Paddling News
by rich on 2008-08-20 14:02:00
From Jack Snarr of the Illinois Paddling Council:
IPC IS SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR PADDLER OF THE YEAR
Do you know a paddler whom we can recognize for his/her:
* Long-term commitment to the sport
* Outstanding contribution
* Extraordinary accomplishment
* Volunteerism
Then please fill in the attached form and return to us. We will recognize this paddler with our ILLINOIS PADDLER OF THE YEAR AWARD at our November dinner.
IPC SEEKS VOLUNTEERS TO PRESENT ITS MISSION AT PUBLIC EVENTS
We are frequently asked to participate in area events with a table or booth informing the public about IPC's activities, to display our dam simulator and educate people to the dangers of dams, and more. While board members can often carry out this function, with the increased frequency of requests, we would like to be able to have other paddlers willing to spend an afternoon or day promoting these causes. Please let us know if you might be willing to participate in events next year by contacting Sigrid Pilgrim at 847-328-0145 or sigpilgr@....
Also check out the latest updates to the paddling calendar which include:
*Oct 18, 19th : IPC Season Ender on the Sangamon
*Nov 22 2:30pm : IPC Annual Council Meeting at White Fence Farm in Romeoville.
by rich on 2008-07-31 22:23:00
From the Prairie State Canoeist's Aug-08 Newsletter:
"The Forest Preserve District of Will County will celebrate the grand opening of Whalon Lake, a premier public 80-acre fishing/boating lake in Bolingbrook on Saturday, August 9, 2008."
Your show of support is requested to help show a need for watertrail access on the adjacent East Branch of the DuPage River (and other waterways in general). As such, PSC will be hosting a paddle on the East Branch of the DuPage River starting or ending at Whalon Lake.
Whalon Lake details
This event is on Saturday, Aug 9th from 10am-3pm @ Whalon Lake in Bolingbrook, IL.
by rich on 2008-06-08 18:09:00
Members of the paddling community are being asked to attend a Illinois Pollution Control Board meeting to show support of cleaner pollution standards for the Chicago River and the lower Des Plaines River.
See the Friends of the Chicago River website for more details on how you can help make an impact on our river's water quality. Sample letters are provided along with a list of members of the paddling community who have shown their support.
--------------
Attend an Illinois Pollution Control Board Public Hearing:
Public Hearing
June 16, 2008
5:30-8 p.m.
100 E. Erie St., Chicago
Contact Caitlyn for details: cbolton@chicagoriver.org
by rich on 2008-06-07 23:35:00
With warm weather finally upon us, it's time to put those paddles in the water. The Illinois Paddling Council has deemed June Paddle-A-Trail Month, where paddlers are encouraged to paddle a local waterway and report the details of the trip on the openlands.org water trail site for the benefit of all paddlers. Check out the site as they offer descriptions of many great trips.
For more details see the IPC Paddle-A-Trail Month website.
by rich on 2008-05-10 23:00:00
To aid in my quest of finding a good used sea kayak, I've aggregated a few of the sites I've been searching on. Check out the new "Classified$" link. A few craigslist feeds as well as some paddling.net links have been added -for both canoes and kayaks. I've also added some links to paddling.net reviews for some of the major canoe and kayak manufacturers.
Hopefully this will be of some use to those of you looking for a used kayak or canoe.
by rich on 2008-04-24 11:01:00
Thanks to all the snow earlier this year compounded with recent rains, many area waterways are flooding or near flooding. To keep paddlers aware of the recent river closures and restrictions I have created a page identifying these located at the following:
http://www.PaddleAway.com/advisory
If you are aware of any other closures, advisories or dangerous situations on a river please feel free to add them in using the form at the bottom of the page above.
by rich on 2008-04-14 23:11:00
Two sightings of a second cougar near the Skokie Lagoons is being reported by the Chicago Tribune. As a paddler you're likely to be safe on the water - just be cautious putting in and taking out!!!
Read the article at Chicago Tribune:
Air search for cougar near Skokie Lagoons comes up empty
by rich on 2008-02-24 21:36:00
I recently received an email regarding a new 631 mile water trail in Alabama described as "The Nations Longest One State River Trail". Anyone interested in heading to Alabama can find more by about the trail at the link below:
"In conjunction with the Grand Opening of the Alabama Scenic River Trail at Montgomery's Riverwalk on June 6, boaters from throughout the country will participate in the celebration by traveling in canoes, kayaks and powerboats down various segments of Alabama's beautiful new Trail from Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico during May, June and July"
http://www.AlabamaScenicRiverTrail.com
They grand opening is scheduled for June 6th, 2008 at the Riverwalk in Montgomery, AL.
by rich on 2008-02-22 21:31:00
Here is a photo for those like myself suffering from a somewhat rare and potentially debilitating disorder called PDD, paddling deficit disorder :).
Anyone recognize this stretch of river? If you think you know the answer post your guess in Paddle talk.
*Note: PDD is an exclusive trademark of T. Lindblade.
by rich on 2008-01-23 18:00:00
When its cold and icy out your first thoughts should turn to paddling indoors. Kayaking winter pool sessions are being held throughout Illinois. Here is a quick list so you can find out more. The paddling calendar also has some of these that are located close to Chicago and the burbs as well as a couple canoing classes.
Chicago - UIC Pool - Kayak Chicago
http://www.kayakchicago.com/pool.html
West Chicago - Geneva Kayak:
http://www.genevakayak.com/courses/pool.html
Oak Park, Schaumburg, Des Plaines - CWA
http://www.chicagowhitewater.org/cwa/learning.asp
Washington,IL - Five Points Washington - MCC
http://teamdirtclod.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2052
Rockford - Paddle and Trail
http://www.paddleandtrail.com
Springfield - Eisenhower Pool - TDC
http://teamdirtclod.com
Milwaukee, WI - Schroeder YMCA
http://www.bsbs.org/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=1432