[Paddlewise] Ensuring Paddler Access

Someone (Joe Pylka?) raised the problem of loss of access as shoreside and 
upland areas become increasingly privately owned, or "preserved" for wildlife 
conservation and the like.  This is a major concern for me, and I have 
similar stories of loss of local access, with growth of wildlife protection 
areas the most significant over the last five years.

Paddlers could take a lesson from climbers, who founded The Access Fund years 
ago, whose sole mission is to preserve and improve access to climbing areas 
for the public.  TAF:  http://www.accessfund.org/

We have seen ACA retract its tentacles from conservation within the last 
year, and in any case I suspect that the flatwater crowd would be better 
served by its own organization, __as long as ACA continues to have a strong 
WW bias.__  What flatwater campers need is significantly different from what 
the WW crowd does, although I know many delve into both sports.

I'd devote time and money in this direction.  Locally, there is effort 
extended toward identifying and saving paddle camping spots on the Columbia 
River, but it has been piecemeal, the devotion to duty of Steve Scherrer and 
his cronies notwithstanding.  Steve had a personal motivation when he was a 
co-owner of Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe Supply in Portland, but has continued 
even though he and spouse Cindy are no longer owners of ACKCS.

It's time we got on this and developed some national visibility.

--
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR 
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