Bulls Bridge 2 on painted gauge - canal is back on

Powerplant is running normally

Painted boater's gauge:  2 

Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   4.75  (3000 cfs)

Tenmile River gauge:  2.77  (546 cfs)
Falls Village gauge:  4.16 (1900 cfs)

This is the level at 9:30 am today

Stairway rapid as seen from the bridge

Bulls Bridge 2 1/2 on painted gauge - canal is back on

Powerplant is running normally

Painted boater's gauge:  2 1/2

Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   4.98  (3300 cfs)

Tenmile River gauge:  2.94  (618 cfs)
Falls Village gauge:  4.30 (2040 cfs)

This is the level at noon today

view of Stairway from the bridge

Bulls Bridge 3 1/2 on painted gauge - canal is back on

Powerplant is running normally

Painted boater's gauge:  3 1/2

Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   5.31  (3740 cfs)

Tenmile River gauge:  3.12  (698 cfs)
Falls Village gauge:  4.55 (2320 cfs)

This was the level at 1 pm today

Bulls Bridge 4 1/2 on painted gauge - canal is back on

Powerplant is running normally

Painted boater's gauge:  4 1/2

Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   5.94  (4650 cfs)

Tenmile River gauge:  3.39  (828 cfs)
Falls Village gauge:  5.09 (2990 cfs)

This is the level at 1 pm today

view of stairway rapid from the bridge

Bulls Bridge 5 1/2 on painted gauge - canal is back on

Powerplant is on (confirmed with engineer that they are running full capacity)

Painted boater's gauge:  5 1/2

Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   6.63  (5770 cfs)

Tenmile River gauge:  3.83  (1060 cfs)
Falls Village gauge:  5.89 (4110 cfs)

This is the level at noon today

view of Stairway from the bridge

Bulls Bridge 6 1/2 on painted gauge - canal is back on

Powerplant is on (difficult to determine if they are operating full or limited capacity)

Painted boater's gauge:  6 1/2

Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   7.32  (7090 cfs)

Tenmile River gauge:  4.52  (1470cfs)
Falls Village gauge:  6.34  (4750 cfs)

This is the level at 11 am today

image of Stairway rapid taken from Bulls Bridge

Bulls Bridge solid 7 on painted gauge - canal is offline

Powerplant is off

Painted boater's gauge:  7 

Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   7.53  (7510 cfs)

Tenmile River gauge:  5.47  (2140 cfs)

Falls Village gauge:  6.40  (4840 cfs)

This is the level at noon today

stairway, looking upstream from the bridge

Bulls Bridge low 4 1/2 on painted gauge - canal offline

Powerplant is off

Painted boater's gauge:  4 1/2 (lower side of the mark)

Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   5.00  (3320 cfs)

Tenmile River gauge:  2.77  (546 cfs)
Falls Village gauge:  4.40  (2150 cfs)

This is the level at noon today

Bulls Bridge high 4 1/2 on painted gauge - canal is offline

Powerplant is off

Painted boater's gauge:  4 1/2  (high side of the line)

Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   5.28  (3700 cfs)

Tenmile River gauge:  3.32  (793 cfs)
Falls Village gauge:  4.67 (2470 cfs)

This is the level at 2:15 pm today.

looking upstream at stairway from the bridge

Xavier Engle

All boating today is dedicated to Xavier Engle.

Bulls Bridge low 3 on painted gauge - canal is offline

Powerplant is off

Painted boater's gauge:  3  (low side of the line)

Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   3.89  (1900 cfs)

Tenmile River gauge:  2.24  (352 cfs)
Falls Village gauge:  3.62  (1379 cfs)

This is the level at 1:30 pm today.  It is still raining and the river is on the way up.

Bulls Bridge 2 1/2 on painted gauge - canal is offline

Powerplant is off

Painted boater's gauge:  2 1/2

Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   3.70  (1680 cfs)

Tenmile River gauge:  1.89  (246 cfs)
Falls Village gauge:  3.43  (1230 cfs)

 

This painted gauge is river-right on the concrete holding up the covered bridge (Bull's Bridge), immediately below the normal put-in.

 

looking upstream from the bridge at Stairway.  Mushroom hole starts to become a factor at this level (though the pillow above it still gives to the right pretty hard).  Little Niagra becomes a bit dicey, but still goes until the rocks in the center are totally covered.

