MONTHLY

JOURNAL OF

STEWARDSHIP

NEWS

ACA Stewardship I S S U E

S P R I N G

2 0 1 2

01 PADDLING TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Paddlers for Healthier Oceans

S P O N S O R E D B Y

this issue

Paddle Green Program P.1

The ACA’s “Best of” Stewardship Initiatives__

and Grassroots Change P.2-3

National News and Water Trails P.4-5

Words from the National Office P.6

Fast Facts:

6 .1 4 m i l l i on t o ns o f

d e b r i s e n te r m a r i n e

e n v i ro nm e n ts ea ch

y e a r

8 0 % c om es f rom l an d

b a se d s o u rc es

M o re t ha n 60 % is

c om p r is e d o f p la s t i c s

3 3 % o f p l as t i c

p ro d uc t s a re s i n g l e

u s e a n d 8 5 % o f

p l as t i c s a re n o t

r e c yc le d

M os t p la s t i cs ne ve r

f u l l y “g o away ” b u t

b re a kd o wn i n to

m ic ro p la s t i c s ( le ss

t h a n 5mm l on g )

I want to get involved!

If you are in a region that the

Paddle Green Program is

scheduled to visit, register

online at americancanoe.org or

call Cate at the National Office!

If the ACA isn’t currently

scheduled to come to you give

us a call and we can help you

organize your own cleanup.

Remember, whether it’s an

entire watershed or just a few

paddling buddies, every bit

makes a difference!

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QUARTERLY

JOURNAL OF

STEWARDSHIP

NEWS

As the ACA’s revitalizes its stewardship missions one

issue in particular seems to standout as being increas-

ingly important: marine debris.

According to the National Academy of Sciences, 6.14

million tons of debris are estimated to enter marine envi-

ronments annually. The United Nations Joint Group of

Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution has

estimated that land-based sources can account for up to

80% of the world’s marine pollution. Increasing efforts to

remove debris and litter in freshwater streams and riv-

ers, prior to entering coastal or marine environments,

has the potential to make a tremendous impact.

Who better to tackle this growing global issue than the

ACA? As paddlers we already paddle in marine environ-

ments or recreate on all the waters that eventually flow

into them. And with an estimated 50 million people pad-

dling annually, small acts of good on-water stewardship

can really add up!

If 1/10th of those who are estimated to paddle each year

pledged to collect 1 bag of trash during 1 paddle, 37.5

million tons of debris would be removed from our na-

tion’s rivers and streams!

This year, the ACA will pilot its first ever Paddle Green

Program. Designed to mobilize the recreation communi-

ty to proactively create healthier waters, the ACA

community development program will educate, equip,

and encourage local boaters to paddle sustainably.

The ACA will spearhead a series of cleanups in the

summer of 2012 that will be executed with oversight

from the Stewardship Coordinator at the National Office

and volunteers from regional paddling clubs and part-

ners. Scheduled events include:

“We as paddlers are in a unique position to add a

‘corrective stroke’ to the marine debris problem,” says

ACA Executive Director, Wade Blackwood. “Not only

does the ACA want the paddling community to under-

stand the severity of the issue, but realize paddlers have

an opportunity to significantly

decrease the amount of de-

bris flowing into oceans today.

A little effort from paddlers will

make an enormous impact on

the waterways we cherish.”

Event Location Date

Celebrate the Rappahannock Fredericksburg,

VA

June 9

LOVE the Lake Lake George,

NY

July 20-22

Clean Water Paddle— in

partnership with NorthBay

North East, MD

to the Harbor

August

TBD

Future Stewards Cleanup at the

National Paddlesports

Conference

Charleston, SC Nov 3

Did you know…

World Water Day is March 22

nd?

Created in 1992 by the United Nations

Conference on Environment and

Development (UNCED), World Water

Day is held annually on 22 March as a

means of focusing attention on the

importance of freshwater and

advocating for the sustainable

management of freshwater resources.

