The majority of American Whitewater's project work depends on the contributions of our volunteers. With only 3 stewardship staff to cover the whole nation and over 5000 whitewater river reaches we have a lot of river miles to cover. We are lucky to have an engaged membership who takes local leadership on important projects. Bill is one of those volunteers.

Over the past few years Bill demonstrated local leadership in highlighting the opportunities that could be available for improved paddling on the North Fork Rogue on the reach that begins with the Avenue of the Giant Boulders. While paddlers across the nation were introduced to the challenging drops at the start of this reach by films produced by Ashland Mine Productions, Bill recognized that there were some great opportunities for those who were not necessarily looking to become the next video star. This includes a great section of class IV below the class V cascades with about a dozen distinct drops followed by some wonderful and scenic class III suitable for intermediates.

Bill did significant outreach to the local community, including some who knew this reach and others who had no idea that such a nice piece of river was in their backyards. Bill played a significant role in drafting comments to FERC on the need for improved whitewater recreation on this river and most importantly the need for public access. While FERC originally rejected AW's request for public access to the river at the powerhouse (that could provide year-around class III boating), they agreed to reconsider their decision following information collected by Bill. While we are still awaiting a final decision from FERC, we have made significant strides at this project and hope to work with PacifiCorp in providing enhanced opportunities for paddlers to enjoy this great river.

Because AW staff can't visit every river (although we'd like to!) we depend on volunteers like Bill who can provide the on-the-ground perspective that is so important in making a compelling case for public needs at hydropower projects. In recognizing Bill we thank all our volunteers who are essential to our stewardship work. We provide the technical support but it is volunteers like Bill who provide the local leadership.