Bulls Bridge 1 1/2 on painted gauge, canal is offline

Powerplant is off

Painted boater's gauge:  1 1/2
Housatonic at Gaylordsville gauge:   3.40  (997cfs)
Tenmile River gauge:  1.53  (154 cfs)
Falls Village gauge:  3.05  (842 cfs)


The canal maintenance has been going on for a while.  Rumor is that they are making the system more efficient, which will mean that they can take a few hundred more cfs from the river than they have been in the recent past.  My intent in posting level information is to help build up new correlations for when the canal is off (as is normal for at least three days every Fall).  Once the canal is back in operation, this process will have to be repeated to see if the new internet vs. boater's gauge correlations need to be developed.

If any of the other locals want to help with this project, please let me know, and I'll authorize you to post updates.  The most important information to post are the following four things:
Powerplant:  on/off
Painted boater's gauge:  post what you see.  (The top of the footer block is 1)
Housatonic gauge at Gaylordsville:  post both stage and cfs
Tenmile River gauge:  post both stage and cfs

Any pictures or additional content are nice, but not required for this project.  Building a visual record of different rapids at different levels would be cool, but I think that will be pretty easy this Spring.

Bulls Bridge at 1 1/2 on boater's gauge

The canal is off, so Bull's Bridge has been running.  There is a stick in the last drop at Stairway.

Strong arm real estate developer tactics threatens sacred land

"What would this development seem like from inside the Grand Canyon? At Mile 62, several days into a river trip, it would be like encountering Las Vegas-style entertainment and crowds of people."

http://www.adventure-journal.com/2014/03/opinion-dont-build-las-vegas-in-the-grand-canyon/

"Bodaway/Gap chapter members initially opposed the development, but a vote count taken at a later, more contentious meeting reversed that decision. Meanwhile, all of the surrounding chapters, such as Coal Mine, Kaibeto, Tuba City, and Cameron, have passed resolutions opposing the tramway and its associated tourist attractions."
Save The Confluence

where does the drinking water come from?

http://www.americanrivers.org/blog/one-of-three-rely-small-streams-drinking-water/?utm_medium=socmed&utm_source=facebook&source=facebook

Old School is super cool

http://www.cafepress.com/artandwater.352375709

Defining "navigable waterway" is very important to whitewater boaters

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/view/articleid/31747/

Watershed

http://youtu.be/fsmiWhKQvb0

A short film by Danny Doran

My car was having issues, but Kenny would not let me get out of circumnavigating Manhattan again.  I was on one of the funny learning experience trips that Kenny speaks about in the movie two years before.  This time, a broken car, just two of us paddling, an entire film crew taking subways around NYC to film this trip, an overzealous fisherman who caught my stern (almost hooked my face), near collision with an angry ferry boat, but PERFECT timing with the tides thanks to Kenny, made for an adventure that I'll never forget.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2752144/

Call for artists

Looks like the Liquidlogic folks are looking for art work for their new facility outside of Asheville.
Check out Shane's blog for details.
http://shanesliquidlogic.blogspot.com/2013/02/open-call-for-art-proposals.html

Awareness in the midst of the Experience

"When I was at Eiheiji monastery in Japan, everyone was just doing what he should do.  That is all.  It is the same as waking up in the morning; we have to get up.  At Eiheiji monastery, when we had to sit, we sat; when we had to bow to Buddha, we bowed to Buddha.  That is all.  And when we were practicing, we did not feel anything special.  We did not even feel that we were leading a monastic life.  For us, the monastic life was the usual life, and the people who came from the city were unusual people.  When we saw them we felt, 'Oh, some unusual people have come!'

But once I had left Eiheiji and been away for some time, coming back was different.  I heard the various sounds of practice - the bells and the monks reciting the sutra - and I had a deep feeling.  There were tears flowing out of my eyes, nose, and mouth!  It is the people who are ouside of the monastery who feel its atmosphere.  Those who are practicing actually do not feel anything.  I think this is true for everything.  When we hear the sound of a pine tree on a windy day, perhaps the wind is just blowing, and the pine tree i just standing in the wind.  That is all that they are doing.  But the people who listen to the wind in the tree will write a poem, or will feel something unusual.  That is, I think, the way everything is."


pp. 87-88
"Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind"
by Shunryu Suzuki
ISBN 13: 978-1-59030-267-5

LiquidLogic Grand Canyon Winter Assault 2013

2013 Liquid Logic Grand Canyon Expedition from Russ Langley on Vimeo.

film/slideshow by Russ Langley on Vimeo http://vimeo.com/58010609 Nice edit Russ!!! Great crew!! Great trip this year!

