by Don Muggenborg

Illinois has more miles of river to paddle than any other state.  Have you paddled these rivers?  Match the River with the correct definition.  Don’s Answers Will be published in the next newsletter.

1)   Abe’s River                                              A) Chicago River

 

2)  Where Ralph 1^st paddled                           B) North Branch

 

3)  Named for a Fur Trader                            C) Skokie Lagoons

 

4)  Think Red                                                  D) Upper Des Plaines

 

5)   Name makes you want to blush              E) Lower Des Plaines

 

6)  Savory Creek                                             F) SaltCreek

 

7)  Furniture                                                   G) DuPage

 

8)  Newest River Trail                                     H) Kankakee

 

9)  Eating Utensil                                           I) Fox

 

10)  Marathon                                                 J) Rock

 

11)  Carp Fence (my river)                             k) Apple

 

12)  large stone                                               L) Vermillion

 

13)  named for a wild onion                           M) Green

 

14)  state named after it                                  N) Spoon

 

15)  Frese Trail                                               O) Bureau Creek

 

16)  small mammal                                         P) Sangamon

 

17)  dirty (?)                                                   Q) Big Muddy

 

18)  Discovered by Joliet                               R) Mississippi

 

19)  flows to eastern border                            S) Little Wabash

 

20)  named for an Indian Tribe                      T) Kaskaskia, Iroquois, Pecatonica, etc

 

21)  think grass                                               U) Embarrass (pronounced Ambraw)

 

22)  Fruit                                                         V) Illinois

 

– October 6th: Indiana Dunes Outdoor Adventure Festival, 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM at Jerry Pavese Park

– October 20th: Wolf Lake Fall Fest, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM at Wolf Lake Memorial Park

Canoemobile engages people in introductory outdoor experiences, enhances learning opportunities, cultivates a stewardship ethic, and creates pathways to pursue educational and career opportunities in the outdoors. We are thrilled to connect with your community!

Interested in volunteering? We’ll be working with school and youth groups all week; email canoemobile@wildernessinquiry.org for more information.

For more details – contact

Mary Mallinger, Program Coordinator
Wilderness Inquiry
www.wildernessinquiry.org • (612) 676-9422

 

Almost a quarter-million acres of Superior National Forest lands that drain toward the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will soon be available for mine proposals again, after being protected for the past 18 months.

Learn more about this issue by reading the Quetico Superior Wilderness News here

Read More

 by Sigrid Pilgrim

IDNR’S Coastal Management Program in collaboration with Wilderness Inquiry held three paddling programs this summer, giving the general public an opportunity to experience paddling in voyageur style canoes. The last event was held at Waukegan Harbor, which also inaugurated a new, ADA compliant, canoe and kayak launch.

 

From IDNR’s newsletter:

Thank you to our Explore the Lake Michigan Water Trail Partners!

On August 3, we celebrated the final Explore the Lake Michigan Water Trail event of 2018 at the new ADA accessible canoe and kayak launch in Waukegan Harbor. These family-focused events included guided, beginner-friendly paddling experiences, water safety demonstrations, fishing, nature crafts, walking tours of coastal habitats, and more – all provided by more than 25 local, state, and federal partners! These events would not have been possible without the support of the following agencies and organizations:

With the event series complete, we will begin a series of public meetings to gather community input as part of a visioning process for the approximately 10-mile stretch of the Lake Michigan water trail from the City of North Chicago to the Wisconsin border. For more information about the upcoming planning process, visit: https://paddleillinoiswatertrails.org/events.

By Steve LaPorte

I just became aware of a great tool for those of us who lead river trips.  Like most people, I have been looking at the USGS Streamflow data and the weather forecast and trying to guess what is going to happen with the river level.  It turns out that NOAA has a computer model that considers several relevant factors and makes a prediction, going several days out.  This is going to be a useful tool for anyone who has to make a go / no-go decision due to concern about high water.

To access the predictive graph, go to https://water.weather.gov/ahps/rfc/rfc.php , click on the region, and click on the gauging station.  You will get a graph like this.  (There is more useful information below the graph that wouldn’t fit on the image.)

