Connecting Paddlers to Florida’s Water Trails

FloridaPaddlingTrails.com

FPTA: Develops & Maintains Water Trails

“FPTA is not following a map, we are creating them!”

Dorsey DeMaster, President FPTA

So much goes on behind the scenes when FPTA develops new water trails…

• Our volunteer “explorers”

  • Look for new trails to blaze

  • Study, research, plan, then…

  • Paddle the route and document the nitty-gritty details

• FPTA has the largest collection of paddle maps, information sheets, and the most comprehensive paddle launch/ramp data (pulled from multiple verified sources)!

  We did the homework for you! So next time you’re looking for ideas, check out FPTA’s paddling trails collection information!

Water Trails are featured monthly on FPTA’s website!

December’s Water Trail: Clam Pass

In the wake of Hurricane Ian, we approached the December Water Trail a little differently and are providing our readers with an update on paddling FPTA’s Region F: Calusa/Paradise Coast.

Clam Pass is located in southwest Florida, five miles north of Naples and approximately twenty miles south of Ft. Meyers (as a seagull flies). Detailed maps, info sheets, and KMZs (file for your GPS) can be accessed in the “Northwest Coastal Area” day paddle list for Rookery Bay/10,000 Islands Segment (or just visit the Trail of the Month on the FPTA home page!)

FPTA Region F Director Duke Vasey describes it like this; “There is magic nearby at Clam Pass where you can follow the Clam Bay Canoe Trail through Clam Pass Park's 32-acre mangrove preserve where you may encounter dolphins or manatees during high tide and enjoy watching the many species of wading birds that complement the distance, adventure, solitude, and peace.

In the wake of Hurricane Ian, Duke went on to explain that many hazards exist (debris, red tide, etc.) so paddlers will need to use extreme caution.

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Today, the Paradise Coast continues to recover from the September 29th category 4 storm. FPTA Business Member, Gulf Coast Kayak, and organizers of the Calusa Blueway Kayak Fishing Tournament had to cancel their annual event. Located in Matlacha, owners Diana and Bryan, didn’t this challenge stop them from holding an annual fundraiser that benefits Candlelighters of Southwest Florida.

Mike Hammond, an FPTA F Region Director with Duke Vasey, summed it up in the November Ft. Meyers Edition of Coast Angler Magazine;

“The Candlelighters of Southwest Florida have been the beneficiaries of the tournament for several years. Their mission is to provide support, education, and assistance to families of children with cancer or blood disorders and the professionals who care for them. While fishing tournaments and many other fundraisers have been postponed, cancer has not. Cancer doesn’t slow down because parents lost their cars, roads are flooded, and medical facilities are closed. It doesn’t wait until families have a safe place to stay. I can’t imagine what these families are going through right now. I do know we can still help.”

In his article, Mike explained how Vanhunks donated a 12’ Zambezi kayak and Surf 9 generously donated six iSUPs for tournament prizes and raffle items. And despite the 19th Annual Calusa Blueway Kayak Fishing Tournament being canceled, they are still raising funds by raffling the kayak and iSUPs!

Mike Hammond eloquently summarized it like this “These families needed help before Ian. Now they need us more than ever.”

Go Here to view and place a bid on these amazing raffle items! Hurry, bidding ends December 15, 2022!

STATS:

• FPTA has:

  • 14 registered paddlers, all in various stages of completing the CT; including two new through paddlers, a SUP paddler, and two very close to finishing!

  • More than 75 state-wide volunteers, consisting of dedicated Trail Angels, Trail Keepers, and FPTA Leadership Team members - continuing our mission established in 2007 to “Support & maintain the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail (the CT).”

Interested in volunteering as a Trail Angel or Trail Keeper?

Contact FPTA HERE

CHECK OUT the “Volunteering: Paddling with a Purpose” article below for even more exciting volunteer opportunities!

Helping Our Rivers

by Doug Alderson

“If we are all students in this great shared learning process of life, then perhaps we can see the river as a great lesson in ecology, as a metaphor for learning how the integration of each natural part affects the whole.”

