Policy Issues Archive

Support the Public Lands Pledge – 2019 

Support the protection of our most treasured paddling resources by joining alongside other outdoor adventurers in the #publiclandspledge. Represent the paddling community, and help the Outdoor Alliance collect 10,000 signatures and stories about why public lands matter. These stories will be shared with decision makers in early 2020 to continue building bipartisan support for public lands protections.

• Sign the Public Lands Pledge

 Speak Up for Climate Solutions – 2019

Celebrate Earth Day with the ACA. Join alongside other paddlers and outdoor adventurers to voice your concern for climate change, and demonstrate to lawmakers that climate change is an important issue in the paddling community. Click the link below to join the campaign.

• Speak Up for Climate Solutions

Paddle Clean Water – 2019

The ACA helped draft a joint letter through our partnership with the Outdoor Alliance to urge the EPA to protect the waterways on which our members recreate, explore, and compete by rejecting the Proposed Rule revising the definition of Waters of the United States (“WOTUS”) that fall within the protections of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”). Please read the full letter below.

• Letter to EPA per “WOTUS” (PDF)
• Center for Disease Control Recreational Water Illnesses
• EPA – Health Effects of Cyanobacteria

Protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from Oil and Gas Leasing – 2019

The ACA recently submitted an official public comment to the BLM voicing strong opposition to any oil and gas leasing in the Arctic Refuge. Since the Tax Act of 2017 legally requires oil and gas leasing in the Arctic Refuge, the ACA advocated for the most temporally restrictive leasing plan, with amendments that permit paddling recreation.

• Official Public Comment Letter to BLM (PDF)
• Leasing Alternative B (map)
• Leasing Alternative C (map)
• Leasing Alternative D1 (map)
• Leasing Alternative D2 (map)
• Tax Act 2017, see Section 20001, pp. 182-184 (PDF)

Protect Rivers through Historic Public Lands Package – 2019

The ACA sent a letter to members asking for comment on a historic public lands package that will provided protections for paddling resources across the United States, including designations of Wild and Scenic Rivers in Oregon, and protection of headwaters in the Methow Valley, Washington from hardrock mining.

• Letter to Members on Public Lands Package (PDF)

Save the Boundary Waters and Stop Hardrock Mining Leases – 2019

The ACA submitted an official public comment to the Bureau of Land Management voicing significant concern about the Interior’s recent lease renewals for hardrock mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness. Please read our official letter to the BLM, and examine the impact map of potential pollution from the mines.

• Official Public Comment to BLM (PDF)
• Impact Map of Acid Mine Drainage (PDF)

 ACA Attends Outdoor Alliance Summit – 2018

The ACA recently attended the Outdoor Alliance Summit. The ACA is a founding member of the Outdoor Alliance, and works alongside other human powered enthusiast groups to protect the human powered recreational experience and to conserve public lands. The Summit focused on key issues facing public lands and strategies to position shared interests. Read below for the full story.

• Letter to ACA members on OA Summit (PDF)

Paddlers Deserve a Seat at the Table – 2018

43% of paddling occurs on public lands. Recently, the Department of the Interior issued new instructions that speeds up the process for industry to lay claim to public land while doing away with the public process through the elimination of Master Leasing Plans, which gave stakeholders equal weight in deciding how public lands should be managed. Energy companies will be able to bid (as little as $2 an acre) for control of public lands through oil and gas leases that will outlast the current administration. There is no clear way for paddlers to protest these new rules. Read below for the full story.

• Letter to ACA members (PDF)

President Trump Announces Drastic Reductions to Utah Monuments: What the Rollbacks Mean – 2017

The ACA stands in partnership with other organizations in opposition to the recent announcement to roll back national monument protections for Bear’s Ear, Grand Staircase and several other important national monuments. This is a historic attack on public lands as what was once considered permanent protections.

• ACA statement opposing national monuments rollbacks (PDF)

Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill – 2017

The ACA has joined with 80 other organizations to oppose multiple facets of this House bill. Among approximately 30 anti-environmental riders in this legislation, there are provisions that would undermine the country’s efforts to address climate change and protect our clean air and water, weaken land conservation, undermine farmworker protections, undercut endangered species and public health protections.