As paddlers, water conservation is

something that is intimately related to

the sports and environments that we

love the most.

So what can you do? Not everyone

can save the world, but we can all do

our part to contribute! Here are some

simple tips for you to help conserve

water (and lower your bills) in your

home!

1. Challenge yourself to 5 minute

showers

2. Water saving shower heads and

low-flow faucet aerators

3. Use a float booster (or make one

with a bottle and rocks) to save

water with every flush

4. Install a rain barrel to help with

your soft water uses

5. Use native plants and elements

of low-impact development (like

rain gardens or living shorelines)

in your landscaping

The ACA: a long-standing history of conservation Established in 1880, the ACA was founded on

camaraderie for exploration of waterways. Today,

exploration and good stewardship have become

synonymous and remain important components of

the ACA and its history! Check out some of our

Top 10 initiatives from the past two decades!

Have Stewardship events? Let us help!

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Since 2002, the ACA has partnered with L.L.

Bean to provide the Club Fostered Stewardship (CFS)

Program to help support grassroots stewardship ef-

forts. To date, 81 projects have been funded by the

ACA with more than $70,000.

Protecting the waters

we paddle is one of the

ACA’s top priorities. In the

1990s, the ACA was in-

volved in 24 cases regarding

Clean Water Act Enforce-

ment.

The ACA worked with local stake-

holders, conservation organizations,

and Senator Warner to assist in the removal

of the Embrey Dam in 2004. Removing the

Embrey Dam made the Rappahannock

River the longest free-flowing river into the

Chesapeake Bay.

Thanks to several dedicated

ACA volunteers, partnerships with

American Whitewater, and several other

user groups, the Dillsboro Dam on the

Tuckasegee River was removed in

2003. Removal of the dam created an

unimpounded stretch of river nearly 30

miles long to be enjoyed by paddlers.

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In 2006, the ACA helped to

found Outdoor Alliance with six

other outdoor recreation non-

profits. Together, we work to en-

sure the conservation and steward-

ship of our nation’s land and waters

through the promotion of sustaina-

ble, human-powered recreation.

The ACA works to build the ca-

pacity of newly formed organizations,

like this Minnesota SUP non-profit, to

conduct stewardship initiatives and

promote their mission and events.

Since 1974, the ACA has been

involved in legal battles opening up

access on the Chattooga. In 2010,

USFS’ dismissal was rejected, allowing

for the case to move forward. The ACA

and AW continue to actively seek the

access that paddlers deserve on the

Chattooga.

The ACA has been involved

with litigation against the District

of Columbia Water and Sewer

Authority (WASA) for violations of

the Clean Water Act since 2002.

A legal decree was established

forcing WASA to meet a com-

bined sewer overflow (CSO)

capacity of 460 million gallons per

day by 2008. Efforts to meet that

standard are still ongoing.

We value all of our national parks

and natural landscapes, which is why

the ACA urged the FWS to adopt Vision

and Goals outlined in the Draft CCP/IES

for ANWR and to recommend a Wilder-

ness designation for the Arctic Refuge's

Coastal Plain Wilderness Study Area.

With our OA partners, the ACA

has been active in commenting on the

Colorado Roadless Rule and ensuring

that conservation efforts are “as strong

or stronger” than 2001 rules.

The ACA’s online event calendar

now includes Stewardship

Events!

Looking for events in your area? Recruiting volun-

teers for a stewardship activity on your waters? Post

your event on our calendar to reach the many pad-

dlers that frequent the ACA website! Events posted

to our site may also be featured on our ACA Water

Blog and advertised on our many social media out-

lets.

Visit americancanoe.org to submit an event

Florida Paddl ing Trai ls Associat ion, 2012 CFS Grant Recipients

Have Stewardship events? Let us help!

Effecting Change on a Grassroots Level

Meet some of our 2012 CFS Grant recipients!