            Bill Belleville, River of Lakes

“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.”

Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

“There is sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed.”

Mohandas K. Gandhi

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”

            Rachel Carson

People who live along or frequently visit a river often develop a personal relationship that is familial. But instead of thinking of the river as a child growing up or as an elder eventually passing from this earthly existence, the river spans innumerable generations. It is more like a living ancestor that will transcend any lifetime. We simply experience it for just a short time in the geologic sense. Perhaps that is part of the attraction. In some ways, we are no different than the current generation of fish, birds, alligators, manatees and otters that frequent a river, the main difference being that our species has the power to destroy. That is why we need river advocates.

In 1966, the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association (now Hudson Riverkeeper) was formed to address massive industrial pollution along the Hudson River. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., became its Chief Prosecuting Attorney in 1984, adding a brighter spotlight to the movement. The group’s success eventually spawned similar groups and in 1999, the Waterkeeper Alliance was established as an umbrella organization for 275 Waterkeeper organizations and affiliates on six continents.  In Florida, more than a dozen Riverkeeper groups are allied by Waterkeepers Florida. These groups usually consist of a small paid staff and a “riverkeeper” to advocate for river protection and restoration, although some are completely run by volunteers.

Another national river group, the American Rivers Conservation Council (now American Rivers) was established in 1973 to fight unnecessary damming of the country’s last wild and scenic rivers.

Springs protection is also central to healthy Florida rivers. One group, the Howard T. Odom Florida Springs Institute, focuses on restoring and protecting springs throughout the state. The group’s executive director, Bob Knight, advocates for steps that include restoring spring flows to levels that protect their ecological health by placing a protective cap on groundwater pumping and charging a fee for groundwater withdrawals; restoring springs and aquifer water quality by regulating all fertilizer use in Florida and charging a fee for use; and reducing the use of septic tanks to treat human waste.

The idea of these groups is that every river system, including their associated springs, needs a champion or champions because rivers cannot lobby or vote, they cannot write letters, sign petitions or sue in court. They can only inspire. And so it is up to us. 

A recent trend is for rivers to be provided the same legal rights as humans. It began in 2017 in New Zealand when the Maori iwi tribe won a 140-year legal battle to recognize the Whanganui River as an ancestor with legal status as a living entity. The idea is to treat the river as an “indivisible whole, instead of the traditional model for the last 100 years of treating it from a perspective of ownership and management,” said lead iwi negotiator Gerrard Albert, quoted in The Guardian. This was followed by a similar ruling for India’s Ganges and its main tributary, the Yamuna. The Ganges is considered sacred by more than one billion Indians, but it has suffered from massive pollution. However, the ruling was overruled by a higher court since a practical way to implement legal protections was unclear.

Also in 2017, the Constitutional Court in Columbia granted legal personhood to the Rio Atrato, a river that flows through the territories of 91 different indigenous communities. Fourteen legal guardians from communities impacted by mining and pollution were appointed to an Atrato Guardians Commission. It was considered a good first step in protecting and restoring the river and changing our viewpoint from being in the center of nature, in control, to being part of the whole.

In Florida, the 2020 Florida Legislature outlawed the granting of legal rights to rivers in an attempt to thwart initial moves to grant personhood rights to the Santa Fe and other rivers. That doesn’t prevent people from placing rivers in higher regard, however, and for pushing for greater protection.

Some of the challenges:

• About 50% of Florida’s potable water is used for irrigation

• About 1 billion gallons of freshwater is pumped each day from the Floridan Aquifer

• Florida has over 1000 springs, the largest concentration in the world, but about 80% of those are considered impaired, diminishing their beauty and economic value.

Ways to Help Florida’s Rivers

• Support protection of river corridors and springsheds

• Protect open land that recharges our aquifer

• Minimize urban sprawl

• Support stronger enforcement of pollution standards

• Prevent pollution at its source

• Adopt a stronger state fertilizer ordinance

• Upgrade wastewater utilities

• Replace or upgrade septic tanks in key areas

• Control water consumption & adopt user fees

• Join a river cleanup effort!

