The Whitewater Wars

The Rafters and the River Trip that Saved the Ocoee & The Gauley River Battle

The Whitewater Wars is an entertaining and at times funny story about the twists and turns in battles with two federal agencies to save two iconic whitewater rivers -- the Ocoee River in Tennessee and the Gauley River in West Virginia. These were not conventional environmental battles. Living close to the edge at times with relatively little money, whitewater paddling pioneers in river shorts and sandals were seemingly no match against powerful federal agencies and their plans to install hydro projects on these two rivers. They were grossly underestimated. Marc Hunt was one of the first Ocoee paddlers and outfitters. This is what he has to say about The Whitewater Wars. "Successful advocacy efforts for the environment are always uphill battles and winning them requires leaders with vision, grit, and integrity. David Brown brought those qualities in spades to the efforts to save the Ocoee and Gauley Rivers. Anyone with passion for protecting America's rivers, and for that matter anyone who just enjoys hearing about political brawls with powerful federal bureaucracies, will the love the quick read that The Whitewater Wars delivers through David's gifted storytelling.