1 Fall 2009—Volume 48 Issue 3 KCCNY, was established in 1959 and is one of the largest LETTER FROM EDITORS Whitewater Kayaking Clubs in the Northeast. With more than 150 actively paddling members, The Kayak and CANDO Club of New York had a fantastic 2009 serving more than 30 pool Spring/Summer year! A full schedule of activities made for great paddling season sessions and contributing to with a lot of laughs and fun. Beyond the river trips there were beginner weekends, more than 30 new paddlers safety training courses and slalom races. Please note that we are an equal yearly, with the help of ACA opportunity kayak club. We have those members that are creeking, running slalom certified instructors. Donations races, competing at various paddling events beyond the KCCNY and some that are of members help to foster the fortunate enough to travel the world to paddle! You don’t have to go far to find development of ACA certified your kayak passion. instructors and river It was mentioned in the last newsletter on the NEED of having trip coordinators. conservations. In 2008, KCCNY Many of you stepped forward so that the river releases were more than covered. A organized more than 30 pool tip of the paddle, as special note of thanks must go to Chuck, Jack, Ellen, Wayne, sessions, exceeding 50 trips, Steve, Eddie, Cindy, Linda, Dan K., Mark, Kim, Sarah Z, Andy B. and myself. All of several safety courses and us enjoyed helping out and ultimately making sure that the KCCNY had a full beginner & novice instructionals, schedule. If you did not post a trip this year, please consider doing so for 2010. a swift water rescue course, and Sadly our 2009 Spring/Summer season is at an end, however, DO NOT despair, the the signature event, KCCNY Esopus Slalom race. paddling season is not yet over. There are those that are paddle year round and they will continue to post trips. Make sure to check out the web site for some “chilling” activities. Remember, if no trips are posted seek out the forum on the Inside this issue: web site and give a shout to see who may want to paddle with you. xSummary of Summer Activities Should you prefer to not venture out into the cold, pool sessions are right around xWinter-Spring 2010 Pool the corner. The schedule for sessions are currently being arranged so get ready to Sessions perfect your roll and more importantly, get ready for some good eats after the session! xPort Jervis WW Park Update As a group of passionate paddlers, we take pride in continuing to improve our skills. xReport from the Little Lehigh Our willingness to help each other, share our experiences, and show support to one Slalom Clinic & Race another gives each of us the inspiration to do even better. With that being said, x43rd Esopus Race many of our members continue to spend their time and money on professional training. They attended kayak schools such as Zoar Outdoor , Ottawa Kayak xThe 27th Annual Adirondack School, Liquid Skills and Northeast PA Kayak School. Should you want to learn Canoe Classic more about any of these schools reach out on the forum with any questions. xOttawa Impressions Hearing someone’s first hand experiences may help you make the right decision xWilderness First Aid for should you consider any of these schools. Paddlers In closing, as the end of our summer season is now upon us, it is a good time for xSOLO Wilderness First Aid for reflection. If there is one thing we should walk away with is the realization that Paddlers our time spent together whether on the river or in our day to day life is very precious. With that being said, it is with a heavy heart to inform you of the loss of xGuardian Angel fellow paddler, Bill Canfield. Bill gave a courageous fight against lung cancer. We xBill Canfield hope that you will take a moment to say a prayer and to remember him. We dedicate this newsletter in his memory. xRiver Release Schedule “If my ship sails from sight, it does not me that my journey ends, it simply xWW Events Around the Corner means the river bends.” ~ John Enouch Powell xAnnual Dinner 2009 xLast printed Newsletter Andrea Betancourt & Neval Ozturk 2 2 3 Winter/Spring 2010 Pool Sessions Summary of Summer Activities Update on the Port Jervis, NY Whitewater Park KCCNY is planning to have the following pool sessions On July 3rd , the second WOW( Women on Water ready for the Winter/Spring 2010 Season: Paddle) and Lax Testosterone festival scheduled By Addam Hubbard - simultaneously on Lackawaxen River, PA. Our fearless Union Pool - 15 sessions- Sunday mornings starting in leaders for that day were Linda and Steve McLuckie. December. A great