THE FIVE MOST COMMON THINGS FOUND AT RIVER CLEAN-UPS

Just out of reach from my hand, the last beer can of our clean-up lay sunken in the clear water of the Lower American River. We were under the old Fair Oaks Bridge along the upper part of the American River Parkway the Saturday before Earth Day. I had organized a clean-up paddled on this popular stretch of river to help celebrate the week.
I maneuvered my kayak about above the submerged Aluminum can and reached down with the end of my paddle to lift the can to the surface. No luck the drown can only fell further away. I grumbled to think how many more cans just like this one litter the river bottom.
"Looks like I'm going to get wet," I told my paddling John Taylor as I paddled toward shore.
"You're not going to be best by a beer can, are you," he said, as I got out the kayak and waded waist-deep into the chilly waters of the river.
"No, I'm not," I said, as I reached down and pulled the mud and water-filled can to the surface like it was a valuable artifact or treasure. But, my prize quickly lost its luster. I drained away the slit and water and tossed it into John's canoe full of other junk and garbage we had collected that morning, ending our clean-up battle.
When I paddle, I usually pick up trash along the way. I'm in the habit of steering toward a floating plastic bottle or fishing a beer can or plastic bag out of a tree. As a steward of the lake or river, I try to pick up and pack out litter along the waterways. However, when I'm taking part in a river clean-up, I will put in a little extra effort to make these waterways trash-free by removing unique and common items alike.
According to American Rivers, a conservation organization aimed at protecting wild rivers, restoring damaged rivers, and conserving clean water, here are the 5 most common items found in river cleanups.

Cigarette Litter
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Cigarette smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans each year. And if that doesn't choke you, think about this. The chemical carcinogens of discarded cigarette butts are capable of leaching into surrounding water where they can harm and kill aquatic life. A study found that one cigarette butt can kill half of the fish in 1 liter of water. That is if they don't eat them first. Wildlife often mistakes the butts for food making them another threat.
Still, cigarette butts are the most littered item on the whole planet. It's estimated that over 120 billion have been discarded into the environment and washed into our rivers and the ocean. The Ocean Conservancy’s 2018 International Coastal Cleanup Report stated that 2,412,151 cigarette butts were collected worldwide in 2017. This is an increase from the 1,863,838 butts collected around the world in 2016.

Plastic bags
The good news. Consumers in both the US, Canada, and Europe are doing a great job curbing their use of plastic bags. Fewer are ending up in waterways around the world. Several countries, states, and cities have already banned their use. We have changed our habits by taking previously used bags with us on our trip to the supper market. Plastic bags are not seen as much as they use to, hanging from the branches of trees, flying in the air on windy days, and floating on our rivers. But that does not mean they have gone entirely.
Plastic bags are still amongst the most common items found in river clean-ups. Animals and sea creatures are hurt and killed every day by discarded plastic bags that they mistake for food.
“Death from eating any of these items is not a quick one and it is not likely to be painless,” marine ecologist Dr. Lauren Roman told the Guardian, “It’s a pretty awful way to die.”
The plastic bags, over time, break down into microplastics and drift throughout the water column in the open ocean and become virtually impossible to recover.

Plastic bottles
The bad news, more and more plastic bottles are now clogging oceans and rivers. According to Healthy Human, Americans buy 29 billion water bottles a year. For every six bottles people buy, only one is recycled and U.S. landfills are overflowing with 2 million tons of discarded water bottles, that is if they even make it to the landfill. Plastic bottles tossed into a river will head downstream and eventfully end up in the ocean. Rivers are a one-way conveyor belt of material," Ocean plastic pollution researcher at the University of Plymouth, UK, Richard Thompson told New Scientist, “They connect the sea to people that could be thousands of miles inland. And their actions can have an influence on the accumulations of plastic in the oceans.”
Once there the bottles can float on the sea surface for years, if not centuries, taking a long time to break down. Currents, winds, and waves can, after a journey of several years, bring them to the center of ocean basins, where they accumulate in 1,000km-wide circulating systems known as gyres. The vast garbage sea patches resemble an island of trash.

Food Packaging
“Mother’s Cantina is located steps from the Atlantic Ocean and the number one piece of trash we see on the beach is Styrofoam containers,” Ocean City, Maryland Tex-Mex Restaurant's Ryan James told FoodPrint, last year after before Maryland became the first state to enact a ban that prohibits restaurants, cafes, food trucks and supermarkets from packaging foods in foam containers. Styrofoam food containers and disposable coffee cups are big culprits in that are why several cities from New York and Seattle to Freeport, Maine, and Encinitas, California, have passed similar legislation; other bans on single-use plastics, including straws, have gone into effect.

Aluminum Cans
This brings us back to that aluminum beer can in the river. According to Ecowatch, almost 100 billion are used in the U.S. annually, and only about half of these cans are recycled. The rest go to landfills or into the environment and much of that is washed into our waterways. While Aluminum also come with their own eco-price: the production of each can pumps about twice as much carbon into the atmosphere as each plastic bottle.

Paddling back to the access with our garbage bags full of many items above included all of the above. We were amazed as well as disheartened by the amount of trash we found in and around our little river sanctuary. Cleanups like ours, are critical to ensuring that lakes and rivers remain beautiful places for us all to enjoy, yet they are only part of the solution. Ultimately if we want to protect our lakes, rivers, and waterways we need to create an awareness to others to reduce the amount of trash being littered into our environment by encouraging everyone to pack out their trash and dispose of it properly.

Act Now! Make the River Cleanup Pledge
Outside Adventure to the Max and American Rivers is asking for you to take action and clean up and protect the rivers in our own backyards. We need your pledge. The premise is simple. Every year, National River Cleanup® volunteers pull tons of trash out of our rivers. By picking up trash you see around you every day, you can prevent it from getting into the rivers in the first place.