• Opposition to this bill (PDF)

Self-Sufficient Community Lands Act and the State National Forest Management Act of 2015

H.R. 2316 and H.R. 3650 both propose to turn over wide swaths of National Forest System land to management by advisory committees appointed by state governors or to the states. These proposals would undermine collaborative Forest Planning efforts, circumvent established processes for public input and review like the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, and take lands, in practice, out of multiple-use management in favor of timber development to the detriment of recreational and ecological values, as well as science based management.

• Opposition to these bills in 2016 (PDF)

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is one of the most important tools we have to conserve public lands and improve recreation. It’s set to expire in Fall 2015, and we’re urging lawmakers to permanently renew it. The ACA continues to advocate for full funding of the LWCF through permanent appropriations.  The ACA is working with the LWCF Coalition to urge the Senate to take action.  As far back as the fall of 2010, the ACA organized local human-powered recreation organizations from California, Minnesota and Montana to communicate their support directly to their respective Senators.

The ACA applauds the 2011 America’s Great Outdoors Report to the President calling for full funding of the LWCF.

• Action Letters: 2016 (PDF / House Speaker)
• Letters of Support: 2015 (House / Senate)

USGS Streamgage Support – 2016

In conjunction with the Interstate Council on Water Policy, the ACA supported an initiative on the importance of the National Streamflow Network and surface water data collection efforts of the U.S. Geological Survey.

• Letters of Support (House / Senate)

No Child Left Inside Act of 2015

ACA and Outdoors Alliance for Kids signed a letter thanking Senators Mark Kirk and Jack Reed and Representatives Mike Fitzpatrick and John Sarbanes for their leadership involving the No Child Left Inside Act. This bill will encourage the integration of outdoor learning into regular school curriculum, provide grants to school districts, and support teacher training.

• Congressional Thank You Letter (PDF)

“Every Kid in a Park” Initiative

ACA joined 47 other members of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids to thank President Obama for his “Every Kid in a Park” initiative, which waves entrance fees to public lands for fourth graders and their families during the 2015-2016 school year.

• Presidential Thank You Letter (PDF)

Fire Suppression Funding Solutions – 2014

The Partner Caucus on Fire Suppression Funding Solutions believes that the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, S. 1875 and H.R. 3992, offers a promising approach to managing emergency wildfire suppression costs without impacting other priority programs within the responsible agencies. This bill would fund a portion of the USFS and DOI wildfire suppression costs through a budget cap adjustment similar to the budget cap adjustment currently in use by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

• Congressional Letter (PDF)

21 Century Conservation Service Corps – 2014

The ACA, a member of the Outdoor Alliance for Kids, signed on to express support for the development of the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps, and to urge the President to make 21CSC a highlighted Presidential priority.

• Office of Social Innovation & Civic Participation Letter (PDF)

Protecting Oceans – 2013

The ACA along with businesses, and groups concerned with the future of our oceans and coastal resources urged congerees of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to protect our oceans and coasts by supporting the National Endowment for the Oceans (NEO) and opposing any effort to undermine the National Ocean Policy.

• WRDA Letter (PDF)

Kids on the Mall – 2013

The ACA staff and Board President Anne Maleady joined Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell Wednesday June 26, 2013 walking, talking and having fun with 100 local youth at the “Kids, Youth and the Great Outdoors Festival” on the National Mall. Part of Great Outdoors America Week, Secretary Jewell was joined by White House Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, The Wilderness Society President Jaime Williams, and members of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids.

Outdoor Alliance Action Alert on Grand Canyon: The Outdoor Alliance, of which ACA is a supporting member, has put out an action alert regarding a proposal to build a tram to the bottom of the Canyon and create a large recreational development there.  The ACA strongly agrees with OA and promoted the alert on all of our social media platforms: Stop the Development.

