Rough surf halts dolphin rescue off Pensacola Beach

 

While a NOAA-led dolphin rescue operation waits for better water conditions to resume, the agency along with Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Network have launched a "don't feed dolphins" campaign.

Sea World and a number of other marine mammal agencies tried to mount a rescue operation Wednesday to remove fishing line and gear from a juvenile bottlenose dolphin that has been hanging out at the Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier.

Strong winds and rough waves, however, halted the rescue led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"The weather did not cooperate," said Blair Mase, NOAA Southeast regional marine mammal stranding coordinator. "It was not ...more

A history lesson on Gauley Season

 

FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — There’s been plenty of response to my piece earlier this week regarding gripes about Gauley Season. Some anglers who enjoy Summersville Lake for fall fishing groused about the annual drawdown in September.  They believe the drop of the level so early, as opposed to other West Virginia lakes where the winter drawdown happens later, kills good fishing. 

However, Dave Arnold at Adventures on the Gorge reminded me the early drawdown wasn’t created to benefit the whitewater rafting industry. The drawdown pre-dates Gauley Season and even pre-dates the whitewater industry.

Since the lake and dam were dedicated in 1966, with then first lady Ladybird Johnson on hand for the ribbon cutting, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has prescribed the early drawdown as measure of pollution abatement and preservation of aquatic life downstream.  Although much cleaner now, the Kanawha River was lined with chemical plants and raw sewage discharges in 1966. The early water release was aimed at mitigating the level of pollution on the Kanawha and reducing the chance of a massive fish ...more

Whitewater boaters flock to Tieton River flip-flop

WATERSPORTS — Whitewater enthusiasts are expecting a warm welcome from Washington's Tieton River along US 12 west of Yakima this weekend.
A large gathering of rafters and kayakers — private and commercial — is gearing up from across the region to take advantage of the annual “flip-flop.”
The annual September release of water that's been warming all summer in Rimrock Lake has begun in order to feed water to downstream crop irrigation needs as well as to boost salmon spawning.
The “flip-flop” term comes from the fact that the increased water down the Tieton helps make up for the reduction of flows in the Yakima River.
The result is an opportunity for ...more

Grand Rapids Whitewater leaders to unveil economic impact of restoring the rapids downtown

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Restoring the rapids to the Grand River as it flows through downtown will be expensive, costing about $30 million or more, according estimates put together by Grand Rapids Whitewater.
But will it be worth it?
A study by the Anderson Economic Group to be released Monday, Sept. 8, suggests the economic benefits will be there, according to Chris Muller and Chip Richards, the co-founders of the Grand Rapids Whitewater project.
“It sets out exactly what we had hoped,” said Muller in an interview with MLive and The Grand Rapids Press prior to the ...more

Hundreds paddle board to support HEAL

 

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Not everyone on the First Coast was at the beach working on their tan this Labor Day.

About 200 people participated in the third annual Great Ponte Vedra Paddle at Mickler's Landing in Ponte Vedra Beach.

It's a fundraiser for HEAL, Healing Every Autistic Life, which supports local children and individuals living with autism and their families.

Related: HEAL Foundation help families with autism

"Stand-up paddle boarding has become the biggest water sport all over the country. So, it's a different type of event," said the ...more

James Windsor repeats victory at the Red Bull Harbour Reach 2014

 

The Australian wakeboarder secured a back-to-back victory in British waters, in front of more than 10,000 people. The Red Bull Harbour Reach is the biggest wakeboarding event in the United Kingdom.

Windsor impressed the judges with an arsenal of incredible tricks thrown, and a flawless performance at the 100ft Pool Gap. Oli Derome and Brenton Priestley could only settle with a runner-up and third place.

"I'm so happy to win Red Bull Harbour Reach again and it's a great ...more

Colorado River at Gore Canyon is the stuff dreams are made of

 

Editor's note: Third of a four-part series focusing on some of Colorado's best wilderness areas and the conservation efforts to maintain them against potential threats.
GRAND COUNTY — From above and below, it's easy to imagine how the rapids known as "Fisherman's Nightmare" got their nickname.
The chaotic jumble of rocks and water (also known as "Applesauce") that serves as sentinel to the Colorado River's Gore Canyon drops precipitously from the placid, pastoral flats surrounding the Blue River confluence at Kremmling and marks the start of the steepest and most technically challenging whitewater of the entire Colorado River. An unwary angler drifting into the Class V canyon can expect a frightening wake-up call.
Beneath soaring cliffs up to 1,000 feet tall, the river's gradient shifts radically from a flatwater nature float to an adrenaline-soaked plummet of some 115 feet per mile over the next 4 miles.
It's a little-known secret that the remote ravine shrouds some of finest fishing along the Upper Colorado, since access is largely limited to ...more