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OVER THE BOW: THE SEINE RIVER

 

“The Seine. I have painted it all my life, at all hours of the day, at all times of the year, from Paris to the sea…Argenteuil, Poissy, Vétheuil, Giverny, Rouen, Le Havre.” ― Claude Monet

It was in my morning rush of waking up early, downing a cup of coffee, and driving through traffic when I let National Public Radio's Eleanor Beardsley take on a quick return trip to France's Seine River via my truck's radio.
The story was how the beloved river was helping, many people get along through the Covid-19 pandemic by offering a bit of serenity even in the densely populated city of Paris.
"It's spacious and serene," Eva Alonzo, told Beardsley during the report, "The water brings a calmness," she says. "Confinement is about walls and concrete. But here we feel closer to nature."

Listening to her report, my trip to Paris in April of 2017 with my wife Debbie flashed before my eyes. It was in the pre-Covid-19 days when Parisians were able to mill along the river banks alongside its historic bridges, houseboats, tourist boats, and iconic city views including the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral. We walked along the river and through the history of Paris with almost every step. In every aspect from its medieval period, through the days of the revolution, World War II occupation, and now the modern world, the river has been intertwined with the city. And now in the days of the pandemic and lockdowns, people are still finding healing with its gentle flow.

 Author of The Seine: The River That Made Paris, Elaine Sciolino, said in the same report, that the Seine takes its name and identity from the ancient Gallic healing goddess Sequana, who had a temple at the Seine's source two centuries before Christ.
"And it was so special that pilgrims came from as far as the Mediterranean and what's now the English Channel to be cured," Sciolino told Beardsley, "And in this moment where we're dealing with death and sickness with COVID, we need a healing goddess more than ever."

There is healing in the water, somebody once told me. As I walked along the Seine back then, I could feel its spirit bubbling through me. But, I feel that with all rivers. Spending time along their banks always reduces my anxiety, worry, and stress.
"For me, rivers are medicine," wrote American Rivers, Amy Souers Kober,| "I know when I need a break, when I need to get out for a float, swim, paddle, or streamside hike. If walking in nature changes our brains, then spending time on rivers must deliver an even bigger bang for the buck."

As continued my before work daydream, I could only think of one thing better to do than meander along the Seine River in Paris. Of course, that would be paddling it.

Over the Bow is a feature from Outside Adventure to the Max, telling the story behind the image. If you have a great picture with a great story, submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com

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A VOTE FOR RIVERS

My favourite places on earth are the wild waterways where the forest opens its arms and a silver curve of river folds the traveller into its embrace. --- Rory MacLean

Election 2020

 "Elections are like rivers, framed by what has happened in the past and full of possibility for the future. This year’s election is no exception," wrote American Rivers' President Bob Irvin on the nonprofit organization's website this week. He was being hopeful for the country and its rivers that he pledged to protect.
We certainly see his point in comparing the 2020 election to a river. A wild river at that, fill with its share waterfalls, rapids, whirlpools, and rocks. And even now that it appears that Joe Biden is our president-elect it is still not a smooth ride. President Donald Trump is doing everything he can to obstruct and delay the transition of power. However, the voters have spoken, and their message was clear. The Trump presidency will end on Jan. 20, 2021.

Expect the Biden administration to restore scientific integrity and take action on climate change, environmental justice, biodiversity, and other pressing concerns. That's goods news, advocates say for our rivers and waterways after four years of substantial damage to rivers and clean water done by the Trump administration and their policies.
Irvin says that the election of Joe Biden presents a historic opportunity to protect and restore the nation’s rivers and ensure clean water for all.
"By uniting around healthy rivers, we can improve public health and safety, create jobs, and improve lives in communities nationwide,” wrote Irvin.

Rivers Win!

The presidential election grabbed all the headlines, however a few waterways came away as winners during this election as voters in Florida, Colorado, and California endorsed new protections for waterways or property taxes that will fund water projects.
Residents of Orange County, Florida, voted overwhelmingly in favor of changing the county charter to give legal protection to rivers. Passed with 89 percent of the vote, the amendment applies to the Wekiva and Econlockhatchee Rivers and other county waterways. It grants the waterways the right to be free from pollution and the right to exist. It allows citizens to file lawsuits on behalf of the waterways to enforce those rights.
Similar to the Lake Erie bill of rights that Toledo, Ohio, that voters approved in 2019 and a federal judge threw out for being “unconstitutionally vague.” The Orange County amendment will also face challenges after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill in July that prohibits local governments from recognizing the legal rights of the environment. 

In Colorado, residents of the state's 15-county Western Slope region approved a property tax increase proposed by the Colorado River District by nearly 73 percent of the vote. The property tax increase will provide nearly $5 million annually for protecting water supplies for farmers and ranchers, drinking water for Western Slope communities, and rivers for fish, wildlife, and recreation.
“This is a big win for the Colorado River, the two River Districts, and the future of Colorado’s water supplies," Matt Rice, American Rivers Colorado Basin Director, told American Rivers, "The overwhelming support for these measures shows that Coloradans value healthy rivers for our environment, economy, and our future. In a polarized election season, we proved that water, and rivers, connect us.”
According to American Rivers, the Colorado River drives a 3.8 billion dollar recreation economy, generates over 26,000 recreation-related jobs, and irrigates thousands of acres of farmland.
While in Santa Clara County, California, preliminary results show that voters have renewed a property tax that funds watershed projects. Measure S had 75 percent support as of Wednesday morning, needing a two-thirds majority to pass. The tax, which does not have an expiration date, provides about $45.5 million annually for Santa Clara Valley Water District’s flood protection, wildlife habitat restoration, and pollution prevention. It will also assist with repairs to Anderson Dam, which is at risk of failure in an earthquake.

Let's Howl

Along with those victories came one for wolves, too. Colorado voters narrowly approved a ballot initiative, Proposition 114, which will require the state's parks and wildlife department to develop a restoration and management plan for the reintroduction of gray wolves that were hunted to extinction by the1940s.

“Reintroducing wolves will restore Colorado's natural balance,” Jonathan Proctor, a conservationist with the group Defenders of Wildlife, which assisted the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund in passing the measure, told  National Geographic.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department will lead the effort to establish a sustainable population of the animals in the western part of the state beginning in 2022 or 2023. It is the first time a state has voted to reintroduce an animal to the ecosystem. It comes less than a week after the Trump administration removed federal protections from gray wolves across the country.