Preserve the Upper Animas for the future

Some CO boaters are being proactive about the status of the upper Animas from Silverton down to about half way to Durango....


Private boater support for Wild and Scenic Designation of the Upper Animas River Petition | GoPetition

Essentially, the petition is a statement that the current access and flow schedule is preferred.  So, why sign the petition?  You should look at (and hopefully sign) the petition because water rights in western states like Colorado are constantly changing, particularly as more and more real estate is developed.  It would be a shame if the further development of the Animas Valley would have a negative impact on water flowing in the river; particularly since the development is often from out of state developers for out of state owners of vacation homes who's perspective and care is often only for the two weeks each year they are in the valley.

Gear that fits in a LL RemixXP10 for a 12 day trip

on this last Grand Canyon trip.  Other than the food that fit in three drybags (from another post), here is the list of things that I brought on the trip...

Main paddling gear:
* Kokatat Gore-Tex Meridian Dry Suit (GMER)
* Smartwool Men's NTS Mid 250 Long top and bottom (2 sets)
* Smartwool Hiking Medium Crew socks (3 sets)
* Heavy weight fleece bunny suit (a real heavy weight one, not a power-stretch or anything too techy because the point is to have loft and thickness)
* Silicone swim cap (largest size possible, and one that covers ears can be folded up above ears, but nice to have the option).
* Latex kitchen gloves or chemical gloves (best base layer for hands that keeps wind and sun off of skin, which tends to dry out and crack on a trip like this).
* Neoprene Pogies.
* IR Shockwave skirt. (2 - one for me and one for the group, just in case...)

* Astral Brewer shoes.

* NRS Wingman knife

* Stohlquist Descent PFD

extras kept inside boat for super cold days:

* Fleece or neoprene skull cap.
* Neoprene gloves.

extra layers for cold days on water or in camp:
* Cheap mid-weight fleece vest
* Mid-weight fleece pants.
* Mid/heavy weight fleece pullover top

campsite clothing that I changed into a.s.a.p. to let boating gear dry:
* 700 fill down jacket.
* Waterproof hiking sneakers.
* Winter hat & gloves

(the mistake I made on this trip is that my hat did not cover the bottom of my ear lobes.  Because of this, I had a little bit of cold/sun damage on my ears)

* Lightweight rain jacket and pants (act as windbreaker or rain protection when needed).

campsite shelter and insulation:

*Big Agnes Jack Rabbit 2 person tent

*Mountain Hardware Lamina 0 degree sleeping bag

*ThermaRest NeoAir XTherm compact mattress

*Cheap minicell camping pad (made a good clean place to sort gear and supplementary warmth under the ThermaRest pad.  I kept it on the stern deck)

personal hygiene and safety:

* toothbrush & toothpaste

* 3 oz. hand lotion (applied every evening and morning)

* chapstick (with sunscreen)

* wet wipes (2 for every morning)

* small bottle biodegradable camp soap

* small bottles of hand sanitizer (3 travel size)

* Petzl Tikka XP2 headlamp 

* Petzl Zipka headlamp (backup)

* 6 extra AA batteries

* small bottle multi vitamins

* fingernail clippers

* swiss army knife

personal first aid kit:

* Adventure Medical Kits "World Travel" first aid kit

* Zicam rapid melts

* Mucinex DM

* Aleve

* Neosporin

* signal mirror

cook kit:

* JetBoil Sol

with Sumo 1.8L fluxring companion cup

* Alite Cloverware 4in1 utensil set

* 5 small canisters JetBoil all season fuel

* MSR 6 liter dromedary bag

* Nalgene 1 liter water bottle

* Katadyn Pocket ceramic water filter

* Sea-To-Summit Kitchen Sink 20 liter folding bucket

* REI Flexlite chair

drybags to put everything in (including the food from a previous post):

* 2 Watershed Ocoee drybags (food bags behind seat)

* 1 Watershed Aleutian Deck Bag (on bow deck)

* 1 Watershed Salmon stowfloat bag (in bow)

* 1 Watershed Big Creek backback drybag (in bow)

* SeaToSummit eVent compression sack (medium) for sleeping bag

* SeaToSummit Lightweight Dry Sacks (2-4 liter bags, 2-8 liter bags, 2-13 liter bags, 2-20liter bags)

personal waste management:
* special groover that fits in bow wall of Remix XP10
* roll of toilet paper
* 24 wet wipes

Our group had 4 different extra break-apart paddles and one extra PFD.