Great Rivers Paddlers Club and the

City of Prairie du Chien, WI

"The City of Prairie du Chien's efforts

to increase canoeing and kayaking on

the Mississippi River have been greatly

improved with the announcement of a

$1,000 grant from the ACA."

—Mike Ulrich, Prairie du Chien Park and

Recreation Director

Florida Paddling Trails Association

(FPTA), FL

The FPTA is a statewide association of

paddlers, clubs, outfitters, working

together to develop water trails and

protect the environments surrounding

them.

The Raritan Bay Paddlers, NJ

"The Raritan Bay Paddlers Club is the

first local community paddle club on the

Lower Raritan. Everyone’s support,

including the groundbreaking support

by the ACA, contributes to an energized

partnership to revitalize the Raritan into

a great American river. Thanks again."

- Denise Nickel, Middlesex County

Improvement Authority

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Since 1974, the ACA has been

involved in legal battles opening up

access on the Chattooga. In 2010,

USFS’ dismissal was rejected, allowing

for the case to move forward. The ACA

and AW continue to actively seek the

access that paddlers deserve on the

Chattooga.

The ACA is proud to be able to help

local paddling clubs and organizations

to help improve their waters and make

this world a better place to paddle!

Through funds provided by L.L. Bean,

the ACA's Club Fostered Stewardship

(CFS) Program has provided nearly

$70,000 to 81 different stewardship

initiatives since its inception in 2002.

Intended to encourage paddling clubs

to take an active role in protecting and

improving the nation's rivers, lakes and

coastlines, the CFS Grant program

provides funding to local and regional

paddling clubs that undertake steward-

ship initiatives on their waterways.

In 2011, funded projects ranged from

source-to-sea cleanups, community

development, and engaging at-risk

youth in invasive species removal, to

improvements in access, trail develop-

ment, ramp construction for adaptive

paddlers.

While 2011 set a high bar, the ACA is

excited to have continued this partner-

ship with L.L. Bean and to fund many

more exciting projects on waterways

across the country! The 2012 grant

cycle is already well underway with five

CFS Grant Recipients and more appli-

cations rolling in!

So far, 2012 initiatives demonstrate

incredible promise with projects that

include revitalizing a waterfront park,

building capacity on the Raritan Bay to

increase urban water paddling and

stewardship, cleanups across various

states and types of water, and assisting

partnerships between state and local

agencies to install signage along 60

miles of the Delaware River.

Become a part of this growing legacy of

stewardship and apply for your grant

today! Grants range from $100-$1,000.

Applications are accepted on a rolling

basis and are available while funds last,

so get yours in today!

Visit americancanoe.org for more de-

tails.

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Meet our Interns!

Through our internship programs, the

ACA is fortunate to be able to utilize

the many skills and talents of students

and recent graduates, as well as

provide them with professional

experience and development to

enhance their futures!

Krystal Hawkins is currently a

Geographic Information System

Certificate student at the University of

Mary Washington and will be working

as a Cartography Intern with the ACA

for the spring semester. She recently

graduated from UMW with a degree in

Geography and became familiar with

the ACA through our certification

program to be a kayak guide in the

Outer Banks.

Ford Peterson is a senior biology and

computer science major at the

University of Mary Washington. An

avid backpacker, hiker, snowboarder,

and fisherman, Ford is excited to be

working with the ACA to help improve

our Water Trails system by developing

a more user-friendly database.

EARTH DAY MEDIA CONTEST!

Celebrating YOUR good stewardship!

Send us your best photos or videos of stewardship activi-

ties on the water by April 18th, and worthy submissions

may receive an ACA Quick Dry Shirt or Hat!

Be sure to follow us online, to see entrants and winners!

National News:

Moratorium on mining in Grand Canyon (9 Jan)

Secretary Salazar formally signed a 20-year

moratorium, the longest allowed by law, on new

uranium and other hard rock mining claims on a million

acres of federal land around the Grand Canyon.

Salazar said it was "a serious and necessary step" to

preserving the canyon, an American natural icon, and

the river that runs through it.