Do You Have The Correct Time?

California voters determined to participate in our democracy and make their voices heard showed up at the polls this year in record numbers. But as the old saying goes, the wheels of government turn slowly but grind exceedingly fine. Case in point, California voters did pass Proposition 7 in 2018 by 62% to change daylight saving time. We'd stay on the spring-forward schedule year-round and paddle later in the light of day.

But keep your headlamp handy, because even though Californians did vote to end the clock switching, the California State Senate needs to pass this by a two-thirds vote and they haven't yet. And even if it did get passed in California, the federal government then needs to approve it. This year, we switched back to standard on Nov. 1  and will once again spring forward on March 14, 2021.

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OVER THE BOW: FOLSOM LAKE

“It is all very beautiful and magical here—a quality which cannot be described. You have to live it and breathe it, let the sun bake it into you. The skies and land are so enormous, and the detail so precise and exquisite that wherever you are you are isolated in a glowing world between the macro and the micro, where everything is sidewise under you and over you, and the clocks stopped long ago.” – Ansel Adams

Folsom Lake rises and falls with the seasons. At its fullest in early part summer, the lake features some 10,000 surface acres of water and has 75 miles of shoreline. While during the winter the lake level drops to a thirsty and parched skeleton of its former self.

As part of the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, the reservoir and Folsom Dam is a large watery expanse that extends about 15 miles up the North Fork of the American River, and about 10 1/2 miles up the South Fork of the American River located about 25 miles east of Sacramento, California. As a multipurpose waterway, the reservoir supplies much of the area's water supply while the dam operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation provides both flood protection and hydropower. For outdoor enthusiasts, it's a recreational destination for water-related sports as well as biking and hiking along its rugged oak-lined shores.

Most paddlers will forgo summer weekends on the lake escaping the speed boat and jet ski crowd that usually creates an ocean of waves. Late fall and early spring provide the best conditions for paddling. 

It was on a late fall day a few seasons back that I made this trek to the lake near Dotons Point. A forest fire raging nearby had smothered the lake with a layer of smoke, while the low lake levels had left behind a dried stark and wondrous moonscape. The roads and paths to the water were blocked with large sharp rocks or gooey mud. The best solution was to find a level spot to park and carry the boat across the barren lakeshore to the water below.

Over the Bow is a feature from Outside Adventure to the Max, telling the story behind the image. If you have a great picture with a great story, we would love to see it. Submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com

The Mission to Break Down Barriers to the Outdoors

Our friends at NRS and American Rivers are committed to cultivating common ground among diverse communities and making outdoor recreation welcoming and accessible to all.
Each Thursday in June, they will celebrate the experiences that make our hearts beat faster and fuller, sparking a dialogue to move our world forward—and having a bit of virtual fun, including exciting giveaways. Join the conversation. They invite you to share your stories with them and invite your friends to join the conversation by tagging #JustAddWater on social media.

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WATER FIGHT: Last Week's Highs and Lows of the Clean Water Act

The wars of the twenty-first century will be fought over water. ---- Ismail Serageldin

It was famed humorist Mark Twain who was given the credit for the incisively well-known phrase that "Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting."
For environmentalists concerned about protecting water, last week's 50th anniversary of Earth Day celebration offered a wild waterpark ride of slips and slides in interpreting the 1970's Clean Water Act.

The week began with water advocates crying foul has the Environmental Protection Agency under the guidance of the Trump Administration issued rulings that strip Clean Water Act protections for more than half of the nation’s wetlands and millions of miles of streams. The new Navigable Waters Protection Rule, “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS), dramatically narrows the definition of what waters are and the scope of which they are subject to federal regulations under the Clean Water Act. The rule would effectively roll back Obama-era regulations and re-define navigable waterways, potentially threatening ecosystems and drinking water supplies.

American Rivers President Bob Irvin says that the new rule is a matter of law and not science stating that ephemeral streams (one in five streams nationally) and isolated wetlands (51 percent of all wetlands) do not qualify as waters under WOTUS.
"We believe that science is the best guide to protecting our rivers and streams," wrote on the American River webpage, "Now, the Trump administration is dismantling clean water protections that are essential to public health and safety."

The EPA said the changes are the results of two executive orders Trump signed last year aimed at preventing delays of federal projects such as pipelines, dams, and mines that have been limited by states and tribes' abilities to study the project's effect on water quality.
“The EPA’s existing certification rules have not been updated in nearly 50 years and are inconsistent...." the agency said in a statement to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Leading to confusion and unnecessary delays for federally licensed or permitted projects."
The proposed changes would set a one-year time limit for local reviews while allowing federal agencies to demand a quick turnaround. They would also allow federal agencies to veto what states or local entities decide, raising concerns with environmentalists.
"In the midst of this pandemic," Sierra Club Deputy Legislative DirectorDalal Aboulhosn, issued this statement. "The Trump administration has just given polluters another free pass-- this time to contaminate groundwater, destroy streams and wetlands and put our water at risk. The need for clean water cannot be ignored, nor can the consequences of doing so."

The (WOTUS) rule could take effect later this summer, but will surely face potential legal challenges that might delay it. The Trump administration has hopes that a case challenging the rule will end up before the Supreme Court and, with the current conservative majority, it will be upheld by the majority.

However, in the same week, the U.S. Supreme Court sent a loud and clear message to the Trump administration and the EPA, stating: Don’t go too far in cutting clean water protections.
In a 6-3 ruling, the court said that the landmark Clean Water Act forbids polluters from spewing waste into navigable waters like oceans and streams without a permit even if the pollution travels indirectly through groundwater.
“This is unquestionably a win for people who are concerned about protecting clean water in the United States,” said David Henkin, a lawyer for the environmental group Earthjustice who argued the case in the high court told the Associated Press.

