[3][1] The organization can broadly be classified as an advocacy group that engages in a variety of tactics to ensure rivers are accessible to those who wish to use them.

(2) Protect the wilderness character of waterways through conservation of water, forests, parks, wildlife, and related resources.

(3) Promote and celebrate safety, proficiency and responsibility in all aspects of whitewater activities such as the navigation of moving water, teaching, teamwork, leadership, and equipment design, by publishing and demonstrating our support for instructional development in these and related fields.

[12] In 2004 the association created a digital archive making the previous 50 years of journals available for online access.

"[18] American Whitewater called the bill a "sneak attack designed to force federal agencies to put private uses of river water ahead of other beneficial public uses like fish, wildlife, and recreation.