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The Director’s Eddy R
aise your hand if you are having a good paddling season? Good. Now, raise your hand if you are in the habit of being a good river steward on
your outings? Okay, we need some work here… One of the ACA’s new initiatives is to tackle the marine debris problem.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, 6.14 million tons of debris is estimated to enter marine environments annually. Of that 6.14 million tons, the United Nations Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution projects that land-based sources can account for up to 80 percent of the world’s marine pollution. As a result, efforts to remove debris in freshwater streams and rivers, prior to entering coastal waters, would make a tremendous impact in reducing debris accumulation in marine environments. There are 50,000,000 people in the Unites States who paddle at least
twice a year according to the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment. If each of those paddlers picks up at least one bag of trash on each outing, paddlers will be responsible for eliminating 750,000 tons of debris before it reaches our oceans—helping to protect our environment for generations to come. ACA has developed a reusable Paddle Green Bag (PGB) that comes in
two sizes—a small one for kayaking types and a large one for open boaters. The idea is that boaters will keep this bag, which can function as a gear bag when not full of trash, as a part of their standard paddling equipment and pick up trash/debris on outings. Also, through smart phone access to the ACA’s mobile web site, voice mail or regular web access to the ACA’s web site, you can tell us briefly what you collected and even send a picture for our PGB Hero’s Wall. ACA will aggregate the data from member submissions and distribute it to policy makers to help them make effective decisions concerning our environment. The ACA is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, United States Geological Survey, National Park Service and U.S. Coast Guard to make sure paddlers are developing good on-water habits to sustain a healthy and clean environment for future generations. I encourage all outfitters, liveries, camps and clubs to carry the bags to
help educate and practice good on-water habits. ACA can even brand your bags to personalize your clean-up efforts! To order Paddle Green Bags, go to the ACA’s web site
Americancanoe.org.
Wade Blackwood Executive Director
American Canoe Association
ACA FEATU R ED WAT ER T R AI L
Deschutes Paddling Trail Bend, OR
The Deschutes Paddle Trail is an ACA Recommended Water Trail that includes the navigable sections of the Deschutes River and Little Deschutes River in Deschutes County, along with nine of the largest Cascades lakes in the county.
The river portion of the Deschutes Paddle Trail includes:
• 26 miles of the Little Deschutes River, from LaPine to the river’s junction with the Deschutes River near Sunriver.
• 95 miles of the Deschutes River, from Wickiup Reservoir in the south to Lower Bridge in the north, which is the last take-out before leaving Deschutes County.
Although the Deschutes Paddle Trail has sections that everyone can safely enjoy, the levels of difficulty include everything from placid easy sections (class I) to very difficult (and dangerous) sec- tions (class V) that are for experts only. Be sure to consult ACA Safety information to ensure that you are adequately prepared for the section of the Deschutes that you are planning on paddling.
Because the Deschutes River is the source of water for agricultural irrigation in Central Oregon, its flow levels are seasonal. Consult the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance for maps or to check seasonal flows before planning your trip.
www.deschutespaddletrail.info/index.html www.bendpaddletrailalliance.org
ACA CLUBS Update Your Water Trails on
americancanoe.org
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