In the most high-profile environmental dispute of the Supreme Court’s term, the decision could certainly weaken the defense to the Trump administration’s future (WOTUS) court challenges. Environmentalists will now argue “If groundwater can be the connection to permitting in Maui, then why can’t groundwater be the connection for extending jurisdiction over isolated wetlands and seasonal waters?"
"The administration may be less sure of its strategy now," wrote American River's Ivrin in an email, "After the Supreme Court’s recent 6-3 decision in the Maui case. In rejecting the administration’s argument that only a direct discharge could be a violation, the majority recognized a broader scope of waters of the U.S."

Much more litigation is sure to follow as environmental groups continue their pledge to block the administration’s moves to undermine the protection of rivers and wetlands while industry and agriculture will be lobbying the EPA and Congress to simplified standards and to loosen what they say is government overreach brought by the Obama administration.

"Ultimately, the scope of waters of the U.S. will likely be decided politically," wrote Irvin in an email, "If the Trump administration is limited to one term, a Biden administration would likely revoke the dirty water rule and restore the Obama-Biden administration’s Clean Water Rule. A Democratic-controlled Congress could clarify the broad scope of waters of the U.S. Or a future Supreme Court case could resolve the issue."

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EARTH DAY 2020

Every Day is EarthDay. The changes needed to safeguard future living conditions for all species won’t come from governments or businesses. It will come from the best available science and public opinion. So it’s up to us. Spread the science. --- Greta Thunberg, via Twitter

This past week was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a week around the world marked with Earth Day celebrations, festivals, and massive clean up efforts all while promoting a cleaner, healthier environment worldwide.
It’s safe to say, however, nobody expected we’d be celebrating indoors and practicing "social distancing" during an earth-shaking pandemic that has inflicted millions and killed thousands. Environmental groups under the guideline stay in place restrictions around the world to fight the spread of COVID-19 were compelled to cancel all their outdoor and group events dedicated to environmental protection and rally online instead.

"Amid the recent outbreak, we encourage people to rise up but to do so safely and responsibly – in many cases, that means using our voices to drive action online rather than in person,” Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network, said in a news release.

Earth Day event organizers went to social media to create creative and fun virtual activities like trivia games, online tours of state and national parks, and interactive scavenger hunts along with tips on how people can honor the earth from home.
“It was hard,” Naina Agrawal-Hardin, a 17-year-old activist told Sierra, "But it was also so clear that it was what needed to happen. It’s not like we were going to pack up our bags just because Earth Day isn’t what we wanted it to be.”

"Like Earth Day, I turn 50 this year," wrote Wisconsin freelance writer Shari Gasper in the Sun Prairie Star, "There will be no party, no vacation get-away, no day at the spa. Instead, you’ll find me outside—in my garden, on a trail, or in my kayak on a quiet lake. My special day will be spent enjoying the simple joys of life, just like when I was a kid, and celebrating our amazing natural world."

But while it might have felt a little hard to celebrate Earth Day locked down in quarantine, the planet earth seemed to enjoy its day during this suspended time out. Around the world, skies are clearing of pollution, wildlife is returning and the normally polluted waters like the canals of Venice are clearer than anyone can remember.

No problems with the natural world have not suddenly vanished. Environmental leaders still warn that climate change still represents the biggest challenge to the globe. They predict that the world will return to its pre-pandemic settings quickly wiping out any environmental benefits of the shutdown.
However, on the bright side, they say the pandemic shutdown does give us a glimpse of a possible alternative into future Earth Days but only if we "rechart our course."
“Whether we like it or not, the world has changed. It looks completely different now from how it did a few months ago. It may never look the same again. We have to choose a new way forward,” Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg told a YouTube audience to mark Earth Day this week.

Like all milestone anniversaries, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day despite this year's lack of fanfare is a salute to the environmentalists who started a worldwide movement and the bold call for action of those like young Thunberg, who continue the crusade by encouraging all to us to honor the earth, not just one day year, but each and every day.
"Each day, every single person," Jane Goodall said in National Geographic's, documentary special JANE GOODALL: THE HOPE, "Has the chance to make an impact through small, thoughtful choices, and when billions of people make the right choices, we start to transform the world. Don’t give up; there’s always a way forward.”

American Rivers Clean-Up Pledge  
While many of the Earth Day river clean-ups were canceled or postponed until a later date due to the coronavirus COVID-19 social distancing guideline, there is still a need. Outside Adventure to the Max and American Rivers is asking those of you who can get outside to take action and clean up and protect the rivers in our own backyards. We need your pledge.
Every year, National River Cleanup^® volunteers pull tons of trash out of our rivers, but by picking up trash you see around you every day, you can prevent it from getting into the rivers in the first place.

Will you pledge to pick up 25 pieces of trash in 25 days? Let’s prevent litter from making it into our local streams and rivers. Add your name here:

Make the River Cleanup Pledge, and share your work on social media with #rivercleanup to help grow our movement. You are the key to protecting our rivers by setting an example for your community and help make Earth Day every day

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THE ABC'S FOR YOUR SUMMER 2019

After a long cold winter and very wet spring, the days of summer are finally here. This weekend kickoffs the official unofficial start to summer.  It's time to organize and alphabetize yours for summer list of adventure and fun near the water. Not sure where to start? We have some from great tips A to Z  on how you can make this summer unforgettable. So you waiting for, as Van Morrison said, "Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly."

Abandon your phone Ok, not for the whole summer, but at least day or two. Writer Michelle A. Homme says, "The quietness we encounter will allow us to hear the birds sing and to hear the wind whip lightly through the trees as the seasons begin to change.  We can recharge without feeling like we’re being pulled in so many directions."

Blast to the Beach Whether crowded or remote, sandy or rocky the beaches rules are always the same. Breathe the sea air, rest, relax and reflect with no shoes required. "I feel so lucky to know the magic of travel by way of water," wrote kayak adventure Kate Hives in her blog At Home on the Water, "To intimately feel the ebb and flood of the ocean as it caresses the rocky shores and sandy beaches of this coastal playground. Sometimes I feel like I have been told a great secret of the mystery of the natural world and my – our – connection to it."