Everyone had at least a small First Aid Kit and one person had a major med. First Aid Kit.

6 people had water filters, and 4 other people had folding buckets for letting silt-laden water settle before filtering. 

The trip leader had a satellite phone.  

At least one other person had a signal mirror.

Three people had SPOT gps devices.

LGCWA 2013 photos

Paddlers from the Jan 1 - 12 trip with RemixXP10s have been uploading photos to individual galleries all week.  Here is a link.

http://artandwater.smugmug.com/LGCWA2013

It was a great trip.  We were lucky to have warm weather (for winter) on many days and an incredible crew with which to share the experience.

New Year's Day

was the last full day on the river two years ago.  The air was warm, and everyone was in a bit of a party mood at the end of this trip.

At the end of the next day, everyone was checking their email and social networks.  We learned that the Liquid Logic crew had just launched their trip on that day.  It's pretty cool how they have turned it into an annual trip.

Tequila Beach

Havasu II

Havasu

Matkatamiba

Deer Creek Logic

Deer Creek

Camp 118.6

(actually, it's Big Dune)

Elves Chasm (looking out)

Elves Chasm (looking in)

Winter Canyon

New Year's Eve - Grand Canyon Launch Day Eve

I hope that everyone has had a good year, both on and off the water.
Have fun tonight.  Be safe.

Happy to say that I am with the Liquid Logic crew, getting prepared for tomorrow morning's inspection by NPS so we can get the green light to launch the 12 day trip through the Grand Canyon.

As a celebration of this trip, I have queued up the first 12 photogravures that were made from my last trip through the canyon.  They will show up, one per day, in order but not necessarily in coordination with the current trip (tough to predict exactly where we will be each day).  I hope you enjoy them.  The new(er) batch of photogravures will pop up over on the ARTandWATER blog.

titled "Campsite Quanta"

Food for the Grand Canyon self-support trip.

After multiple emails, with different suggestions, I went to the internet to research what minimalist backpackers, whitewater kayaking multi-day trip folks, and the average 3 day weekend hiker used to make their menus on exciting adventures.
 Needless to say, I was totally confused.
 This forced me to stop everything and focus on three questions:
1. How do I normally eat when I'm focused on one long-term project?
2. What am I willing to eat for 12 days in a row?
3. How can I dress it up a bit so it's not totally boring?

I added a few things in the end, but the photos below are a great representation of how I answered those questions when packing for this 12 day Grand Canyon trip that launches on January 1, 2013 with the LiquidLogic crew.

3 packets of instant oatmeal for breakfast
(390 - 480 calories depending on flavor)

Lots of dried fruit and nuts

(17,000 calories total divided by 12 equals 1400 calories per day)

(352g protein total divided by 12 equals 23g protein per day)

(it's difficult to believe, but I double checked everything on the labels)

All the dried fruit and nuts (from the previous picture) mixed up in equal parts (mostly) for each day

1 big protein bar and 1 small balanced bar for each day
(each Big protein bar has 400 calories with 30g protein)
(each Small bar has 170 calories with 10g protein)

"Dinner" options
(I felt I needed some hot food, and some carbs mixed in with all this protein)
(The bags of dehydrated carrots, tomatoes, and celery mix in with all this stuff nicely)
(Each item pictured has 400 - 500 calories)
(the summer sausage and cheese each have about 25 g protein)

All the food fit inside 2 Watershed Ocoee drybags and 1 SeaToSummit 13Liter drybag, which fits very easily in the Remix XP10.
(While I was packing my boat, I stuffed the cracks between drybags with extra random food that was in sealed plastic bags.  It was mostly light stuff like vegetable soup mix and minute rice.)