Pass it on – happy to comply – thank you Steve

In honor of her son, Mike, the ACA is pleased to assist in continuing Marge ‘River Mom’ Cline’s legacy to encourage youth in the Midwest (IL, IN, MI, WI) to participate in paddlesports.

About River Mom:

A master of canoe and kayak, Marge was one of the top paddling instructors in the country. A stickler for safety and proper technique in her classes, she thrived on the exhilaration of taking on a wild river. Her signature move was a headstand in the bow as her canoe shot through white water. A family rafting trip to West Virginia in the late 1970s hooked Marge on river sports. She was teaching within a few years and became certified by the American Canoe Association as an Instructor Trainer Educator.  Marge edited the Chicago Whitewater Association newsletter for more than 25 years. She also subscribed to similar newsletters around the country and gathered pertinent news for a publication called Confluence, which connected canoeists and kayakers. In the early 1990s, Marge organized a Paddling in the Park event in Chicago, which later drew hundreds. In 1996, she was inducted into the ACA Hall of Fame as a Legend of Paddling award recipient.  In 2000, Marge was named one of 100 Paddlers of the 20th Century by Paddler Magazine, one of many honors she received over the years for her dedication to the sport.

For more details go to: https://www.americancanoe.org/page/MargeCline

CANOE

Is a canoe just another boat?

Doesn’t it do more than just float?

As a canoe glides across the lake

a path of growth left in its wake.

A soul is awakened to all that is true –

The trees, the animals, and the sky so blue.

Much can be gained on canoe trips.

As your canoe glides and your paddle dips.

A teacher of this has a great task:

Many answers to ponder and questions to ask.

Written by Michael Cline – May 1995

 

 

 

 

By Sigrid Pilgrim

 

IDNR’S Coastal Management Program in collaboration with Wilderness Inquiry held three paddling programs this summer, giving the general public an opportunity to experience paddling in voyageur style canoes. The last event was held at Waukegan Harbor, which also inaugurated a new, ADA compliant, canoe and kayak launch.

 

From IDNR’s newsletter:

Thank you to our Explore the Lake Michigan Water Trail Partners!

On August 3, we celebrated the final Explore the Lake Michigan Water Trail event of 2018 at the new ADA accessible canoe and kayak launch in Waukegan Harbor. These family-focused events included guided, beginner-friendly paddling experiences, water safety demonstrations, fishing, nature crafts, walking tours of coastal habitats, and more – all provided by more than 25 local, state, and federal partners! These events would not have been possible without the support of the following agencies and organizations:

With the event series complete, we will begin a series of public meetings to gather community input as part of a visioning process for the approximately 10-mile stretch of the Lake Michigan water trail from the City of North Chicago to the Wisconsin border. For more information about the upcoming planning process, visit: https://paddleillinoiswatertrails.org/events.

By Don Muggenborg

The resin had dried on the patch I made on my old, old C-1.  (seems like there are more patches than canoe these day).

 

Only 7 PM (Sept – it was starting to get a little dark) – I could test the boat – just to make sure.

 

I pulled up to my favorite put-in on the lower Des Plaines, on Canal Bank Road.  Dusk  As I got out of the cart, I saw a car slow down, and stop.  An older fellow asked,, “Are you going to paddle now?”  “Who is going to pick you up?”

 

“Just a short one.  Upstream a little and back.”, I replied.

 

“That a Wenonah?  I used to h ave a Wenonah, wasn’t it a Wenonah dear?”  He asked  his wife.

 

Over the carp barrier and then I slid down to the water.   (after the flooding, the mud/clay on the bank is like ice, but slipperier)

 

Launched – water was almost like glass – just a couple ripples from the wind.

 

It wasn’t long before I scared a heron – he was having his late night snack.  The I heard a kingfisher scold me as he flew by.

 

A green heron – either a lot of those this year or that one gets around a lot.

 

A large splash –  a beaver!  Then I caught sight of him swimming along the shore.

 

Getting a little dark.

 

I turned around – an orange glow reflected from the southwestern sky onto the water.  Enough light to see the river.  Why didn’t I bring a camera.