Catch a Wave  All of that white snow from this past winter means a summer of whitewater for rafters and kayakers as they anticipating a longer season than normal with rapids. “There’s nothing better than spending a great day in nature, on the river with some friends," said Whitewater Excitement's Phillip Schoenhoff, "If you’re looking to smile all day, laugh until your abs hurt, and experience the excitement and thrill of the rapids, come on out and join us!”

Demo Your Dream Ride You wouldn't think about buying a car without a test drive, so why would you want to do that with your kayak? Many shops have demo programs for people who are in the market to buy a kayak. The River Store
 
Escape the City Did you get outside today? No, really outside, away from the noise, traffic and the endless scurrying about. Scientific research has long documented how just spending time in the great outdoors can have numerous mental and physical health benefits for rebooting your body and mind. As John Muir reminded all of us, "Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."

Feast on Your Float Tired of the normal river food being peanut butter sandwiches, simple freeze-dried packets, and oatmeal? Check out Lacey Anderson's Camp Cooking WITHOUT Coolers cookbook series.  She has developed menus that are nutritious, good tasting and easy to prepare, that is also lightweight and does not require refrigeration.

Go

Live

Incredible

Delights

Experience

Intimacy

Natural

Wonders

Experience

Tranquill

Lush

Amazing

Nature

Delta

Serenity  Paddler and operator of Delta Kayaking Adventures Kathy Bunton loves her experiences on California's waterlogged delta so much she put in the form of an acrostic poem to encourage you to come to glide along.

Help Clean Your Waterway Last year, cleanup organizers and volunteers spend a lot of time outside getting dirty as according to American Rivers the National River Cleanup registered cleanups at 3,166 sites, mobilized 57,228 volunteers and removed almost 2,000,000 pounds of trash. American Rivers
 
Indulge in S'mores What's a good camp out without the best dessert? Who doesn't love chocolate, marshmallow and Graham crackers? But as camping mom, Christy Harris Bryant points out pay close attention, "Because the golden rule with s' mores is. Never burnt, never burnt, Nobody wants a burnt s' more."

Journey Down A River "I love river trips," wrote outdoor educator Jeff Jackson in Paddling Magazine, "The whole trip though, not just the exciting bits or the paddling parts. I love the early possibilities and preliminary ideas, finding the maps and digging for the info I need to connect the dots."

 

Kayak a Lot That needs no explanation. Just go do it.

Love Your Parks "National parks are the best idea we ever had, wrote Wallace Stegner, "Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst." We heartily agree. Whether it's a national park or state park visiting these national landscapes of beauty and history shouldn't just be done in the summertime, but all year round. National Parks State Parks

Mix and Mingle at Water Festival These gatherings celebrate the river community and its history. Some are well-funded mega-fests while others are grassroots efforts led by volunteers with a universal love of showcasing their river. "These unique assemblies of river enthusiasts, first-timers and nomadic paddlers produce intense challenges, excellent learning opportunities, and unforgettable memories," wrote Kalob Grady in Paddling Magazine, "While non-kayaking friends will love the live music, vendors, silent auction and wild party."

Navigate Your Neighborhood When you live somewhere long enough, it has a tendency to stop being interesting by being too familiar. "Throughout my life, I fell in love with places other than where I was living. This feeling is common in many adventurers," wrote Natalie Warren in her paddling town series for Canoe and Kayak Online, but, after exploring the beauty, and history and the attractions she had second thoughts as she treats her hometown as a new destination and recommends you do the same, "While I don’t doubt that you would love it here, remember to love where you live. Explore your home."


Open a New Window "Summer means promises fulfilled, wrote naturalist Sigurd Olson, "Objectives gained, hopes realized. The surge of doing and achieving, of watching and enjoying is finally replaced by a sense of quiet and floating and a certain fullness and repletion, as though one cannot absorb any more."

Plunge into Boating So what's stopping you? If you been thinking about learning to kayak either whitewater or just want to know how to tour the lake lets just say there are boatloads of ways to get on to the water. "We all know adventure and exploration are not just for teenagers," writes Current Adventures Kayaking School and Trips' Dan Crandall, "Learning to kayak is an easy activity that will rekindle your youthful enthusiasm for many years to come." Current Adventures

Quiet Your Mind It's summer. It's time to stop stressing. Chase away those negative thoughts and take advantage of your precious time. Writer Michelle Maros said, "Sometimes we even forget that the whole point of going on vacation is to relax and have fun! This week, let’s leave all the stress behind and focus on how to really enjoy your time away, no matter where you’re going or who you’re with."

Race on the River Whether you want to support a great cause, get in shape or awake your gladiator spirit. Whether with solo or with a team there are divisions and courses for everyone using almost anything that floats. “If you’re in a competitive class you’re gonna go and go fast pounding down the river to beat your neighbor," The California River Quest race director Emily Matthews told the Chico Enterprise-Record about this weekend's event, "In the adventure class you’re out there to play and have fun. But in both classes, you pretty much paddle the whole time.”Race the Red  Great American Triathlon

Swim in Nature I don't mean skinny dipping but then again, why not. Adventure athlete Sophie Radcliffe‏ tweeted, "There’s something about swimming in nature that makes me happy and relieves stress; I love watching the world float by and gliding through the water with the sun on my back."

Time Travel in a Canoe Go back in time this summer. No special effects needed for this odyssey. All you need is paddle and canoe to feel like a voyager discovering the lake for the first time. "We need to be more aware of where we are headed and from whence we came," said famed canoeist Bill Mason, "An appreciation of the canoe and acquisition of the necessary skills to utilize it as a way to journey back to what’s left of the natural world is a great way to begin this voyage of discovery.” Sy Park BWCA

Unwind at Sunset  English Novelist Pamela Hansford Johnson eloquently paints this description of dusk while on the water, "The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water caught fire." Who can argue? The sunlight flashing in each droplet from our paddles as the water glows in a golden glitter. How can you resist the sight of tranquil lake basking in the dimming light?

Vow to Wear Your PFD "We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: when you’re on the water, wear your life jacket, also known as a Personal Flotation Device or PFD." states the NRS website, "Year after year, dozens of people lose their lives while boating. And year after year, statistics show that many of these tragedies could have been prevented by wearing a well-fitted, properly-adjusted life jacket."