Attention Canadian Boaters and Artists....

http://www.banff.ca/index.aspx?NID=846

Banff is accepting applications for your work to be part of a public art project.

http://www.banffcragandcanyon.com/2012/10/18/a-call-to-artists-is-out-for-banffs-latest-public-art-pieces

Photography, painting, printmaking, whatever.....
If it involves Banff, and you are from the Great White North, then you are eligible to apply. 

Help the Farmington River

Support the Wild and Scenic designation for the Lower Farmington River (see attached document for details). This designation would be great for paddling on the Farmington and especially Tariffville gorge.

 American Whitewater supports the effort: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/view/articleid/31537/

 If you would, please comment in support of the designation (Alternative B), they're running out of time for comments, closing date is October 17th. You don't need to say much, offering your support is a big help! parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=261&projectID=35651&documentID=48466

How The Earth Was Made

has a segment that features the Grand Canyon and Wayne Ranney.




Wayne has a cool geology blog.
He is from Flagstaff, and is an avid hiker/explorer who knows the canyon well.

Check it out!

 http://earthly-musings.blogspot.com/

Grand Canyon Trip Jan 1, 2013

For the past few years, the Liquid Logic crew has organized a self-support trip through Marble and Grand Canyons in the winter. 

http://kayakcamping.amongstit.com/

http://www.astralbuoyancy.com/news/expedition/grand-canyon-first-time-reflections/

http://www.teamliquidlogic.com/self-support-grand-canyon

This year, I am on the trip list.  Deposit is in, and plans are made.   I am very excited to get back into The Canyon!!!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/artandwater/grand-canyon-gravure?ref=card

RapidBlocs

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/design/2012/08/the-lego-like-building-blocks-of-the-olympic-slalom-canoe/

Olympic WW events start on Sunday

http://www.nbcolympics.com/canoe-kayak/results-schedules/index.html

http://www.nbcolympics.com/online-listings/day=july-29/index.html

http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Canoe-Kayak.aspx

Support our USA C2 Olympic boat!!!

http://erichurd.me/

They have tshirts.......

or, if you just are feeling the Olympic spirit and want to donate a dollar or two....

http://erichurd.me/

Living the life

http://youtu.be/32POS8sanY8

Nick Gottlieb having fun getting it done.

Wild Fire Tees

http://www.wildfiretees.com/

The wild fires in Colorado have taken their toll on the state's resources, cost property and lives.

These creative people have come together to raise money to help with the fire fighting and recovery effort.  

Go to the website and check it out!

New designs are constantly being added.

You get cool tshirts and the good feeling that you are helping.

If you like these prints...

12 photogravures of the Grand Canyon

12 cyanotypes of the Grand Canyon

... then you only have 16 days left to make your claim,
which will help make sure the project continues to completion,
and you can receive either one of the originals,
or one of the archival digital reprints,
in the Grand Canyon Gravure project.
The choice is yours.

Click this link to sign up:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1064313302/grand-canyon-gravure?ref=card

Global Water

http://www.globalwater.org/

Dam removal

Rumor has it that the T'ville dam removal starts tomorrow.
I'm excited to see what rapids lie beneath the pond.

Tshirts and Art

It's all or nothing.
If the goal is not reached, the project does not get finished!
A "pledge" means that you are not charged for this right now.  It will only happen when the goal is reached at the end of the month.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1064313302/grand-canyon-gravure?ref=card

$25 or more and you get an ARTandWATER cotton tshirt.
(Stickers too?  Sure, why not.  Everyone likes stickers)

When the project is funded, you will receive a private message so we can discuss tshirt size, design, and color.




http://youtu.be/GSiUtzT5Kz4

Grand Canyon Gravure project

http://kck.st/LwzeJr
The goal is to collect the materials to get this project finished.
It is at it's half way point and I want to keep the momentum going!
Thanks to people who have let me borrow equipment this summer,
allowed me to find work space,
and encouraged me to keep going I think that the finish line is in sight.

Watch the video.

Click the links.

Share share share to anyone who might be interested!

(there are some really good deals for those who choose to be a part of finishing this project)

Maine boaters just get it

http://www.maineriverlife.com/video/2nd-annual-huck-fest/ The entire lifestyle and fun attitude.

