(Links and other information are historical in nature and may no
longer be correct. Products referenced in the archives may no longer
be available. References to products on sale do not apply.) |
o Seventy-five environmental groups around the country announced today that they will mount a petition campaign to reinstate the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule overturned by the Bush administration in one of its most controversial environmental decisions. Among the first citizens who have lined up to file a petition is Rebecca Giddens, a 2004 Olympic silver medalist kayaker. "National Forests are an important part of my lifestyle and I'm concerned our pristine forests and the unique recreational opportunities they provide are at risk," said Giddens, who trained for the 2004 Summer Games on California's famed Kern River, which runs through thousands of acres of roadless areas on the Sequoia National Forest. More. o Hurricane Katrina’s tragic impacts were greatly worsened by our efforts to "control" rivers and fill wetlands. The Mississippi’s hundreds of large dams and thousands of miles of levees have almost eliminated flows of sediment needed to replenish coastal wetlands, making Louisiana – which has lost 1.2 million acres of coastal lands since the 1930s – much more vulnerable to storm surges. Damage from floods in the U.S. – and around the world – has gone up dramatically over the past six decades despite huge investments in flood–control infrastructure. Global warming is likely to worsen the situation by raising sea levels and increasing the frequency and intensity of severe storms. More. o Twice over the last 10 years, the federal government has released massive floods into the Grand Canyon. The floods were intended to restore sandbars, or beaches that have been disappearing since the Colorado River was dammed in the 1960s. Now, scientists are trying to figure out if the effort was worth it. More from NPR . o California is blessed with some of the most beautiful and diverse rivers in the world. From the steep creeks of the high Sierra to the broad and powerful rivers of the Central Valley, each river tells a personal story and provides a unique experience to the visitor. More. Splashes: Rolling - AW Safety Code - River Quotes - Foamies - Water Art |
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Important information about River Notes.
NOAA released its initial Winter Outlook yesterday. The outlook won't be much help to those trying to divine the magnitude of the Southern Sierra snowpack this season, prescribing neither wet, dry or normal precipitation for California this Winter. The reason: NOAA does not expect La Niña and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to play a role in this Winter's forecast.
But... there is little agreement among ENSO forecasts and certainly no consensus regarding equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) a few months from now. At the moment equatorial SSTs are somewhat similar to the those observed in the Fall of 2003. Forecasts range from the warm scenario of the Scripps/MPI forecast to the cool prediction of the POAMA forecast from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Other forecasts are about equally divided between gradations of warm and cool. Given the current equatorial SSTs, forecasts, and analysis, the conservative prediction would be for an average Kern snowpack this season. But if SST anomalies increase we could see another above average snowpack. We'll see!
Speaking of which -- recent runs of the GFS and ECMWF computer models have been forecasting that a trough moving into Northern California over the weekend, may cut off into an upper low and result in some showers in Southern California early next week.
Looking to do some Fall paddling? The flows on the Lower Kern, Kern below Democrat, and Kern below Rio Bravo are the best they have been in years. According to SCE, as a result of tunnel maintenance, no water is being diverted at Democrat Dam. This increases the "usual" flow between Democrat Dam and the KR1 powerplant by about 400 cfs and should extend the season on that reach. This afternoon at 2:00 the SCE flow phone reported the flow below Democrat Dam at 1151 cfs.
Officials "discouraged" boating on the Kern Below Democrat Dam before 1995. Keith Beck, with boating partners Phil Martin and Glen Troness, began probing the Kern below Democrat in the early eighties, and by around 1984 had done most of it, including the stretch below the KR1 powerhouse. Others, including Mark Richey, were running some sections of the KBD at about the same time. The class IV-V run now known as the Richbar Run was done from time to time by local boaters and visiting dignitaries such as Lars Holbeck.
In the Fall of 1995, as a result the FERC relicensing of KR1 powerhouse, the AWA initiated a whitewater flow study by WRC Environmental. Coincident with the flow study and rediscovery of this "new" whitewater resource, kayaker Rocky Contos ran most of the rapids from Democrat Dam to the mouth of Kern Canyon. Rocky's accounts of running the Cataracts thrilled everyone reading his rec.boats.paddle newsgroup postings. Some of the more exciting stories were included in an article about the Cataracts in the March-April, 1996, AWA Journal, written by Richard Penny, with Rocky Contos and Keith Beck.
Much has changed in kayaking since 1995, but the Kern Below Democrat remains a somewhat enigmatic and inscrutable section of river. The long boating season of 2004-2005 has renewed interest in the Cataracts and recently Brett Valle (boof.com) got together with Eric Giddens (Olympic kayaker) and JD Batove (Bakersfield class V boater) and did a few runs on the KBD. You can read Brett's impressions in his calrios blog, and Eric's in his Kern Cadillacs and Cataracts Trip Report (PDF, 658K). Today's RiverPhoto is a shot by Eric Giddens of JD on Triple Falls with an in-channel flow of about 1400 cfs.
Hey, did you see the shot of Sierra South in the July/August 2005 issue of Paddler? That's the Sierra South Kernville store at the top of the Road Trip: Paddler to the People article!
The Sierra Cup Slalom Series started with the with the T.J. Slalom at the Kern River Festival in April, and ended last weekend with the Mokelumne River Races. More than 150 paddlers competed in at least one Series race. The races in the Sierra Cup Series are fun, low-key events, generally on class II whitewater. The courses are usually set so that most of the racers, even novice racers, can make most of the gates. Plastic boats are common, and you can practice the course the day before the race. This year's Sierra Cup point tally resulted in a photo finish, with Gary Valle and Jessica Subido only a fraction of a point apart. Six of the top 10 paddlers -- Jessica Subido, Sara Perales, Jennifer Scarborough, Stein Beals, Nick Wilkening, and Joseph Dunwoody -- are in their teens. For all the results, see the Sierra Cup Final Standings (Adobe PDF).
Retire that bleached out PFD, worn down paddle, and behemoth kayak and get into something new! Why not advertise your current boat for sale on our web site in our consignment Used Boat Barn? Call us at 800-376-7303 for more info! Looking for a boat? Check out the recreational. touring and whitewater kayaks (and rafts) in our Boat Barns.
Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data, based on reports from the Corps of Engineers (COE) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Click on "Current" to get the latest COE info. For SCE flow information, call the flow phone at 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE, the flow phone values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty.
Upper Kern |
Lower Kern |
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| Above Fairview* | Below Fairview* | At Kernville | Lake Isabella | Below Democrat Dam* | |||||
| Date & Time | Flow (cfs) | Flow (cfs) | Stage | Flow (cfs) | Total Outflow | to River | to Borel Canal | Storage (acre-feet) |
Flow (cfs) |
| 13OCT2005 1400 | 302 | 91 | 4.76 | 293 | 1106 | 558 | 548 | 281565 | 1151 |
| Kern Flow Info | Current | 5 Day Plot | 10 Day Plot | Month | WY '05 | WY '04 | WY '03 | WY '02 | WY '01 |
| Weather | NWS | NWS Zones | CNN | Washington Post | Satellite | Radar | Kernville RAWS | RAWS Archive | |
| *Flow values from SCE Flow Phone. For current information call 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE the flow values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty. | |||||||||
More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.