Creation of Office of Outdoor Recreation (OREC) for California: On behalf of the Outdoor Industry Association, PeopleForBikes, the undersigned organizations and our members and supporters, we are writing to support your Assembly Bill 907 and the efforts to create an Office of Outdoor Recreation (OREC) for California. We greatly appreciate your dedication to protecting parks and public spaces and making them available for public use and recreation. Creating a new Office of Outdoor Recreation is important to supporting and growing businesses in the outdoor industry that make California their home. Read our letter of support.

San Gabriel National Monument Designation – 2014: In conjunction with the Outdoor Alliance, the ACA has supported the designation of the San Gabriel Mountains as a National Monument. Additionally, the ACA has encouraged the nomination of the San Gabriel River and its forks, San Antonio Creek, the Middle Fork of Lytle Creek, and Little Rock Creek as a National Wild and Scenic River. Read our letter of support.

Colorado Roadless Rule – 2012: Working with the Outdoor Alliance and the Outdoor Industry Association, the ACA submitted comments pertaining to the State of Colorado’s draft rule to the U.S. Forest Service.  Colorado has over 4 million acres of National Forest and this rule would have a significant impact on all forms of human-powered recreation.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals denied a state of Wyoming and Colorado Mining Association petition on February 16, 2012, that sought to overturn the 2001 National Forest roadless rule. The ruling reaffirmed a three-judge decision issued on Oct. 21, 2011, that upheld the roadless rule, passed under former President Bill Clinton, which prohibits development on nearly 60 million acres. “The Obama administration will decide next month between the state rule and a legally buttressed national rule. The state rule would restrict road-building and tree-cutting on about 4.2 million acres. The national rule bans roads on 4.4 million acres of the 14.5 million acres of national forest in Colorado.

• Department of Agriculture / Forest Service Letters: (July 2011 / Nov 2011)
• Recommended Upper Tier Areas

ACA Supports Strengthening Protections for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary – 2020: The ACA signed on to a National Marine Sanctuaries letter urging NOAA to strengthen protections for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The ACA urged Florida members to personally sign-on to the letter to voice their support. Read the full letter from the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation.

Florida’s HB 1103: Redefining the “Ordinary High Water Line” – 2012: The ACA recently opposed Florida’s HB 1103,  which would redefine the present “Ordinary High Water Line.” Redefining the high water line would result in huge transfers of publicly owned land along the State’s rivers, lakes and streams into private ownership, amounting to the loss of thousands of acres of land that now belong to the people of Florida and the many paddlers and anglers who enjoy those waters. ACA opposition was presented to the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee members on January 17, 2012, by Eric Draper, President of the Florida Audubon Society. It was voted favorably and passed on in a 9-4 vote. The bill now resides in the Civil Justice Subcommittee of the House (and it’s sister bill in the Senate SC 1362 has yet to be voted on).

“Again, thanks to all the paddlers, air boaters, waterfowl hunters, fishers and birdwatchers who raised their voices this week to defend our rights to get on the water and use and preserve the wet part of the freshwater shore. We were especially grateful to the American Canoe Association for engaging on this important issue.” — Audubon Society of Florida. Read the Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee Letter.

Chattooga River: For years, the ACA has partnered with local paddlers and other organizations to remove the ban on paddling the upper sections of the Wild and Scenic Chattooga River on the Georgia / South Carolina border. Along with AW, the ACA sued the U.S. Forest Service seeking to overturn a 2009 rule continuing the boating ban.

On December 2, 2010 a judge in South Carolina issued a decision that rejected the USFS’s motion to dismiss the case. This will allow the case to move forward and AW and ACA will have the opportunity to present evidence of why the ban is unjustified. Both ACA Executive Director Wade Blackwood and AW Executive Director Mark Singleton attended the hearing in South Carolina. “The paddlers had their day in court, presented a strong case, which hopefully will set a good precedent for the future.” – Respectfully submitted by ACA Board member Sam Fowlkes.

