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March 10, 2010

Canoe/kayak paddles on the Etowah River in March

Dalton Daily Citizen

DALTON — The Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI) and Upper Etowah River Alliance (UERA) will host a pair of canoe/kayak paddles on the Etowah River in March. The groups will lead a paddle from East Cherokee Drive to Boling Park in Canton on March 20 and one through the McGraw Ford Wildlife Management Area in Northeast Cherokee County on March 27

The trips will allow local residents to explore more than 25 miles of the Etowah in Cherokee County, highlighted by the McGraw Ford Wildlife Management Area (WMA), several Native American fish weirs and other historic sites. 

The March 20 trip will take participants from East Cherokee Drive into downtown Canton, a 15-mile stretch of river that includes no less than five Native American fish weirs. The trip will take approximately six hours.

The March 27 trip will take participants through Northeast Cherokee County and the McGraw Ford WMA. The trip will take four to six hours.

Shuttles will be provided for a small fee and boat rentals are available. The trip is free to CRBI and UERA members. CRBI and UERA are offering joint year memberships for $35 through these trips. Pre-registration is required.

To register for the trip, pay membership dues and/or rent a boat, visit  www.coosa.org/events/paddle-trips or contact CRBI volunteer adventure trip coordinator Alan Crawford at (706) 291-7449 or via e-mail to fatboyal@bellsouth.net.

“These paddle trips are a chance for citizens to see what’s at stake on the Etowah River,” said Joe Cook, CRBI executive director and riverkeeper. “The Etowah in eastern Cherokee County is not navigable by ordinary power boats so the best way to experience it is from a canoe or kayak. It is a beautiful river teaming with life.”

Provided suitable water levels, participants will also get a chance to view several Native American fish dams dating back 500 to 1,000 years. These V-shaped dams were built by ancestors of the Cherokee Indians who ingeniously used them to capture fish.

The Etowah is considered one of the country’s most biologically diverse river systems with 76 native fish species. It is home to 10 imperiled aquatic species, including the federally protected Cherokee, Etowah and Amber darters.

CRBI is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance. Its mission is to inform and empower citizens to protect, preserve and restore North America’s most biologically diverse river basin.

The Upper Etowah River Alliance is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to inform and educate citizens to conserve, sustain and enhance the beauty and environmental health of the Upper Etowah River Watershed.

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