Adirondack Watershed Alliance
There were numerous highlights
in another eventful year for the Adirondack Watershed Alliance’s canoe and
kayak race series. The Adirondack Canoe
Classic celebrated its 25th anniversary and won New York Marathon Canoe Race
Association (NYMCRA) “Race of the Year” honors for the third consecutive year
and thanks to a burgeoning 4-person canoe class, had the largest field of
paddlers ever for the three day event!
The Tupper Lake 9-Miler was integrated in to the Adirondack Museum’s No
Octane Regatta to add to the variety of paddlesport activities. The Long Lake Long Boat Regatta wrapped up
the Adirondack paddling season with a fun event and a tight race for second in
the North American War Canoe championships.
For the 25th Anniversary
“90-Miler” many people brought out their favorite shirts from years past. There were even some “bootleg” shirts of the
first 90-Miler shirt going around! Mike
Lynch gathered and put on the AWA web pages all of the results from the 24
previous events and a history page of sorts is being developed. Thank you to the folks who dug through their
files to come up with the results we were missing. Bob Yerka, who sang the
national anthem to lead off day three of the 90-Miler, and has been involved in
every event as either a paddler or volunteer, was recognized with the Terry
Healey Memorial Award – “for best exemplifying the true spirit of the
Adirondack Canoe Classic.” Lee Foster
was at his post as a volunteer for the 25th consecutive year and Ray
Morris and Holly Crouch both paddled for the 25th time. To celebrate the
special occasion, Ray and Holly pitched in to purchase 90-Miler pint glasses
for fellow paddlers, which were handed out prior to the event. Morris and
Crouch were also recognized during the traditional awards ceremony Sunday in
Riverside Park in Saranac Lake. Special
90-Miler recognition goes to long-time volunteers Rusty Knobel and Nina
Dickenson who entered as paddlers for the first-time, completing each day and
earning their 90-Miler pins. Knobel paddled with his daughter, Mackenzie, while
Dickenson paddled in a two-person guideboat rowed by smiling Chris Hoyt.
The AWA season finale was also a
big success. In the Long Lake Long Boat Regatta, canoes and kayaks, a dragon
boat powered by 18 women, war canoes and four-person canoes raced on a windy
late-September afternoon, providing excitement for spectators who enjoyed a
more audience friendly course this year. The race followed a party for
volunteers at the Adirondack Hotel.
For the first time, the Tupper
Lake 9-Miler was run in combination with the Adirondack Museum and TAUNY’s No
Octane Regatta, held at Little Wolf Pond in Tupper Lake. Participants paddled
about 9 miles down the Raquette River and many headed over to the Regatta for a
War Canoe race and other events at The Little Wolf Beach. We plan to be more involved with the events
in 2008 and will move up the start time of the 9-Miler to allow participants to
get over to the beach and enjoy more of the festivities.
The season wouldn’t have been the success it was without the efforts of many volunteers contributing hundreds of hours on everything from course safety, timing, grilling burgers and boat transportation. Special thanks go to the men and women of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the American Red Cross Emergency Radio Communications Team, Search Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks, SARNAK, and the Saranac Lake Kiwanis for their assistance again this season. Last, but certainly not least, thank you to our growing list of Sponsors and Advertisers for providing their valuable resources to insure the success of the paddling season for all of us. Let them know how much you appreciate their involvement.
90-Miler
named NYMCRA “RACE OF THE YEAR”
For the third consecutive year, the membership of the New York Marathon Canoe Race Association (NYMCRA) voted the Adirondack Canoe Classic the “Race of the Year.”
The honor was especially appreciated this year because the race celebrated its 25th anniversary. Many NYMCRA members participate in the 90-Miler every year. In awarding the 90-Miler this honor, paddlers cited many reasons, including race organization, business and community support, the strong feeling of history and camaraderie among the 500 participants in the three-day paddling extravaganza, the significant volunteer and DEC safety boat presence on the course, and the beauty and splendor of the route as they make their way across the original Adirondack “highways,” the lakes, rivers and portages that connect the communities along the route.
The Adirondack Watershed Alliance was formed to attempt to assure that the Adirondack Canoe Classic, and the other events we organize, maintains the strong community character and the incredible level of involvement from the people, businesses, spectators, participants and their families.
Thank you to the membership of NYMCRA for this honor. It validates our consistent effort to provide a positively memorable experience to all who chose to participate in our events.
Long-time
volunteer completes The 90-Miler
For nearly a decade, Rusty Knobel has participated in the 90-Miler as a pit crew member and a volunteer. He has watched from the sidelines as friends and family have participated in the event. You may recognize Rusty as the big guy who passed you a Reeses Cup at the Brown’s Tract Carry, or the guy who moved your boat at the end of each day, or shuttled you from the finish line back to the start, or picked up after all of the boats were gone. He has become an integral part of the success of the Adirondack Canoe Race Series support crew. In 2006, he watched with pride as his daughter Mackenzie paddled and finished the event in her solo canoe, and he let slip a deeply held wish: he wanted with all his significant might to participate in and finish the Adirondack Canoe Classic – just once!
Rusty, who had not been in a canoe in several years, worked diligently losing weight, exercising, paddling, gathering the right equipment and capitalizing on all of the resources available to him to turn his wish into a reality. His goal was not to win, (though he would have laid it all out there for his partner!) Rather he was in it to make all of the cut-offs and earn the pin of a 90-Mile finisher. It was not hard to pick a partner to paddle tandem in his Minnesota II. He knew he wanted to share the experience with his daughter Mackenzie. What father would not welcome the opportunity? The pair paddled in the open touring class and completed the course each day, earning Rusty the 90-Miler pin he coveted, and Mackenzie her 360.