In August of 2011, the ACA signed a letter to the United States Forest Service opposing the environmental assessment (EA) of the titled “Managing Recreation Uses in the Upper Segment of the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River Corridor.” The EA violates many basic laws, regulations, and policies regarding land and resource management, and “transparently aims to reach a predetermined goal of limiting paddling.” We will continue to work with AW to try to bring equity to the recreational use of the Chattooga and open its waters to boaters. Learn more about the ACA’s role in the ongoing access issues for the Chattooga River.

Whitewater Park for Waterloo, Iowa: According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, “communities around Iowa have embraced the idea that replacing high maintenance and failing dams with lower-cost, safer alternatives can also be great for the river and fishing, while better serving recreational needs of today’s Iowans.” One dam targeted for modification is the Park Ave. dam on the Cedar River in Waterloo. The ACA Stewardship Department sent a letter to the Mayor and City Council supporting plans to modify a section of this dam to lessen the hazard of drowning in the backflow plus create a whitewater park similar to others in the state. These parks have proven to benefit paddlers, anglers, tubers and local businesses such as liveries and restaurants. Read the City of Waterloo Letter.

East Branch of the Little Calumet River – NPS Environmental Assessment – 2014: The purpose of this letter is to express the ACA’s support of opening the Little Calumet River East Branch, a tributary to Lake Michigan, to paddling, and the development of a National Water Trail on the East Branch of the Little Calumet River. Read the NPS Letter.

In 2019, after many years of hard work and collaboration, the ACA celebrated the designation of the first National Marine Sanctuary in over twenty years. Mallows Bay is a collection of a ghost fleet of over 100 wooden World War I steamships. It is a haven for wildlife and paddlers, just a short drive from Washington D.C. Visit Mallows Bay-Potomac National Marine Sanctuaries to learn more.

On behalf of over 30,000 paddlesports enthusiasts across the country, whitewater kayakers, canoeists, and stand-up paddleboarders, ACA wrote to the Bureau of Land Management to express great concern with the BLM’s stated intent to renew two expired hard rock mineral leases in the headwaters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (Boundary Waters).

• ACA BLM Comment Letter
• ACA Sign-On to The Wilderness Society letter

Niobrara River Water Flow – 2016: The Niobrara River, over 500 miles long, runs through Wyoming and Nebraska. A seventy-six-mile section of the river, in central Nebraska, has been designated a National Scenic River. At the request of Jordan Messerer, ACA State Director for Nebraska, the ACA Stewardship Department wrote a letter to Nebraska’s Department of Natural Resources in support of allowing the Nebraska DNR and Natural Resource Districts to manage local water use to assure flow in the Niobrara sufficient to preserve and sustain the wildlife and recreational use of Nebraska’s premier recreation river. Click to read the Nebraska DNR Letter.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is one of the most important tools we have to conserve public lands and improve recreation. The ACA continues to advocate for full funding of the LWCF through permanent appropriations. Read the Action Letter to NJ Newspapers from 2016.

Stream Access – 2020: Stream access issues are heating up again in New Mexico. In late November, 2019, the Attorney General directed the Fish and Game Commission to rescind the 2017 rule that essentially made it legal for private landowners to block paddling access on public waters. In early 2020, there will be an opportunity to repeal and replace this rule with something that honors the New Mexico Constitution and the right of the public to access New Mexico’s waters.

Stream Access – 2018: The stream access issue in New Mexico continues. New Mexico State Director, Robert Levin, was recently interviewed by Guardian reporter, Cassidy Randall. Who Owns Water? U.S. Landowners Putting Barbed Wire Across Rivers.

Policy Updates – 2018: Three important policy issues were causing grave concern among the New Mexican paddling community. The Department of the Interior recommended proclamation changes to Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, the Gila Wilderness was threatened by an Air Force proposal to pursue jet-fighter training in the skies above the wilderness, through which the Gila River flows. The Gila River remained subject to water infrastructure development projects, and finally, the Department of Fish and Game pushed a piece of last-minute legislation at the end of 2017 that threatened paddlers’ legal rights to access public streams. Read the New Mexico Policy Update.

