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Author: Tom Eckels
President, Illinois Paddling Council
Program Manager, Water TrailKeepers
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RIVER QUIZ
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 1st 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
Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile returns to Chicago and Northwest Indiana
– 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
US Government Reopens Boundary Waters Watershed
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
LAKE MICHIGAN WATER TRAIL
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.
RIVER LEVEL PREDICTIONS SITE – thank you Steve LaPorte
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
ACA Announces new Mike and Marge ‘River Mom’ Cline Memorial Grant
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
LAKE MICHIGAN WATER TRAIL
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.
Evening Paddle
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.
