with a deaf ear’ in our subsequent meetings
Volunteer
If you are willing to volunteer at the West, and even more important willing to commit to this process please email your name, address, telephone number and own email to:
Please send your info to: chuck@friendsofthewestriver.org
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