New Mexico Stream Access Coalition – 2016: For the past 50 years, New Mexicans have slowly been shut out of some sections of the streams and rivers that are rightfully theirs to recreate on. Prior law stated that the streams and rivers of New Mexico were open for fishing and boating. But with the signing of the Steam Access Bill into law, the governor officially closed some sections of the public waters open for recreation. The ACA supports the New Mexico Stream Access Coalition and their petition to Governor Martinez to repeal the Stream Access Bill.

• Stream Access Bill
• Coalition

Proposed Amendments for Stream Access – 2015: 2015 New Mexico Senate Bill 226 proposes amending section 17-4-7 New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978, which would redefine the ownership of New Mexico stream beds and restrict public access to these resources. ACA contacted New Mexico Senators to express our opposition to this bill.

Support for Proposed No-Wake Zone on the Catawba River – 2015: The proposed no-wake zone on the Catawba River has been a subject of contention between paddlers and power boaters in North Carolina. ACA has commented on the issue, urging the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to establish the no-wake zone, allowing North Carolina boaters to safely access public waters. Read the NCWRC Letter.

Nantahala River Access – 2010: The Wayah Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service recently approved a Temporary Use Permit program for the Nantahala River.  However, since a limited number of permits are only available Monday through Thursday during the summer, this fails to meet the needs of camps and clubs. Read the ACA – AW Joint Letter.

Tuckaseegee River – Dam Removal: Thanks to the ongoing commitment of several ACA volunteers, American Whitewater and several other user groups, the dam on the Tuckaseegee River in Dillsboro, NC has finally been removed. After almost 10 years of red tape, Duke Energy was finally able to begin the removal process. This is one key component of the larger plan dealing with the relicensing of the dams on the Tuckaseegee and Nantahala Rivers.  Part of the agreement calls for improvements to river access and new flow releases. For those paddlers accustomed to floating the section upstream of the former dam site, please note that a new set of rapids have now formed and take the appropriate precautions.

Special thanks to ACA members who were integral throughout this entire process:

• Sam Fowlkes
• Justin Padgett
• Burt Kornegay

The ACA wrote a letter of support to the National Park Service for the creation of the Cuyahoga River Water Trails Network.

Investing in Oregon’s Recreation Industry – 2017: HB 3350 creates an Office of Outdoor Recreation within the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and forms an Advisory Council of industry members to provide input on topics impacting the outdoor recreation industry in Oregon. Outdoor Industry Association and the coalition of Oregon businesses, nonprofits and programs whose names appear at the bottom of this letter are writing to express our support for this idea and convey the absolute need for this new office. Read the House Committee on Economic Development and Trade statement.

For the past 4 plus years, local ACA members have provided the Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB) with valuable guidance on a range of non-motorized boating issues:

• Oregon Non-Motorized Project Website
• Participation & Priorities

Allow Shorter Rafts on Lower Youghiogheny – 2017: Rafts under 15′ long are not currently permitted to run the Lower Yough. However, raft design has advanced since that regulations was written. The ACA, along with American Whitewater, have requested that Ohiopyle State Park and the PA DCNR modify its regulations so that self-bailing rafts shorter than 15′ may run that section. Here is the letter to Bureau of State Parks.

Modify Bucks County Parks Watercraft Regulations – 2017: Bucks County Parks Watercraft Regulations limit kayaks to 16′.  This precludes many sea kayaks, tandems and surf skis.  The ACA requested that Parks and Recreation modify their regulations. Here is the letter to Bucks County Parks.

Lackawaxen River Access – 2010: The ACA is assisting local paddlers in the Upper Delaware region with their efforts to restore access to the Lackawaxen River in northeast Pennsylvania. This is a valuable whitewater resource and we hope our combined efforts will assist the PA Fish and Boat Commission in reestablishing access.

Potential Loss of Public Lands – 2016: It is essential to the membership of the ACA that public lands stay public. We are deeply concerned by the growing interest in transferring public lands to states, where they are more likely to be inappropriately developed or sold off, ending recreational access.  Once gone, they are gone forever.

