After years of lobbying, whitewater paddlers won a major victory last month when the United States Forest Service agreed to open the upper reaches of the Chattooga River to paddling within two years.

A 21-mile stretch of the Chattooga River that tumbles off the Blue Ridge Escarpment south of Cashiers has been off-limits to paddlers since the river received its National Wild and Scenic designation 30 years ago. The ban was imposed by the National Forest Service, which controls the stretch of river through Sumter National Forest in South Carolina.

American Whitewater, a national organization that promotes paddling issues and river stewardship, appealed the ban one year ago. The appeal focused on legal, regulatory, ethical, and scientific arguments and sought to have whitewater boaters treated equally with other recreational users.

On April 28, the forest service ruled on the appeal, agreeing that there was no defensible justification for the boating ban.

The ruling requires local forest service officials to collaborate with the paddling community and other river users, such as fishermen, to study the recreational capacity of the area for the next two years and develop a new plan for the river. Paddling in some shape and form must be accommodated in the new recreational plan to “ensure that all potential users have a fair and equitable chance to obtain access to the river,” according to the ruling.

“American Whitewater is proud and overjoyed to have brought fair and equitable management to the fabled Chattooga River. With this nationally significant decision, the USFS has strongly supported our right to enjoy our nation’s wild rivers and reaffirmed that we share these rights equally with other users,” said Kevin Colburn, national stewardship director with American Whitewater.

“American Whitewater asks that paddlers respect the interim river closure and allow us to negotiate a collaborative study plan that allows paddling. Once paddling is allowed, we encourage paddlers to take extra care to responsibly share the river and to leave no trace. For now, the river is not yet legal to paddle,” Colburn said.

In addition to American Whitewater staff and volunteer contributions from members, a team of attorneys from Patton Boggs and the Georgia Canoe Association assisted with the some of the legal cost of the appeal.

For more information, including a copy of the appeal and the forest service decision, go to www.americanwhitewater.org.