New Forest Planning Rule (26 Jan) Collaboration and

a greater reliance on science are the keys to the

Obama administration's new guidelines in managing

about 193 million acres of national forest and juggling

the competing interests of industry and conservation

groups.

Plastic Bottle Ban in Grand Canyon National Park

(6 Feb) The Grand Canyon National Park will end the

sale of water sold in disposable bottles within 30 days,

eliminating up to 30% of their waste stream and setting

a precedent for sustainability within the National Park

System.

2013 Federal Budget demonstrates Continued Em-

phasis on Outdoor Recreation (14 Feb) With a focus

on outdoor recreation and renewable energy, President

Obama today requested $1.1 billion in appropriations

for the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land

Management in Fiscal Year 2013. With many budget

cuts being made, the Dept. of Interior’s budget

remained consistent with 2012 funding. Also included in

the budget is a new Rivers Initiative to develop

restoration and recreation initiatives on rivers across

the country.

Outdoor Alliance 2011 Partnership Summit, Golden, CO (Dec 6-

9, 2011) As one of the founding members of Outdoor Alliance, the

ACA met with partners AW, AHS, Access Fund, Winter Wildlands

Alliance, and IMBA for the first ever Partnership Summit in Colora-

do. Bringing outdoor recreation enthusiasts, non-profit organiza-

tions, conservation groups, and representatives from various gov-

ernment agencies together, the summit served as a platform for

discourse and successful partnership strategies in managing the

resources we all care about.

“When people think of public lands, it’s too often that they focus on

the same old argument of recreation versus extraction,” says Adam

Cramer, Policy Architect for OA. “This event brings leaders together

to figure out how to strike the best balance of land use and protec-

tion.”

Highlights from the event included welcoming remarks from Will

Shafroth (Counselor to the Sec. of Interior) and keynote addresses

by Jed Weingarten (Photographer/ whitewater kayaker) and Peter

Metcalf (CEO/President of Black Diamond Equipment).

News:

Opposing Wastewater in the Edisto River—The ACA has been

working in conjunction with the South Carolina Audubon Society,

Sierra Club, Friends of the Edisto, and the Palmetto Paddlers to

oppose an agreement between Saluda County Water and Sewer

Authority (SCWSA) and the town of Batesburg-Leesville (BL) that

would allow for an additional 1 million gallons per day (MGD) of

wastewater be transferred to the BL Wastewater Treatment Plant

and discharged into Duncan Creek, a tributary of the Edisto River.

Combined with the current discharge rates, this additional 1 MGD

would exceed the permitted discharge capacity of the plant in dur-

ing the wet season, making the Edisto vulnerable to raw sewage in

times of overflow. The Edisto and the longest free-flowing blackwa-

ter river in the United States and iconic of the South Carolina Low-

country.

Protecting Public Lands in Florida— The

ACA recently opposed Florida’s HB 1103,

which would redefine the present “Ordinary

High Water Line.” Redefining the high wa-

ter line would result in huge transfers of

publicly owned land along the State's riv-

ers, lakes and streams into private owner-

ship, amounting to the loss of thousands of

acres of land that now belong to the people

of Florida and the many paddlers and an-

glers who enjoy those waters.

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Keeping up-to-date with the latest in River Management.

The ACA has been accepted to

present at two of the highest

recognized conferences for river

management this year!

In efforts to promote conservation, the

ACA makes it a priority to present at

conferences and learn the latest in

research and management from

specialists in conservationist fields.

Cate Huxtable, Stewardship Coordina-

tor, will be presenting at the River

Management Symposium, in Asheville,

NC, and at River Rally 2012, hosted by

the River Network and the Waterkeep-

er Alliance, in Portland, OR. The ACA

will be speaking about water trails and

their role in promoting stewardship.

—————————————————

And don’t forget about our National

Paddlesports Conference in

Charleston, SC, this November!

Over the past decade, participation in outdoor recreation has

increased and is projected to experience continued growth.