We understand that the House Natural Resources Committee will soon vote to remove an extremely concerning provision from the “Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act” that would transfer a portion of the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge to the government of Puerto Rico. Read this Puerto Rico Letter.

Chattooga River: The ACA partnered with local paddlers and other organizations to remove the ban on paddling the upper sections of the Wild and Scenic Chattooga River on the Georgia/South Carolina border. The ACA jointly sued the U.S. Forest Service in an attempt to overturn a 2009 rule that marinated a paddling ban. On December 2, 2010 a judge in South Carolina issued a decision that rejected the USFS’s motion to dismiss the case. This will allow the case to move forward and AW and ACA will have the opportunity to present evidence of why the ban is unjustified. Both ACA Executive Director Wade Blackwood and AW Executive Director Mark Singleton attended the hearing in South Carolina.

“The paddlers had their day in court, and presented a strong case, which hopefully will set a good precedent for the future.” – Respectfully submitted by ACA Board member Sam Fowlkes.

In August of 2011, the ACA signed a letter to the United States Forest Service opposing the environmental assessment (EA) of the titled “Managing Recreation Uses in the Upper Segment of the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River Corridor.” The EA violates many basic laws, regulations, and policies regarding land and resource management, and “transparently aims to reach a predetermined goal of limiting paddling.” We will continue to work with AW to try to bring equity to the recreational use of the Chattooga and open its waters to boaters. Learn more about the ACA’s role in the ongoing access issues for the Chattooga River.

Opposing Waste Water on the Edisto River – 2012: The ACA has been working in conjunction with the South Carolina Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Friends of the Edisto, and the Palmetto Paddlers to oppose an agreement between Saluda County Water and Sewer Authority (SCWSA) and the town of Batesburg-Leesville (BL) that would allow for an additional 1 million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater be transferred to the BL Wastewater Treatment Plant and discharged into Duncan Creek, a tributary of the Edisto River. Combined with the current discharge rates, this additional 1 MGD would exceed the permitted discharge capacity of the plant in during the wet season, making the Edisto vulnerable to raw sewage in times of overflow. The Edisto, reported to be the longest free-flowing blackwater river in the United States, is an iconic river of the South Carolina Lowcountry, both unique for its ecological traits and it recreational value. Combining with the Ashepoo and Combahee, the Edisto forms the ACE Basin, one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the east coast of the United States and stands as a prime model for cooperation in conservation through the ACE Basin Project. The BL-SCWSA agreement jeopardizes both the ecology and recreational values that make the Edisto such a valuable river system. Read the Batesburg-Leesville Council Letter.

The ACA held a historic summit on the banks of the Nolichucky River in October, 2019. All five major paddling clubs in the state met for the first time to discuss key policy issues affecting paddlers. Read below for the full letter sent to Tennessee members. Official Letter to TN Members and Official Letter to Legislators – Support the Nolichucky Wild and Scenic

In 2019, The ACA provided testimony to the TN State Legislature on the proposed rule-making process pertaining to commercial outfitters, and sent a letter to Tennessee members to provide an update on SB665 and Amendment No.1. Please read our full letter below. Link to Official Letter to TN Members

ACA Submits Official Public Comment to TWRA on Proposed Commercial Outfitting Rules – December 2018: The ACA submitted an official public comment on behalf of ACA members to the Assistant Director of the TWRA, Chris Richardson, and the thirteen Tennessee Wildlife Federation Commissioners. The proposed rules are potentially precedent setting rules that impact the economic livelihood of the commercial outfitting and livery industries on Tennessee waters. Official Public Comment.

ACA Requests Member Inclusion on TWRA Rule Making Advisory Board – September 2018:Recently, the Tennessee legislature granted the Tennessee Wildlife and Recreation Agency (TWRA) authority, under § 69-9-227 [SB1135/HB0785], to enact rules to regulate permitting and fee collection for commercial paddle craft operations. The ACA requested that the TWRA carefully consider which rivers are presenting the most common commercially related paddling conflicts, and to ensure that any Advisory Board include ACA members to provide input on any proposed fee collection requirements and mitigation. Read the full letter.

