FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 Contact: Carmella R. Mantello (518) 473-3835 Fourth Annual Great Hudson River Paddle Set to Kick Off for 2004 Joint Event Builds on Success of Hudson River Greenway Water Trail The Hudson River Valley Greenway and the Hudson River Watertrail Association jointly announce the Fourth Annual Great Hudson River Paddle (GHRP) will take place Tuesday, July 6, 2004 through Thursday, July 15, 2004. The event is being held under the auspices of the Hudson River Watertrail Association, Inc., a non-profit corporation founded in 1992 to promote and develop a continuous water trail from New York City to the Erie Canal. GHRP 2004 is being held to celebrate the Hudson River Greenway Water Trail, the improvement of public access to the Hudson River, and the diversity and heritage of the riverside communities of the Hudson River Valley. Carmella R. Mantello, Executive Director of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council and Acting Director of the Greenway Conservancy, stated, ^SWe are pleased, for the fourth straight year, to be a major sponsor of the Great Hudson River Paddle. This event draws attention to the recreational, tourism, and economic resources of the Hudson River, which the Greenway is proud to help develop. It will help highlight Governor Pataki^Rs vision for the Hudson River Greenway Water Trail and New York State^Rs efforts to revitalize our waterfronts.^T Gail Cashen, President of the Hudson River Watertrail Association, said, ^SHRWA is proud to sponsor this event which helps to promote the Water Trail and access to the Hudson River.^T Mantello and Cashen noted the great success of the Great Hudson River Paddle 2003 with over 1,000 people participating by kayaking or attending festivals throughout the ten-day period. The local festivals showcased local cultural demonstrations, kayaking skills and equipment, information booths, and natural resource programs. GHRP 2004 has something for everyone. For skilled, committed paddlers it^Rs a chance to paddle 150 miles from Albany to New York City. For new or inexperienced paddlers it^Rs a chance to get out on the Hudson River under the safe tutelage of knowledgeable local outfitters. For those who want to join in the celebration of the Hudson River and its communities from the shore it offers a series of festivals for everyone with natural and cultural resource demonstrations, kayaking skills and equipment and information booths. -more- -2- The tentative schedule for GHRP 2004 is: GHRP 2004 Itinerary DateStartStopMileage 07/6/2004AlbanyNew Baltimore15 07/7/2004New BaltimoreAthens13 07/8/2004AthensSaugerties15 07/9/2004SaugertiesNorrie Point17 07/10/2004Norrie PointWappingers20 07/11/2004WappingersCold Spring14 07/12/2004Cold SpringAnnsville11 07/13/2004AnnsvilleCroton Point10 07/14/2004Croton PointYonkers17 07/15/2004YonkersNew York City14 Total Mileage146 Major sponsors of the event include the Hudson River Valley Greenway, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Bridge Authority, the I Love NY Program within Empire State Development Corporation and Hudson Valley Outfitters. In 2001 Governor George E. Pataki provided a $1 million grant to the Hudson River Valley Greenway to create and establish a Hudson River Greenway Water Trail; to date approximately seventy sites have been designated on the trail. The Greenway has been a major funding and technical assistance sponsor of the Great Hudson River Paddle since its inception in 2001. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) has long been a supporter of the Hudson River Greenway Water Trail; currently eleven state park sites are designated as part of the trail. OPRHP has also provided invaluable technical assistance and overnight accommodations for participants of the Great Hudson River Paddle since its inception. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), through its Hudson River Estuary Management and Public Affairs Programs, is a funding and technical assistance sponsor of the Great Hudson River Paddle. The Hudson River Estuary Management Program is a unique regional partnership designed to protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the Hudson River estuary. Currently ten DEC sites are designated as part of the Hudson River Greenway Water Trail. For more information visit the Great Hudson River Paddle website at http://www.hrwa.org and click on the GHRP link or contact the Hudson River Valley Greenway at 518-473-3835. -30- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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