Wander Like Your Lost  It's the perfect quote for summer from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings that says, "Not all those who wander are lost." It encourages you to slow along the way to the lake or river. Stop in at the paddle shop to get some advice, hike that trail that you have always paddled or stop at that scenic vista. Summer days go by so quickly, you should make them last as long as possible.

X-Out Your Own Adventure "Let’s celebrate that we had our own adventure," writes Pete Delosa in his blog River Bum suggesting in these Instagram days of big water and even bigger drops there is no reason to count out your triumph. "If you went on the water and had fun then you won today and that is worth celebrating. Other people might have been looking paddleboarding kind of day today than we were and that is ok. I hope they found what they were after, but that doesn’t take anything away from our success."

Yoga on Your Paddle Board We get it. Just standing up on the board is challenging enough for some, but as the founder of Stoked Yogi, Amelia Travis told Yoga Journal, "Before you write off stand up paddleboard (SUP) yoga as impossible, here’s what I tell all first-timers: “If you can breathe, you can do yoga. If you can stand on one foot, you can paddle."

Zigzag a Water Trail Whether you want to go the distance or simply float to the next landing there is a water trail just waiting for you. Featuring public water accesses, campsites, rest areas and miles and miles of best paddling anywhere you can spend the day, week or the entire summer just like John Connelly did when he took his epic 1500 mile paddling adventure across the Northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada. In Dying Out Here Is Not An Option, a chronicle of his trip he wrote, "Seeing the canoe loaded with all I require to survive for the weeks to come," he wrote, "Makes me think. this canoe and I are going to forge a relationship over the next 800 miles. What will that end up looking like? What will be the story?" US Water Trails

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THE TRASH PADDLE SCAVENGER HUNT

Environmental pollution is not only humanity’s treason to humanity but also a treason to all other living creatures on earth! --- Mehmet Murat ildan


"Over there," called out one of my fellow paddlers, Mark, "Up there. Do you see them? You might have to get out the boat."

I turned my Necky tandem kayak around and paddled up alongside him. He was pointing at three glass beer bottles that had been aimlessly tossed into some blackberry bushes along the lakeshore. They were out of reach and tangled in a web of thorns. They would be difficult to retrieve.

I beached my kayak and waded into chilly ankle deep water and climbed onto the embankment to look into the underbrush to see the glass bottles. The first one I could reach and I carefully pulled it through the vines of thorns and tossed over my shoulder into the water for Mark to retrieve. The second took a little more work as I used my paddle to bat closer to me and the edge of the bank. The third was even further out of reach. I stretched in the brush with my paddle and similar to a hockey player trying to get a hold of the puck as I used it to force the bottle out of the thorny bushes to the edge of the bank. After rolling toward me, I grabbed like it was a treasure and carried it to my kayak with a trash bag the cockpit.

"Who would bring glass bottles to the lake?" questioned Mark's wife Cathy as she paddled up to join us, ""You would think they would know better."

"You would think they would no better than just tossing alongside the lake too," I growled as I got back in my kayak.

I have paddle along the lakeshore of Lake Natoma many times before. This is my neighborhood lake. The popular narrow 5-mile lake, located near Sacramento, sits on the western end of the California State Parks' Folsom SRA. Open year-round the lake garners a crowd on weekends during the warm springs days into the summer months. This day was no exception

Being my neighborhood lake, usually, when I paddle it, I pick up trash along the way. Over the years, I've made a good the habit of steering toward a floating plastic bottle or fishing a beer can or plastic bag out of a tree. As a steward of any lake or river, I feel it's my obligation to pick up and pack out litter along the waterways I travel.

To celebrate Earth Day, I hosted a clean up on the lake with Bayside Adventure Sports, an active Sacramento based outdoors church group. To make it fun, I turned it into a scavenger hunt by giving the participants a list of the biggest trash culprits most commonly found during river and lake cleanups.

Cigarette Butts  Can you believe they only weigh one gram or less but they account for 30% of all litter in the United States. In recent cleanup at Lake Tahoe volunteers removed 750 pounds of trash and over 6,000 cigarette butts, according to the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

Plastic Bottles and Bottle Caps  As of 2015, around 9% of all the plastic waste ever generated had been recycled, while 12% was incinerated and 79% was sitting in a landfill or the natural environment, according to research published in Science Advances. The bad news doesn't stop there. As reported in Mother Nature Network, our earth's oceans receive roughly 8 million metric tons of plastic waste every year, washing there from its shore and carried there by inland littered rivers.

Food Packaging  The NRCM reports that plastic foam food containers are among the top 10 most commonly littered items in the US. In efforts to curb this the state of Maine has become the first state to officially banned from using food containers made of Styrofoam. According to CNN, this law will go into effect Jan. 1, 2021, prohibiting restaurants, caterers, coffee shops and grocery stores from using the to-go foam containers because they cannot be recycled in Maine.

Plastic Bags  The good news. So far only 2 states California and Hawaii have banned plastic bags. The bad news. But they are still being commonly used across the United States. According to ReuseThisBag.com, the average bag you pick up at the store has a lifespan of about 12 minutes. When discarded, they clog sewage and storm drains, entangle and kill an estimated 100,000 marine mammals every year, and degenerate into toxic microplastics that fester in our oceans and landfills for up to 1,000 years.

Aluminum Cans  According to American Rivers, almost 100 billion aluminum cans are used in the U.S. annually, and only about half of these cans are recycled. The rest goes into landfills or into the environment. Beverage containers account for 50% of roadside litter (though this statistic includes plastic containers), and much of that is washed into our waterways.

And Items That Just Don't Belong  The executive director of Columbia, Missouri based non-profit that focuses on keeping the river clean is never that surprised by what they find in the water during cleanups. In a TV interview, Missouri River Relief's Steve Schnar said, "Anything that floats from our lives, and that's everything from plastic bottles, to styrofoam, to tires, refrigerators, and surprising things, anything that floats."
I can only agree. Believe or not I once found a picnic table that had been tossed into the lake. So my list included those surprising things clothing, construction supplies, fishing gear and just about anything else.