River Throw Bag in Lieu of Type IV PFD – 2017

• Utah’s Administrative Code
• River Runners for Wilderness Letter
• ACA Policy Support Letter

ACA Supports Utah House Bill 37 – Protecting Public Water & Property Rights – 2014: This bill helps restore historical public uses of streams that are capable of floating cut timber or that can be navigated by recreational boats during ordinary high water. It allows wading, walking and fishing in the stream corridor below the ordinary high water mark.

HB37, which is modeled after the laws of Idaho, is being sponsored by Rep. Dixon Pitcher of Ogden, Utah.  If passed by the House and Senate, and signed into law by the Governor, HB37 will replace the current law which curtailed public recreational activities on and in those streams and rivers that traverse privately owned beds. It will remove the threat of criminal trespass citations for water recreationists who touch privately owned streambeds without written permission to do so, and will allow the public to once again use and enjoy its resource – the public waters of Utah.

ACA Continues to Support the Establishment of the Mallows Bay National Marine Sanctuary – 2019: ACA, alongside the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, officially signed on to a letter to Governor Hogan, Senator Van Hollen, Senator Cardin, Representative Hoyer, and Admiral Gallaudet to voice our continued strong support for the establishment of the Mallows Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Temporary and Sporadic Closures at Riley’s Lock – Potomac River – 2017: The ACA offers the following official statement concerning the temporary and sporadic closures at Riley’s Lock on the Potomac River per the establishment of the temporary security zone by the United States Coast Guard to protect the Executive Branch.

• Letter to Congressmen Elijah Cummings
• Letter to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network Reauthorization Act of 2017: The ACA urges Congress to renew the Gateways program in FY 2018 so that communities across the Chesapeake Bay region can continue to create and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities and to connect all people with the Chesapeake Bay. Read the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Letter.

ACA Supports Proposed Mallows Bay – Potomac River (MBPR) National Marine Sanctuary – 2017: On March 27, the ACA sent an action alert to members in Maryland and Virginia.  This alert called on these members to voice their support of the proposed MBPR Sanctuary. Here is the letter to State of Virginia.

ACA Supports Virginia Senate Bill 629 – Freedom to Float – 2014: The ACA believes this bill is a smart approach to allow non-motorized vessels to use non-tidal rivers, streams, and creeks for the purpose of recreation. SB629 allows paddlers to float on drainage areas of at least seven square miles. These paddlers are not held liable for civil or criminal trespass for travel upon non-tidal rivers, streams, or creeks within this strict drainage area solely for recreation.

Supporting Climate Protection on Earth Day – 2013: On May 22, 2013 in Fredericksburg Virginia, where the ACA’s National Office is located, Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw helped celebrate Earth Day by signing the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The support for this agreement is significant because more than two-thirds of the American population currently live in cities which are disproportionately affected by global climate change. Over 1,060 mayors across the nation have signed the agreement. Under the Agreement, mayors of participating cities commit to take following three actions:

• Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns.
• Urge their state governments and the federal government to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol — 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012.
• Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation which would establish a national emission trading system. The United States Conference of Mayors supported the creation of the federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, providing for the first time, grants to cities, counties and states to fund energy-efficiency projects.

ACA Supports Hanford Reach National Monument: Newly designated Hanford Reach National Monument is part of the recent executive order to review all National Monuments created within the past twenty years. The ACA calls for Washington State members to express their support to Secretary of the Department of Interior Zinke to make sure Hanford Reach National Monument maintains intact. Learn more from the Hanford Reach National Monument Letter.

ACA and Outdoor Alliance support the designation of the Mountains to Sound Greenway as a National Heritage Area: The Mountains to Sound Greenway, which spans the state of Washington, includes spectacular resources for the human powered recreation community. The ACA and other members of the Outdoor Alliance strongly support the designation of this greenway as a National Heritage Area, and commend Senator Maria Cantwell and Congressman Dave Reichert for their efforts to pass National Heritage Area legislation for the Mountains to Sound Greenway. Here is the State of Washington Letter.