November 2025
Volume 26, Number 8
November, 2025
The Oregon Whitewater Association brings private boaters together for the enjoyment of whitewater boating. Our vision is to promote whitewater safety and training for all of our membership in an effort to provide safety awareness and confidence when executing river rescue skills. OWA is the community of choice where fun and river adventures thrive and where people and rivers connect.
Photo of the Month
This month's featured photo was contributed by Scott Harvey. In this photo we see OWA member Ben Plummer finding his line through Mill City Falls on the North Santiam River during the club's October Fall Color Float.
If you want to have your favorite river picture featured, send it to . You can also submit pictures through Instagram or the OWA Facebook group.
Contact Information
Your OWA Officers and Volunteers
OWA Board of Directors
Brenda Bunce, President
Meredith Brezinski, Vice President - Events
Karl Mitsch, Vice President - Newsletter
Justin Richard, Secretary
Doug Smith, Treasurer
Tom Riggs, Membership Director
Jason Urasky, Technology Director
William Brezinski, Training Director
OWA Volunteers
Scott Harvey, Trip Coordinator, Newsletter Editor
Cary Solberg, Advertising Editor
Scott Ogren, Webmaster
Steve Oslund, First Aid Kits
Bruce Ripley, Safety Auction Lead
Matt Saucy, Boating 101 Lead
Jared Linkhart, Safety Training Associate
President's Corner
Next OWA Meeting
Event: February Club Meeting
Location: Flying Pie Pizza - 7804 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97215
Website: http://www.flying-pie.com/locations/portland
Date: Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.
Schedule:
- 6:00 – 6:30 Social Time with Pizza
- 6:30 - 7:15 Club Business
- 7:15 - 8:15 Presentation
- 8:15 - 8:30 Clean-up
Speaker:
Gordon Grant
Courtesy Professor
Oregon State University
Emeritus Research Hydrologist
USDA Forest Service PNW Research Station
Topic: The Fascinating Physics of Whitewater (and why boaters should care)"
Speaker Bio:
Gordon Grant is a Courtesy Professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University and Emeritus Research Hydrologist with the USDA Forest Service PNW Research Station.
His involvement with rivers began as a decade-long career as a whitewater river guide on western US rivers. He received his Ph.D. in fluvial geomorphology from Johns Hopkins University in 1986, and began work for the research branch of the U.S. Forest Service with the overarching goal of advancing understanding of how stream networks, watersheds, and entire landscapes respond to changes in streamflow, sediment transport, and wood entrainment. In particular, this research has focused on fluvial responses due to land use, dams and dam removal, volcanic eruptions, and climate change in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
He is a Fellow of both the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America, and former President of the Earth and Planetary Surface Processes (EPSP) Section of AGU. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Career Award of the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Section of GSA, and the G.K. Gilbert Award of the EPSP Section of AGU.
Research group website at wpg.forestry.oregonstate.edu.
Come on down, enjoy pizza, salad and refreshments with fellow boaters.
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Do you know of a speaker for one of our monthly meetings?
Do you know someone engaging, entertaining, and full of knowledge who you would like to hear speak at a club meeting? Any club member who successfully connects OWA with a speaker for one of our meetings will be entered into a prize drawing for a $75 gift certificate to one of our sponsors. Club members who give a presentation will also be entered into a prize drawing. To discuss a potential speaker, email .
Trip Reports
Stay safe and healthy on the river and be prepared for emergencies.
Do you have a trip coming up? OWA has two extensive Wilderness First Aid kits and AED’s that go on all club trips and are available for club members to take on private trips. You can check them out by sending an email to .
Special Feature
Do you have something to share with the OWA community through the newsletter?
Do you want to share the tale of your latest multi-day rafting adventure or just the basics of your recent day run? Do you have a recipe your river friends must try? Is there other river-related content you want to share? Any club member who submits written content published in the newsletter will be entered into a prize drawing for 1 of 2 $75 gift certificates to one of our sponsors. Submitting photos gets you a chance to win 1 of 2 $25 gift certificates. To submit newsletter content or photos for our social media accounts, email .
OWA has a Facebook group exclusively for members. It is a great place to connect with other members to meet up at the river or exchange gear tips. Anyone can follow the OWA Instagram page.
OWA is an affiliate member of American Whitewater. OWA members receive a $10 discount off of individual membership. American Whitewater is a national non-profit 501©(3) river conservation organization with a mission is to protect and restore America’s whitewater rivers and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely. Click the Logo to visit the AW website and learn more.
Here are some more shots for the North Santiam Fall Colors Float.
