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#1671

From: danielsonll@...
Date: Mon Dec 14, 2009 3:27 am
Subject: Website Updates

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IWC is pleased to announce continued joint collaboration with the Iowa State University Kayak Club (ISUKC) to provide classes to the Iowa whitewater kayak paddling community during 2010. Piper Wall, IWC and ISUKC member and ACA certified whitewater kayak instructor, will be the head instructor for the sessions. She will be assisted by IWC volunteers. All who know Piper will attest to her skill and enthusiasm to help people to become better paddlers. To learn more and to register for the classes, please visit http://www.iowawhitewater.org/wwclinics.html.

IWC annual memberships expire that the end of this month. You do not have to wait until the new year to join or renew your membership for 2010 online at http://www.iowawhitewater.org/membership.html. If you prefer, print and mail in the form and with your payment.

After some productive research at the State Historical Society Library, the Low Head Dam Reference on the IWC website has been updated. The dams map, many individual dam description pages and the list of dam-related fatalities have been recently updated. Visit http://www.iowawhitewater.org/lhd/index.html to see more.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!
Lyle Danielson

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#1670

From: danielsonll@...
Date: Tue Dec 1, 2009 4:27 am
Subject: Fwd: IRR's 2nd RIVER CONGRESS-Jan 23

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-----Original Message-----
From: Iowa Rivers Revival <rlehman@...>
To: 'Iowa Rivers Revival' <rlehman@...>
Sent: Mon, Nov 30, 2009 1:37 pm
Subject: IRR's 2nd RIVER CONGRESS-Jan 23

SAVE THE DATE - -

Iowa Rivers Revival 2^nd RIVER CONGRESS

Saturday, January 23, 2010

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Story County Conservation Board

56461 180^th St, Ames, Iowa

No Cost

Link for the AGENDA

RSVP: Rosalyn Lehman, rlehman@...; 515-202-7720

Iowa Rivers Revival will host a 2^nd River Congress to continue to build upon the interest and success from last year’s Congress-over 70 people attended and identified key river concerns and priorities and created a River Bill of Rights. The purpose of the 2^nd Congress is to continue to expand the statewide network of river supporters who are willing to communicate with their legislators about the importance of water quality and river conservation, discuss current river issues and concerns, participate in a legislative discussion and a workshop on effective advocacy.

We continue to hear from Iowa legislators and Iowans alike that there is no voice for Iowa’s rivers – with your help, we can to change that! Click here to view the full agenda for the afternoon – the River Congress if free and open to anyone interested in attending.

Please share this invitation – the outcomes from the River Congress should reflect a range of river perspectives and experiences from across the state: River Advocates • Conservationists & Environmentalists • Watershed Groups • Farmers • Anglers • Hunters • Recreationists • Students • Teachers • Wildlife Observers • Concerned Citizens-anyone interested in water quality and river stewardship.

Rosalyn Lehman

Executive Director

Iowa Rivers Revival

PO Box 72, Des Moines, IA 50301

515-202-7720

rlehman@... | www.iowarivers.org

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#1669

From: danielsonll@...
Date: Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:10 am
Subject: Dam Removals Out West

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NBC News video report: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#33951154

---------------------------------------------------

From American Rivers:

American Rivers is the nation's leading conservation organization fighting to protect and restore the nation's rivers. Our national leadership on dam removal will be highlighted tonight during a segment on NBC Nightly News.

Earlier this fall, I took an NBC Nightly News crew to Washington's Elwha River so they could see (and film) our efforts to remove dams and restore salmon on this special Northwest river.

American Rivers has worked for years to remove the two dams on the Elwha River. At 210 feet high, when Glines Canyon dams is removed, it will be the tallest dam ever removed in this country. We were instrumental in securing $54 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to remove the dams -- a project that will create jobs and deliver an economic boost to the area. Dam removal will also open up 70 miles of pristine salmon habitat in Olympic National Park, and revive the entire web of life from mountains to sea.

To bring a national perspective to the piece, the NBC story also features a dam removal effort on Maryland's Patapsco River, a project for which American Rivers was awarded $4 million in ARRA funds, as well as a dam removal success story on Oregon's Sandy River -- a project American Rivers helped spearhead.

So, be sure to tune in to NBC Nightly News this evening to watch this dam removal story. Please share this great story with your friends and family, and thank you for supporting our work.

Sincerely,

Andrew Fahlund
Vice President for Conservation

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Any guesses as to when Iowa will ever see any significant progress on dam removals?

