Friday, June 05, 2009
Roanoke River Renaissance a go -- for now
A readin goes here and here and here four decks.
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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When members of the Float Fishermen of Virginia started planning for a public paddling trip to show off the Roanoke River, one of the big concerns was that the river wouldn't have enough water in June.
"We got lucky on the water level," Ken Ingram, who is coordinating the casual event that's planned for Saturday, said on Wednesday.
Maybe a bit too lucky.
While the river was at safe paddling levels at press time, the rain that hit the area Thursday could push the river up.
(Visit the Wild Life blog at Roanoke.com for updates on river levels and the status of the event.)
The Float Fishermen started planning the event a couple of months ago as a way to celebrate the removal of the dam at Wasena Park and to reach out to recreational paddlers who might not realize the deceptively appealing river resource that courses through the urban Roanoke Valley.
Their mindset is not unlike the one Franklin County recreation officials had when they revived the Pigg River Ramble, an annual event that this year saw roughly 500 canoes and kayaks take to the Pigg and Blackwater rivers over the course of three days in early May.
The Float Fishermen's event is far less ambitious.
"We've got a nice event," Ingram said. "It's not a huge event, but it's a doable event."
The float will start at 9:30 a.m.
Paddlers can drop their gear at Salem's Rotary Park (just downstream from the intersection of Apperson Drive and Electric Road) and then drive their vehicles to the take-out spot at Wasena Park.
Float Fishermen volunteers, with help from members of the Franklin County Creek Freaks paddling club, will keep an eye on the gear at Rotary Park, and provide shuttle rides from Wasena Park back to the put-in.
Ingram said the experienced paddlers also will provide safety tips and suggestions. He stressed that the event isn't a "bring anything thing that floats" trip. Canoes and kayaks are required. Participants will need to provide their own gear, including personal flotation devices.
The club will hold a modest picnic at Wasena Park at the end of the float.
Paddlers should expect the float to take about three to four hours, but shuttles will be available until 3:30 p.m.
For more information, including to ensure the event hasn't been postponed due to high water, call Ingram at 989-7151.