Every member of the crew was pulling for Rusty and Mackenzie every stroke of every day. In many ways, with his effort, Rusty was pulling for all of us who stand on the sidelines. We are incredibly proud of Rusty and Mackenzie for their fortitude and success. Mackenzie will continue to paddle with partners and solo, but don’t expect to see Rusty out there paddling in this year’s event. He’ll be returning to the sidelines as one of the valuable volunteers, only now he is the beaming wearer of a pin that distinguishes him as a person who has done it!
We
will again coordinate the Adirondack Loon Census in the St. Regis Canoe Area
for the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Project from 8–9 a.m. on Saturday July 19,
2008. We put as many people on ponds to
watch for loons as we can muster.
Volunteers interested in going for a paddle on a Saturday morning are
welcome. There is a simple reporting form to fill out. Everyone is invited back to MAC’S Canoe
Livery for coffee and a muffin after the census. Please register for a pond by calling Grace at 891 – 2744. For more information on the loon science
work of Nina Schoch go to www.wcs.org/adirondackloons.
With
invasive species such as Eurasian Milfoil becoming more of a presence in the
Adirondacks, the Adirondack Watershed Alliance is encouraging paddlers to be
more vigilant than ever to help prevent them from spreading. Invasive species
often spread when plants and their seeds are carried by boats from watershed to
watershed. Paddlers can help prevent the spread of these plants by checking
their boats and gear to make sure that they are free of plants before entering
a new water body. Invasive plants often disrupt the natural balance of an
ecosystem by becoming the dominant plant. With no natural enemies, the plants
often out compete native species.
The AWA is coordinating projects with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Northern Forest Canoe Trail to improve and enhance canoe trails and campsites in the Adirondacks. If you would be interested in volunteering your time, or contributing your cash to one or more of our projects please give us a call at 518 891–2744. We have offered assistance to the DEC in the demolition and construction of the boardwalk at Brown’s Tract; we will partner with the Northern Forest Canoe Trail on campsite and portage enhancement projects; we will continue our work in the St. Regis Canoe Area and along the 90-Miler route. Your interest and participation are encouraged and appreciated. Thank you.
Brown’s Tract Boardwalk update
We have been diligently working with the DEC to remedy the deplorable condition of the boardwalk at the Brown’s Tract Carry. GOOD NEWS. When last we talked to DEC the funding was in place and the design has been determined to replace the boardwalk and widen and update the existing structure. Plans call for a total removal of the materials that have been repeatedly cobbled together over the past decade. The AWA has offered its resources to assure the job is done ahead of the 2008 90-Miler. If you would like to offer either your physical or financial support to this project – please contact Brian at macadk@northnet.org.
What is
the AWA?
The Adirondack Watershed Alliance is a paddling club developed to assure the continued promotion and organization of paddlesport activities, develop a steward network to enhance recreational opportunities and provide outdoor employment. We coordinate the Adirondack Canoe and kayak race series, offer clinics and trips, and encourage cooperation between all recreational users of the waterways of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. Currently, Brian and Grace McDonnell coordinate the majority of the activities of the AWA. Mike Lynch joined our staff for the 2007 season, and we look forward to his return in 2008. We will increase the AWA staff again this year with a person to assist in behind the scenes planning and event coordination. We welcome your thoughts, ideas, continuing support and encouragement.
Holly Crouch: Longevity, Endurance and Accomplishment
Many of the paddlers who annually participate in the
Adirondack Canoe Classic know Holly’s name because she is one of two folks, Ray
Morris being the other, who has been a paddler in all 25 of the 90-Milers. What you may not know is Holly has matched
her 90-Miler participation string with 25 consecutive years of participation in
the 70-Mile General Clinton Regatta held annually on Memorial Day on the
Susquehanna River between Cooperstown and Bainbridge. Paddling in the two biggest annual canoe events in New York State
every year for the past 25 is a virtually unrepeatable feat. To Holly, it is just something that she has
done! Congratulations to a terrific
and inspirational woman. See you on the
water!
For the second consecutive year, the Tupper Lake 9-Miler will be held in conjunction with the No Octane Regatta. Held on Little Wolf Pond, The No Octane Regatta is a short drive from the finish line of the Tupper Lake 9-Miler, which ends at the Rod and Game Club on Simon Pond. The No Octane Regatta has been a staple in the Adirondacks for more than 15 years. It features non-motorized wooden boats. Events include canoe jousting, a war canoe race and a grand parade of wooden boats. The No Octane Regatta is a cooperative effort of The Adirondack Museum, Traditional Arts of Upstate New York, The Town of Tupper Lake, The Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce and The Adirondack Watershed Alliance. Look for more information in our spring newsletter – or on macscanoe.com.
Shameless
Commerce Division
·
Adirondack
Canoe Classic Ball caps – Blue - $15 per hat includes shipping.
· The AWA has a limited number of T-shirts from previous Adirondack Canoe Races. All shirts are $12 each and include shipping. For specifics give us a call or stop buy. Buy any 3 shirts get 1 free!
· 90-Miler Posters. A fantastic collage from the 2004 Adirondack Canoe Classic. $12 per poster includes shipping - buy 3 get one free!
· We have a couple more copies of the 2005 90 Miler DVD for sale. $44 includes shipping.
Make checks payable to AWA.