Lyle

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#1668

From: Erik S <laivotais@...>
Date: Wed Nov 11, 2009 6:25 pm
Subject: Re: Digest Number 935

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Nate,
Thanks for the response. The reason I asked the question is that I am not familiar with the Des Moines River and local geography. Even on the Fox River in the far west Chicago metro area we have a section of the river through downtown Aurora where through travel is not easily accomplished, and would require vehicular assistance for portage - though a group of dedicated Aurora paddlers is lobbying for rebuilding a decades-old (now gated) barely functional canoe chute, and eventually rebuilding the two downtown dams into whitewater venues.

One of our recommendations to the IL DNR is to attempt to educate paddlers and citizens, rather than rely on criminal penalties for those who, possibly unknowingly, overstep some artificial boundary. As I'm sure you're aware, education and outreach programs are more powerful tool for helping ensure safe behaviors, even though there is a cost for such programs.

Iowa is very fortunate to have you on the DNR staff. Keep up the great work. Illinois paddling advocates keep asking the IL DNR to cast an eye to Iowa to see an effective DNR program targeted to river recreationalists.

Even though the IL DNR is backwards in many regards, one good thing they are doing is building a bypass channel in Yorkville IL as part of a remediation project for the Glen Palmer Dam - which has claimed more lives than any other on the Fox River. see http://www.yorkville.il.us/GlenPalmerDamUpdate.php We're hopeful that this will be the first of many such DNR projects in Illinois, and if all goes well, the bypass reach may be open to paddlers by next summer!

Best,
Erik

From: "Hoogeveen, Nate [DNR]" <Nate.Hoogeveen@...>
To: Erik S <laivotais@...>; "IowaWhitewater@yahoogroups.com" <IowaWhitewater@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, November 11, 2009 11:12:39 AM
Subject: RE: [IowaWhitewater] Digest Number 935

Erik:

I hope you’ve been well.

The idea of exclusion zones came up in our planning process, which we have rejected. The Illinois experience was helpful in articulating why that would be unreasonable. Iowa DNR is advising against exclusion zones in all cases, in favor of explicit warnings telling river navigators what to do to stay safe. There will be a simple set of signs in what we refer to as the Drowning Zone (directly upstream, and near the farthest downstream extent of the boil line) in the direct vicinity of the dam that are intending to ward people off.

The “Water Trail Ends Here,” sign will be there until adequate portages or physical treatments to 2 dams in downtown Des Moines could be developed. It has to do with our water trail designation criteria… the water trail itself needs to end at an access upstream, unless a portage is available. People are still considered to have the right to navigate the stream below that point, but they need to know that “thru travel” cannot be accomplished

All this said, local entities do have the ability to develop exclusion zones on their own in Iowa , despite what our recommendations may be. Our state conservation officers will not enforce any local ordinances that may be developed.

Best regards,

Nate Hoogeveen

River Programs Director

Iowa DNR

From: IowaWhitewater@yahoogroups.com [mailto:IowaWhitewater@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Erik S
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 10:50 AM
To: IowaWhitewater@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [IowaWhitewater] Digest Number 935

The new signs make sense from a warning standpoint, but it's curious that the water trail ends 1.4 miles upstream of the dam. Is it expected that there won't be any long-distance travelers on the Des Moines River ? How would such long-distance travelers negotiate the dam?

Here in Illinois, the Illinois paddling community won a battle that resulted in prohibition of a proposed dam safety rule that featured exclusion zones (violation of which would net a paddler a Class A misdemeanor) 300 feet above 31 dams on 'public waters', when long-established portage routes were within the exclusion zones. The DNR is now in the process of redrafting the proposed rule, and word is that the exclusion zones will be shortened to 100 feet, though the criminal penalties still remain, as they are in the enacting legislation (the sad thing for Illinois paddlers is that the IL DNR does not consult with paddlers prior to drafting rules that would affect paddlers).

Erik Sprenne
Chicago Whitewater Association

From: "IowaWhitewater@ yahoogroups. com" <IowaWhitewater@ yahoogroups. com>
To: IowaWhitewater@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Wed, November 11, 2009 7:59:51 AM
Subject: [IowaWhitewater] Digest Number 935

There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. New Dam Warning Signs in DSM
From: danielsonll@ aol.com

Message
____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ______
1. New Dam Warning Signs in DSM
Posted by: "danielsonll@ aol.com" danielsonll@ aol.com ld_rec
Date: Wed Nov 11, 2009 5:36 am ((PST))

Des Moines has installed new 10-foot warning signs 1.4 miles upstream of the Center Street Dam. WOI-TV reported on November 6th that this is a start for increasing warnings to river users at 4 locations in the metro. You can view the video report by following one of the links below.

http://tiny. cc/1cE1b

http://www.woi- tv.com/global/ video/flash/ popupplayer. asp?ClipID1= 4280354&h1=New%20River% 20Warnings&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=126167&LaunchPageAdTag= Search%20Results&activePane=info&rnd=54585283

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