 

The crescent  moon reflected on the water off my right bow.  Then I noticed two and three moons as the bow wave caught more reflections.

 

I could just make out the take-out – I didn’t want to quit – but all good things must come to an end.

 

I was one lucky person on Sept 14 – having the time to paddle on such a nice night.  Too bad you were not with me.  Give me a call.  Maybe one more night this year.

https://www.americancanoe.org/page/LeadershipAcademy

• Dates: November 9-11, 2018
• Location: Isle of Palms (Charleston), SC
• Cost: $150

As part of the ACA’s leadership role in the paddlesports community, we have transitioned to the new ACA Leadership Academy to target all facets of the paddlesports community.

In partnership with Charleston County Parks & Recreation Commission (CCPRC), the ACA is pleased to present an array of on-water clinics and courses that will help you savor the rich history, remarkable paddling, and ecological diversity of Charleston!

 

In conjunction with the on-water programming, instructor updates, and networking opportunities, we will be hosting the Safety Education & Instruction Council (SEIC), the PAC Advisory Council, Competition Council, and the ACA Board of Directors.

 

 

Kayakers and canoeists do enjoy their sports, but first they have to get there. Paddlers perpetually confront the question of where to put in, where to take out and where to park their car, truck or SUV. Some parts of Illinois have well-developed access points and outfitters to serve them, nearly always for a fee, even if it’s just parking on their property or using their access to put in or take out. In other less developed areas, the dedicated kayaker or canoeists still always finds a way, parking on side streets near bridges, working our way down overpass rights of way or asking landowners to pass through their property. But for many, it takes something more to make a weekend trip down an Illinois river a little less, shall we say, challenging.

And this is where the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Boat Access Area Development (BAAD) grant program comes in. https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/aeg/pages/boataccessareadevelopmentprogram.aspx

The Boat Access Area Development Program provides financial assistance to local government agencies for the acquisition, construction, and expansion or rehabilitation of public boat and canoe access areas on Illinois’ lakes and rivers. The program provides up to 100 percent of approved project construction costs and 90 percent of approved land acquisition costs. Projects are limited to $200,000 per project per year. Revenue for this state funded program is earmarked from the marine motor fuel tax and previously from water usage stamp paddlecraft registration fees. While the WUS is now eliminated my sources tell me that the program was revenue-neutral in any case and that operational costs for the WUS nearly matched the revenue taken in by the fee.

The BAAD program connects Illinoisans with their waterways. Having a publicly accessible place where land meets river with a parking area and a relatively easy and safe place to launch or take out a canoe or kayak makes all the difference in a person’s enjoyment of a day, morning or afternoon on an area river.

Back in 2014, while Marc Miller was still DNR Director, $715,000 was awarded to six communities for BAAD grants. These projects included canoe and kayak launches in Galena on the Galena River and Freeport on the Pecatonica.

Yet, while details about the BAAD grant program are clearly posted on the DNR website, it also now says “The Boat Access Area Development Grant Program is not accepting grant applications at this time.” It has said so for three years running now, since the 2015 budget stalemate. It has not been funded or reinstated by IDNR. Even communities, including my own Village of Mahomet that were approved for BAAD grants during the 2015 application cycle were not issued funding as the state of Illinois froze BAAD grant funds prior to their release to communities during the budget crisis.

In a press release touting the program and announcing the 2014 BAAD grant recipients, then-Governor Pat Quinn said: “These projects will create jobs, offer recreational opportunities and promote healthy lifestyles.” He added: “They will also promote economic development by adding one more attractive feature to each of these communities.”

And in 2014, then-DNR Director Marc Miller said: “These grants will help Illinois communities develop safe access for boaters wanting to use public waters for fishing and water skiing or to launch a canoe or kayak.” He added “Providing access to recreational opportunities is a top priority of the IDNR, and we are excited to offer these grants to communities that are helping us accomplish that goal.”

The BAAD program need not be redeveloped or recreated, just funded again by the General Assembly – through earmarked funds and reauthorized by the Illinois DNR. A program this important and this valuable to promoting the natural resources of our state should not be frozen out, but should be reinstated and made available for all communities as soon as possible.