turn out of close to twenty-four paddlers Port Jervis, NY – This past August, the Port Jervis City Counsel unanimously voted to accept the joined in on the fun. “This is one of my favorite trips” River Front Revitalization Plan presented by the Community Development Agency. The plan is Garfield Pool - 5 sessions on Saturday afternoons staring in said Linda. “At the take-out we were all pretty impressed at our little after party. Great eats and the culmination of a year of public comment meetings and discussion on how to best utilize the February. drink for everyone. It was a perfect end to a great cities river front property and connect it with the business and visitors of the area. day” said Steve. Thanks to Linda and Steve for a Lodi Pool - 10 sessions on Thursday evenings starting in great day and they will look forward to seeing you March. next year. The concept of a riverside park with walking and biking trails leading to picnic and viewing areas This past June, the KCCNY held its signature kayak along with a designed paddle sport area was presented in November to the committee and public. Please note that the number of sessions may be subject to rd change. event. The 43 Esopus Slalom Race was held on the The idea sparked much discussion and questions. In the end it was thought to be a viable choice Esopus Creek, NY. Race results can be viewed at since it provided use to the residents and would bring tourism into the city in the form a of a http://kccny.com/pge.aspx?pg=Esopus2009RaceResul In addition to the standard training that KCCNY instructors ts.pdf. whitewater park. Essentially the plan meet all the goals of the Community Development Agency provide at the pool sessions, there will be several clinics mission statement. during the Winter/Spring 2010 Pool Sessions. In those From June through September we were able to clinics, you can learn about how to choose and outfit a WW provide five flat water sessions at Green Turtle Pond. boat, proper use of your WW gear, basic river safety and We had hoped for more sessions, however, this This past July a final draft of the plan was provided for comment by the consulting firm to the rescue, strokes and concepts, even rodeo moves. summer season brought inclement weather with committee and public present. Surprisingly the whitewater park concept was the central piece of thunderstorms. (Not the best time to be on the the plan. At this meeting the petitions of support were presented to the committee and forwarded Pool sessions are also great place to meet paddling friends water.) Despite the limited sessions we all enjoyed the and share knowledge. Don’t forget about good eats after the beautiful scenery, warm water, blueberries and to the Mayors office along with the Council members. Over three hundres paddlers signed the laurels! Close to a dozen of you improved your rolling sessions! and paddling skills in a safe, warm beautiful pond. online petition to show support. A few hundred Port Jervis residents also signed local petitions to See you at the POOL!!! show their support as well. The committee decided to keep the plan unchanged and present it to More than thirty new paddlers were introduced to the sport of whitewater kayaking through the the Mayor and City Council at the next available meeting in August. KCCNY. They took part in four beginner & novice classes and more than fourteen With the cities acceptance of this plan, Port Jervis will now able to move forward with the grant participated on river instructional classes. Our thanks to Jack & Ellen Moskowitz, Dan Kirsh, writing and permitting process. I spoke with the head of the Community Development Agency Mark Tiernan, Connie Farley, and Ram Tripathi. after the meeting and was told that the large public support of the biking and whitewater concepts We had regularly scheduled local trips on the puts these aspects of the plan on the front burner. Lehigh and Mongaup rivers for every release weekend throughout the summer. Every trip had a great turnout and our beginners and novice So what does this mean to area paddlers? While there is still many hurdles to overcome The City paddlers had even more choices to develop their of Port Jervis has taken very big steps in providing the possibility of a paddling venue in which river skills. paddlers can come to hone skills, run clinics, and have fun on any given day. All within a two hour There were two Lower Yough trips this summer drive from New York City, just minutes from the Mongaup River and a 1/4-mile walk from the with full attendance for both. Many people who Metro North Port Jervis Train station.