When we paddled back to the access, our garbage bags included all of the above. Most notable to our addition were three car tires that we recovered from the other side of the lake which I strenuously had to tow back.
We were amazed as well as disheartened by the amount of trash we found in and around Lake Natoma. Cleanups like ours are critical to ensuring that lake and rivers remain as beautiful places for us all to enjoy, yet they are only part of the solution. Ultimately if we want to protect our lakes, rivers, and waterways we need to create an awareness to others to reduce the amount of trash being littered into our environment. We should make Earth Day every day by encouraging everyone to pack out their trash and dispose of it properly.

Act Now! Make the River Cleanup Pledge  Outside Adventure to the Max and American Rivers is asking for you to take action and clean up and protect the rivers in our own backyards. We need your pledge. The premise is simple. Every year, National River Cleanup® volunteers pull tons of trash out of our rivers, but by picking up trash you see around you every day, you can prevent it from getting into the rivers in the first place.

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EARTH DAY 2019

NASA Earth Observatory image by Robert Simmon

This Monday, April 22, marks Earth Day’s 49th birthday. The annual holiday has come a long way since its inception in 1970. According to the Earth Day Network that first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. Paving the way for many groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act.

Twenty years later, Earth Day is like a name global celebration, mobilizing 200 million people in more than 190 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Communities big and small have stretched the celebration into seven days’ worth of eco-focused activities such as river clean ups and tree plantings.

“For millions of people," said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network on their website, "Cleanups foster a sense of practical pride in their local environment while serving as an entry point and a springboard for many people—young and old—to become environmentally engaged and delve deeper into what is happening to our world, its nature, and its environment,”

Earlier this month, Rogers was excited to help kick off India’s River Ganges Initiative 2019, a landmark citizen-led cleanup of the iconic river. The River Ganges is being launched by the Earth Day Network as part of worldwide effort to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

According to a 2014 article in the Syndey Morning Herald, experts estimate that more than 3000 million liters of untreated sewage from these towns along the Ganges is pumped into the river every day. By the time it reaches Varanasi, whose untreated sewage (or most of it) is also pumped into the waters, it becomes a sewer and the sixth most polluted river in the world.

Photo courtesy of New Delhices

The initiative, which got underway last week ago as part of Earth Day 2019, will begin on Vaisakhi—the Hindu New Year for many in India —high in the Himalayan mountains at Devaprayag where two glacier-fed streams meet to form India’s most famous and sacred river. The first phase will evolve over the next 15 months to encompass 100 cities and towns close to the Ganges—known as the Ganga in India– as it meanders to the famous Sunderbans Delta.

“The project on the Ganges will serve as a lightning rod for many more countries and communities to get involved worldwide," Roger said, "As we transition into Earth Day 2020, we will mark the anniversary with a myriad of events including what we are calling the Great Global Cleanup—so watch this space”.

Closer to home. American Rivers a national advocacy group dedicated to the preservation of rivers released their 2019 report of America’s Most Endangered Rivers. It spotlighted how climate change is impacting our rivers and water resources. New Mexico’s drought ravished Gila River, named the #1 Most Endangered River in the country.

American River President and CEO Bob Irvin hopes this report will raise awareness of how our nation's rivers are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, pollution, and other threats.

“Climate change is striking rivers and water supplies first and hardest,” said  Irvin, in a statement. “America’s Most Endangered Rivers is a call to action. We must speak up and take action because climate change will profoundly impact every river and community in our country."

For the whole list click here: AmericanRivers.org/EndangeredRivers2019

Happy Earth Day 2019

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THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

The usual placid waters of Lake Natoma bolster a fast current now with releases coming down from Folsom Dam.

A Pacific storm system known as the “Pineapple Express” blasted California earlier this week dumping waves of water and snow across the west coast region raising risks of flooding and mudslides.
Drawing its name from a weather phenomenon that periodically heads east in long and narrow bands of water vapor formed over an ocean adjacent to the Hawaiian Islands this past weather system was one of season's strongest in series of storms this winter.

“The (Pineapple) Express is no joke,” Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland told Reuters. "We're talking 3 to 5 inches of rain in San Francisco and coastal areas."
Those torrential rains beginning last Tuesday shattered daily precipitation records in Sacramento and led to flash-flood watches across the region. Water releases from Nimbus and Folsom dams increased as the storm moved through the region.
While at Lake Tahoe a winter storm warning from the National Weather Service in Reno remained in effect for much of the week as some ski resorts on Thursday morning did report over a foot of fresh snow.

The snow is great news for those heading to the Lake Tahoe slopes. The latest in winter storms have increased snow depth at area ski resorts to above-average levels delighting would-be skiers looking for fresh powder. While whitewater kayakers like world-class kayaker Carson Lindsay know that the higher snow means the bigger the water come springtime.
"I’m not only looking forward to some bigger flows in the rivers this spring during the peak runoff but also longer and more sustained flows into the summer as the snow melts!" said Lindsay, "My friends and I have our eyes on some epic whitewater missions and adventures this spring.

The biggest winner however just might be California's water supply which has face uncertainty over the past decade. The snowpack, where the state gets one-third of its water supply, always plays a pivotal role as it slowly melts filling the state's reservoirs, rivers and streams. In wet years, the runoff begins in April and can continue to flow through into August. But in years with less snow accumulation, therefore less precipitation, the runoff can run out as early as May.
The latest statistics from the California Department of Water as of Wednesday, the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada has an astounding snow water equivalent of 136 percent of historical average for this time of year. That's a big jump from a month ago when the snowpack was at just 69 percent and huge from just last year when it was at only 18 percent of normal.

