Our dear friend, John Blaustein, took this footage while rafting in Idaho last summer… this time on the Main Salmon River. That’s "Bronco" (Bill Bruchak) at the helm. He’s made more than 100 trips down the Grand Canyon; in the off season he’s a ski patroller in Colorado.

jb-main-salmon-2007-0653.flv

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The California women’s raft team is hosting a downriver race on the Chamberlain section of the North Fork American River – bridge to bridge – on Saturday April 5th, 2008. All types of watercraft are welcome. Meet at the Sierra Market in Colfax for registration from 8:30- 9:30 AM. Whether you are participating in the event or not, don’t forget that parking at Mineral Bar requires a $5 day use fee. Shuttles will be provided. There will be a party after the race – the location is yet to be announced. For more information and updates, go to www.nfarace08.blogspot.com.

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If you are in the Northern California Sierra Foothills area on Thursday, March 27th – take a grand tour of our nation’s rivers with author and photographer Tim Palmer.  Palmer has explored and photographed more than 300 of America’s rivers and is the author of 19 books on nature, adventure travel and the American landscape.  The event will start at 7:00 pm at the Amador Senior Center in Jackson, CA.  The event is sponsored by Wild & Scenic Mokelumne and Foothill Conservancy.

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We have not only the best river guides in the biz, but our passengers are also stellar! The O.A.R.S. VIP Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D event at Sacramento’s Esquire IMAX Theatre sold out. THANK YOU to close to 400 of you (there were a few no-shows, you know who you are) who were in attendance last night to support the event, which was a benefit for Martin Litton’s non-profit organization Sequoia ForestKeeper.

The calm before the storm… one of our dories in front of the theatre…

moments before the doors opened…

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The Wendts (George, Pam, Clavey, Tyler) and our marketing director, Steve Markle, made the journey to NYC for the world premier of Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D. We are still awaiting details from our contingency, but here are some pictures Unca John found for us this morning.

The movie chronicles environmental heroes Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Wade Davis, along with their daughters, as they journey down the Colorado River to raise awareness about the world’s growing shortage of fresh water. O.A.R.S. provided production support as well as promotional support in the form of a national sweepstakes with a chance to win a 15-day Grand Canyon rafting trip for two. The film features songs and music by Dave Matthews Band and an original score co-composed by the Dave Matthews Band’s Stefan Lessard and Steve Wood.

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This just in from Curt Chang, our Idaho rivers manager (who will be in town next week for our Sacramento Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D IMAX event)… Central Idaho got some new snow since last week, about 14" total. The snow pack is holding at the 116% of normal levels throughout the Salmon and Snake drainages. All indications are looking good for our summer flows, great water without the excess that would cause highest water concerns.

This is the snow-covered ramp we slide our boats down (to the eddy) at Boundary Creek on the Middle Fork Salmon… definitely more snow than last year!

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Unca John, yes, our very own BrainTeasing John Sproull made the front page of the local paper, the Sonora Union Democrat AGAIN. (Twice in two months, isn’t it?)  This time our pumpkin carving, trivia-bee-winning, Pez-collecting, catalog-sending, uber creative mailroom supervisor is featured – solo, with photo.  At last the world knows what we’ve known all along here at OARS, he’s an incredibly smart, interesting and nice guy with a wicked creative streak.

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Crossword Clues as inspired by the upcoming Grand Canyon Adventure 3D IMAX film (HINT: Figure out two and you should get the theme…) To chill out _ _ _ _ _ A Memphis record company _ _ _ _ Something you should mind your own _ _ _’ _ _ _ _ Between your Aunt’s head and abdomen _ _ _ _ _ _ Conclusionary _ _ _ _ _ _ Type of Baer _ _ _ A particularly clean Greek warrior _ _ _ _ Yakety _ _ _ Sadly, it was quite the 1917 boomtown _ _ _ _ _ _ _ It led to the Boston Tea Party _ _ _ Probably doesn’t take 20 mules anymore _ _ _ _ _

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In an effort to become ever increasingly energy responsible, we’ve made the decision to go 100% solar for our warehouse and main office operations in Angels Camp and for our warehouse and office in Flagstaff, Arizona, for our Colorado River operations in the Grand Canyon. These two new systems are expected to generate over 123,000 KWH of electricity the first year and every year thereafter – enough to keep 8 medium-sized houses supplied with electricity for an entire year. This will result in a reduction of approximately 180,000 lbs – over 90 tons of green house gases (mainly carbon dioxide) per year. According to George (O.A.R.S. Founder/President), “The last few years have represented a period of change in our country – an awakening to the significance of sustainability – where “being green” is not only cool, it’s expected. At O.A.R.S., we’re thrilled to see such progressive movement, but then again, conservation is the foundation of our company and the lifeblood of our future, so let’s hope that “being green” isn’t just a fad; let’s hope it’s here to stay.” Here are some photos of the groundbreaking and the installation by Acro Electric.

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On Wednesday March 5, federal flood control managers released millions of cubic feet of water from Glen Canyon Dam to help restore the Grand Canyon‘s sandy beaches and pools for endangered species and campers. The folks at National Geographic ADVENTURE sought expert opinion from O.A.R.S. Founder and President, George Wendt, and long-time Grand Canyon guide Michael Ghiglieri. You can read their comments here.

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