What does this mean outdoor recreation enthusiasts and the

environments we love to play in? It provides us with leverage

to protect those areas that we enjoy. In fact, studies have

shown that outdoor recreation participation serves as a medi-

ator effect for the correspondence of environmental attitude

to behavior and action. Increased participation also equates

to increased access and more developed infrastructure to

accommodate this growth.

For paddlers, developing a water trail is often one of the best

ways to do this. Water trails, also referred to as “blueways,”

are modeled like many trails that you have undoubtedly

hiked, biked, or traversed before. They provide an estab-

lished corridor between specific locations on lakes, rivers,

and ocean environments and encourage recreation on the

water.

While every water trail is different, the basic components

include a safe put-in and take-out, parking, restrooms, and

sometimes day-use or overnight camping areas. They also

provide an excellent resource for disseminating information

about the waterway, safety, environmental information, and

messages of stewardship.

Water trails provide a host of tangible economic, ecological,

and social benefits to the surrounding community with a rela-

tively low investment. They create a venue for nature-based

tourism and help to create new opportunities for businesses.

A 2005 study revealed that in rural areas, those with an in-

crease in natural amenities experienced a decrease in in-

come inequity. Increased access to rivers can help diversify

local economies and bridge income gaps.

Additionally, water trails help promote healthy lifestyles: both

for the paddler and for the environments we love to paddle in.

The newly formed America’s Great Outdoors initiative sets a

precedent that emphasizes the importance of an active life-

style and an appreciation the environment and natural re-

sources around us. To protect those resources, water trails

can serve as a conduit for local conservation initiatives. They

involve improved planning efforts and cooperative partner-

ships among stakeholders and government agencies, creat-

ing a platform for conservation and management approach-

es. Often, these partnerships and establishment of a water

trail result in land protection, dam removal, increased signage

and education, cleanup initiatives, and volunteer programs

for trail maintenance and water quality monitoring.

To find a water trail in your area, visit our water trails data-

base today at americancanoe.org

The ACA Water Trails Database:

Add Your Water Trail Today!

Blueways: Greening our Waters

Simply go online to americancanoe.org and submit information for your water trail today to become

part of one of the most comprehensive water trail databases for paddlers.

ACA Stewardship Issue 01 March 2012

108 Hanover Street

Fredericksburg, VA 22401

(p) 540.907.4460

(f) 888.229.3792

americancanoe.org

In June of 2011, I received a phone call that I will never forget. On the other end of the line was the voice of Chris Stec, ACA

Chief Operating Officer, asking me if I would like to fill their position of Stewardship Coordinator. After pursing environmental

science in college, I worked at a local outdoor center and served a year for the Corporation of National and Community Ser-

vice with the AmeriCorps*VISTA program and a local watershed non-profit. Reflecting on that phone call, I couldn’t dream of a

better job: recreation AND conservation? Those are my two favorite things!

I have been with the ACA since August and couldn’t be more thrilled to be serving you and your stewardship needs! While I

know that not all of us are self-proclaimed “greenies,” dedicating our lives to conservationism and the environment, as outdoor

recreation enthusiasts, we all have a vested interested in the health of our planet.

Luna Leopold famously said, “Water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and our children's lifetime. The health of

our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land. " This statement is enduring and has never been more true

than right now.

As paddlers, we have a unique perspective in being able to intimately observe water health, perceptive to the minute changes

in flow, clarity, debris accumulation, and erosion, that cumulatively result in degradation of our water. More importantly, we

also have a unique position to serve as stewards of the waters we paddle. We have the

ability to educate others and encourage an appreciation for our precious water resources

through paddling. We can work with our local clubs to restore stream banks and conduct

cleanups, creating healthier waters with each stroke of our paddles.

Paddle safe, paddle often, paddle sustainably,

Stewardship needs on your waters?

You can contact Cate at our

national office:

540.907.4460 x 106

chuxtable@americancanoe.org

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Be the change. Paddlers can make a difference.