Californian boaters are cautiously optimistic those numbers will translate into longer high flows and even bigger summer rapids.
"I'm hopeful this year will be better than last. December was drier than normal, but January was above average, so we're off to a good start," said Shingle Springs, Ca., based photographer and paddler Martin Beebee, "I'm looking forward to having more time to run some of the rivers that are really dependent on the winter rain and snow, such as the North Fork American. The more rain and snow."
Lindsay agrees even though he says that typically with these bigger snow packs it makes access difficult in the higher elevations until much later.
"The weather quite a bit nicer and it helps spread out the season a bit more," said Lindsay, "Also, this will help fill the reservoirs so we can have guaranteed world-class commercial rafting 7 days a week."
Although hopeful, Beebee emphasized the uncertainty of the weather and a past history of droughts over several years.
"It's so hard to tell anymore what's going to happen," said Beebee, "Call me a pessimist, but it could just as easily stop raining and snowing after this next storm and leave us high and dry again. 2017 was really an anomaly in the last decade or so when we've mostly been dry"

Landmark Conservation Bill Protects Nearly 620 Miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers

In a landmark conservation bill, the US Senate earlier this week, passed legislation to protect nearly 620 miles of wild and scenic rivers across seven states from damming and other development. With bipartisan support, the bill is the biggest step forward for Wild and Scenic River designations in nearly a decade.
"The overwhelming local support for these protections are the reason why they are moving through Congress despite the gridlock that usually dominates Congress when it comes to natural resource issues." wrote David Moryc the Senior Director Wild and Scenic Rivers and Public Lands Policy for American Rivers on their website this week.

Some details on the rivers protected compiled by American Rivers:

• 256 miles of new designations the for tributaries for the Rogue River, the Molalla, and Elk Rivers in Oregon;
• 110 miles of the Wood-Pawcatuck Rivers in Rhode Island and Connecticut;
• 76 miles of Amargosa River, Deep Creek, Surprise Canyon and other desert streams in California;
• 63 miles of the Green River in Utah;
• 62 miles of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook in Connecticut;
• 52.8 miles of the Nashua, Squannacook and Nissitissit Rivers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Tour boat will change kayaking at Pictured Rocks

 

Courtesy of Moran Iron Works Inc.

Paddling at Lake Superior's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will get easier for some folks after Moran Iron Works Inc. announced the production of the first-ever kayak launching vessel, designed to take 72 passengers and 36 kayaks. The 64-foot-by-19-foot vessel will be used to take passengers and their kayaks around the Pictured Rocks for guided tours. The custom-designed kayak launch system will be tailored to allow passengers to launch their kayaks offshore once the boat is parked.
Tourism companies on big lakes such as Lake Tahoe will surely take note.

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CELEBRATING THE RIVERS OF AMERICAN

 Photos courtesy of Tim Palmer

Outside Adventure to the Max Guest Blogger Tim Palmer

An unspoiled river is a very rare thing in this Nation today. Their flow and vitality have been harnessed by dams and too often they have been turned into open sewers by communities and by industries. It makes us all very fearful that all rivers will go this way unless somebody acts now to try to balance our river development. -- President Lyndon Johnson's remarks on signing the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, October 2, 1968


When I need to brighten my day, I go to the river.

I walk along the shore, or sit for a while at the water’s edge and listen to the swish, or the babble, or the exciting bubbly rush of flow. Always moving when the rest of the landscape is still, the river holds me rapt, and if I stare long enough, it mesmerizes and takes me away to a special place where the rest of the world — along with its eternal complications, everyday demands, and political disappointments — seems like a thousand miles away. And floating on the river is even better, drifting with the current wherever it goes.

Part of the appeal of rivers likely has an evolutionary context: our bodies are nearly 70 percent water, and every drop comes from a river or from groundwater, which is inseparably connected to the surface flow. Rivers are essential to our lives and communities, and they also create the finest of all wildlife habitat. Their free-flow from mountains to sea makes possible the iconic runs of salmon and steelhead in the Northwest, and of other fish throughout the nation.

Montana’s Flathead River

Through the 1960s our natural rivers — and all of their attributes — were being lost at an astonishing rate by the construction of large dams. Some 70,000 had been built on virtually every major river, and hundreds more were proposed, planned or under construction regardless of their economic worthiness, their hydrologic capabilities to supply water, or their unintended but harmful effects on fish, wildlife, recreation and landowners.

Rising against this backdrop of gung-ho damming, Congress passed the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968 with unanimous support in the Senate and with a bipartisan 265-7 vote in the House. Seeking balance of federal policies that for a century had encouraged development at any cost, the law recognized that some of our finest natural streams should remain the way they are. The new law represented nothing less than a new way for a nation to regard its rivers, its landscape, and its environment.

For selected rivers, the program bans dams or other federal projects harmful to the streams, and it encourages other means of protection for fish, wildlife, water quality and historic values. Intending to go beyond the initial 8 designated rivers (12 counting major tributaries), the Act established protocols for adding rivers to the system.
Designation in this foremost program for river stewardship sets the stage for better management of recreation of all types. The resulting national prestige has also bolstered efforts to protect stream front open space, to reinstate healthier flows in diverted sections of some rivers, to develop trails, and to reinforce local communities and economies.

Pennsylvania’s Delaware River

Today, as we near the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, nearly 300 rivers have been set aside nationwide. That spells success, though, among 2.9 million miles of rivers and streams in the nation, only 0.4 percent are safeguarded in this program.

The next week's anniversary of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act on October 2, 2018, is a cause to celebrate the legacy of all who have worked for the health of America’s finest streams. It also challenges us to do more. Perhaps most important, national recognition through this federal law — enacted half a century ago — can inspire all to engage further in ongoing efforts aimed at protecting and restoring these and other waterways.

Learn more about the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by visiting American Rivers and 5000miles.org.

Tim Palmer is an award-winning author of 26 books on rivers, conservation, and the environment. He has received the National Outdoor Book Award, the Communicator of the Year Award from the National Wildlife Federation and the Lifetime Achievement Award from American Rivers. Living the life as a nomad he and his wife author Ann Vileisis traveled the country for 11 years in a Ford van while they did their research and writing before settling down on in a small town on the Pacific coast.

In his latest book, Wild and Scenic Rivers: An American Legacy, he shows us the beauty and wonders these streams that have been safeguarded under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act with 160 spectacular images. You can see more of Palmer work at www.timpalmer.org.

Outside Adventure to the Max is always looking for guest bloggers. Contact us at Nickayak@gmail.com, if you are interested.