• Practice xeriscaping and Florida Friendly landscaping

• Require Florida Friendly landscaping for new development

• Wean ourselves from bottled water & throwaway plastics

• Reduce water demand through conservation efforts

• Elect political leaders who truly care and educate them!

Florida’s Rivers Need Our Help! Please support these groups

• Waterkeepers Florida and specific riverkeeper groups

• Florida Springs Alliance

• Florida Conservation Coalition

• Sierra Club Florida Chapter and local groups

• Audubon Florida and local chapters

• Florida Wildlife Federation

• Florida Conservation Voters

• Current Problems

• The Nature Conservancy

• Trust for Public Lands

• FL Wildlife Corridor Coalition

• Environment Florida: Clean Water Network

• 1000 Friends of Florida

• Paddle Florida

• Florida Paddling Trails Association

• Many local/regional conservation groups!

Excerpt from Florida’s Rivers: A Celebration of Over 40 of the Sunshine State’s Dynamic Waterways by Doug Alderson, published by Pineapple Press in 2021

FPTA: A Resource & Voice for Paddlers

Looking for the perfect gift for your passionate paddler?

FPTA has partnered with the BEST businesses and outfitters! Consider these great gift ideas!

• Professional Kayak Instruction

• Guided Excursions for All Skill Levels

• Kayak Gear and Merch

Be sure you show your FPTA membership card to FPTA Business Members; Many are offering FPTA Members discounts!

FPTA Store: The Gift that Keeps Giving

• Individual and Family Memberships (starting at $20)

• FPTA Merchandise (starting at $15)

• Make a Donation (use your gift recipient’s name)

Remember: When you make a purchase on the FPTA Store, you are supporting FPTA’s many missions, including paddle camps for kids supporting passionate paddlers like you!

Visit the FPTA Store Today!

Purchasing your holiday gifts on Amazon?

Please consider selecting FPTA on Amazon Smile :)

FPTA: Promotes Paddling Safety

Risk Assessment – When Not to Go Out

by Steven Henkind

It seems as if not a week goes by without a story about a kayaker who got into serious trouble on the water. Often these stories include descriptions of the heroic rescue efforts of agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard.  A key point is often missed – why did the kayaker get into trouble?  In a large percentage of these cases, either the paddler had no business being on the water or did not take adequate precautions.
Decades ago, the Coast Guard developed a philosophy: “You don’t have to go out, but you do have to come back.”  This philosophy is put into action through Risk Assessment.  Risk Assessment tools are used prior to every potential underway mission and serve to help Coast Guard personnel make two decisions: 1) Should I be going out at all or is the mission too dangerous? and 2) If we are going out, how do we mitigate risk? 

Risk Assessment is something that kayakers should do every time they are considering going out on the water.  Once you construct a Risk Assessment methodology that you are comfortable with and gain some practice in using it, you will find that it'll take no more than a few minutes to apply and pay big dividends.

The model that I use has five components: Sky, Water, Land, Boats/Equipment, and People.

Probably the best way to learn about kayak Risk Assessment is in the context of a formal training event with a professional instructor. But even without taking a course, you should always ask yourself two questions prior to getting underway: Should I go out today, or is it too dangerous? If I do go out, how what precautions should I take?

AUTHOR: Steven Henkind, M.D. has served in various capacities in the U.S. Coast Guard for nearly 20 years, including leadership of the underway component of the national kayak safety program. He is also the highest-ranked ACA Kayak Instructor/Instructor Trainer in Florida.

Volunteering: Paddling with a Purpose

The Florida Paddling Trails Association (FPTA) is growing and is looking for volunteers who want to offer their time and talents to help us meet our mission of being a state-wide resource and voice for paddlers.  FPTA is accepting applications for the volunteer positions listed below. Click on the link for the job description details:

• Communications Coordinator

• Fundraising & Grant Coordinator

• Membership Coordinator

• Merchandise & Store Coordinator

• Safety & Education Coordinator

• Volunteer Coordinator

• Trail Angel - Trail Keeper

Tell us what you are passionate about and how you want help. Contact FPTA today and be part of something bigger!