Remains Of A River (trailer)

Remains of a River Trailer from NRS Films on Vimeo.

This film is being shown in episodes on Vimeo. It is about a journey on the Colorado River from source to sea. Well, ALMOST to the sea, since the Colorado River does not reach the sea as the demands for water are high enough that it dries up before it can get to the sea.

Hawaii bans plastic bags

according to this article from  Surfrider Foundation
http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/hawaii-becomes-the-first-state-in-the-u.s.-to-ban-plastic-bags

 Plastics degrade at an incredibly slow rate in landfills, but even slower in the ocean so the accumulation is greater.  Here is a conservative explanation by NOAA.
http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/plastic.html

A big topic of conversation these days is the "garbage patch" in the mid-Pacific gyre.
Again, here is a link to NOAA for a less reactionary explanation. 
http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html
NOAA is a government organization staffed by scientists, thus tend to not make hyperbolic statements.

Whether you think that giant piles of plastic garbage are rapidly killing off marine life, which in turn is having a negative impact on the food chain to which we are directly linked, or if you think that a little garbage is floating in the ocean, doesn't it make sense to pay attention to how many plastic bags you are using?

I am constantly amazed that the default mode for cashiers is to put everything in a bag.  If I carry two small items from the shelf to the cash register, then why do they need to go in a bag?  It's a waste. 

Jamie McEwan: An Accidental Olympian

http://youtu.be/Dv9DUvGVYuQ

Westbrook River Park

http://184.154.226.19/~westbro7/

Southern Maine project in which the idea is to do more than put in a boring old fish ladder.


The fish ladder is great as it will allow upstream fish passage.  But, with the growing popularity of whitewater boating over the past couple of generations, several boaters have taken their love for playing with fast-moving water to school, earned engineering degrees, and become whitewater park designers.   These whitewater parks create structures which more closely mimic a natural river than the old-style fish ladders.  These improved fish ladder / whitewater parks have become very attractive to towns interested in renewing interest in forgotten river corridors, often resulting in great quality of life improvements for that town.

Whitewater park designers carefully consider the positive impact such restoration projects have on fish habitat.
http://www.boaterparks.com/Web%20fish%20report.pdf

Here is an example of Recreational Engineering and Planning's proposal in Michigan.
http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/systems_planning/Environment/hrimp/Documents/AnnArbor_final_conceptdesign.pdf

A project in CA is gaining ground because of the balanced plan that addresses the concerns of boaters, fishermen, environmentalists, and the general population of the town.
http://www.kernvilleriversidepark.com/PlanStreambed.htm

The Tulsa whitewater park project
http://tulsawhitewaterpark.com/faq/

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Wiki/stewardship:whitewater_parks

Vote for this image and be awesome

This is the link to the contest.  Enjoy the images.  Vote for mine if you find yourself compelled to help.
http://www.photocircle.org/contests/6/


All proceeds of this contest go to benefit The Freshwater Trust.

Colorado River a major economic attraction

"Among the study’s key findings, river-related recreation in the six-state region:

• Supports 234,000 jobs across Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming
• Produces $26 billion in economic output
• Generates $17.0 billion in retail sales
• Out performs regional farming revenues by 14.6% on average
• Contributes $3.2 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue annually
• Provides enough state and local tax revenues to fund over 29,000 teacher positions
• Creates $10.4 billion in annual earnings, salaries, and wages" 

source:
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/view/articleid/31374/

Navigation, not just for fish

This is an effort to raise awareness of a simple concept:
If a fish ladder must be installed
Then why not one that acts more like a natural river?
It looks better.
It creates recreational opportunities in the local community.
It is safer.
Whitewater park engineers are the ones who know how to do this.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/a-passageway-for-fish-why-not-for-kayakers__2012-05-01.html

Repost the above link to your Facebook, Google+, or any forums in which you participate.  Local people are trying to make the plans for an ugly concrete fish ladder into something more sensible.  This will benefit ww boaters.  This will benefit fish.  This will benefit the local community far beyond boaters and fishermen.

Here is a link to a study re: fish stream habitat and ww parks.  You'll see the careful attention that ww park engineers give fish habitat,  and how much better ww features are vs. typical concrete steps.
http://www.boaterparks.com/Web%20fish%20report.pdf