Century Paddle 2010

August 30-September 4th

Start Location: Jon Storm Park Oregon City OR 97045

Date/Time: Aug 30th 2010 6am-8:30am start.

Finish Location: Astoria- Jon Day Park / Pier 39

Finish Date/Time: Sept 4th, 2010 1-3:30pm finish.

Total mileage- 115 miles- 6 days 5 nights

Paddling Crafts: (Human Powered Watercraft) Kayaks, Canoes, Dragon Boats, Outriggers, Stand Up Paddleboards, Inflatables (that can be paddled 14-25 miles/day).  Some solar/wind powered assists

The Century Paddle is a 110-mile flat water sea kayak / paddle trip from Willamette Falls to the Pacific Ocean over six days and five nights (Aug. 30-Sept 4th 2010). Participants will paddle down river for about five hours a day making camp each of the five nights on the beaches of the magnificent Columbia River.

Century Paddlers will enjoy a fully supported trip complete with catered meals feasting on local foods and river stewards will haul all paddler’s personal/camping gear down stream.

We start below Willamette Falls in Oregon City, and paddle through downtown Portland. We continue past the shipyards, to Sauvie Island and up the Multnomah Channel to the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. From here we follow the Columbia River through the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge and finish our trip in Astoria. The 2010 Century Paddlers will bring awareness and raise funds to help keep our river’s clean and to support adaptive recreation programs for disabled veterans.  We Love Clean Rivers will be coordinating shore based river cleanups with river steward volunteers along the way on the Willamette as well as the Columbia River as a way to leave the river a little cleaner than we found it.

This trip requires a moderate level of paddle sports preparation. Each participant must be familiar with basic kayak skills and self rescue techniques. We recommend paddlers should try to have a minimum of 100 hours of paddling by the start of CP10.  Paddlers need to be able to sit in a kayak for 2-3 hours at a time to complete this trip.  More detailed training techniques and preparation are available by reading Sam Drevo’s tips and techniques for CP10.  Classes and work up trips are offered by Northwest River Guides LLC and other schools all summer long.

Century Paddle was created to benefit Team River Runner PDX (using paddlesports as a means of healing and therapy for wounded veterans) & We Love Clean Rivers (promoting river stewardship by turning restoration into recreation). See teamriverrunnerpdx.org & welovecleanrivers.org for more info

Registration includes: 3 meals / day for 5 days and 2 meals on day 6- starting with breakfast on day 1, and finishing with lunch on day 6.  Gear shuttle (50lbs pp/day), on-water support / safety paddlers / sag boats/ rescue services, camping fees, nightly entertainment and social/educational activities, logistics, and training resources.

Registration also includes River Steward Kit essentials: CP10 water bottle, thermal mug/bowl, fork/spoon/knife, mesh bag, small dry bag, sun screen, Clif Bar snacks

Price: $950

Registration Available On-Line at: http://www.active.com/more-sports/portland-or/century-paddle-2010 or Call 503.772.1122 or email samdrevo@gmail.com, or don.smith.usa@gmail.com for more info. Registration is also available directly through Northwest River Guides LLC. 503.772.1122

Sam Drevo running slalom gates and imparting wisdom on the Bull Run in Oregon

Check out this video the Mt. Hood Territory just produced about kayaking with Sam Drevo:)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJCMUZVL_x8

I couldn’t believe the syncronisity when a NY Times reporter called looking for kayaking spots off the beaten path.  I spoke with her about We Love Clean Rivers- the lower Clackamas and how much cleaner it has gotten over the last few years.  I spoke with her about the Hemlock Dam Removal and how a new section has emerged from the base of what was a reseviour for over 70 years- See a feature article in the July Issue of Outside Magazine about this.  But what she was most interested in was the story of the Century Paddle’s emergence.  She was fascinated as I am about the great expanse and the tremendous ecosystem of the lower Columbia River.

It is fitting that she asked for some kayak shots on the Columbia, and they picked a picture of my rafting mentor – Val Shaull kayaking with Mt. Hood in the background.

Check out the short blurb in the travel section of the NY Times.  It is an honor to have an image published in such a prestigious newspaper.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/travel/16kayak-roundup.html?emc=eta1

To check out our end of summer event – go to www.centurypaddle.org

Will Obama Dam Salmon to Extinction?

On the heels of the catastrophic oil spill that is crushing wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico, the Obama administration is poised to make a decision this week that could change the fate of endangered species in this country.  On May 20, the Administration will release a federal salmon plan that will do one of two things for endangered wildlife: protect the Endangered Species Act, or weaken it. A decision to weaken the ESA for the West’s iconic Columbia and Snake River salmon could send an ecological ripple across the country — affecting every endangered species in the nation.

And the situation doesn’t look good.  Instead of charting its own path, the administration is working off an illegal Bush administration plan for endangered salmon.

Because they return to the biggest, highest and best-protected habitat in America, endangered Snake River salmon are slated as the West’s best chance to save salmon for future generations in an environment threatened by climate change. These cold, crisp waters of spanning three Western states — Washington, Oregon and Idaho, will remain cold under warming climates, protecting these one-of-a-kind salmon with a one-of-a-kind habitat.  Making the wrong decision on these rivers would effectively dam (pun fully intended) these salmon to extinction.

The Columbia-Snake Rivers may not be in your own backyard, but the effects of this decision certainly will be. Take action today to save salmon and protect America’s endangered species.

These fish are fighting right now to survive — tackling a gauntlet of dams, escaping predators and climbing higher than any salmon on Earth. They’re doing their part. Now let’s do ours.

Take Action: http://ga0.org/campaign/standforsalmon

Quotes to pull from:

“Conservation is a core priority for the outdoor industry, and wild salmon play an important role in the recreation economy. We simply can’t afford to lose them.”

— Lisa Pike-Sheehy, Patagonia’s Director of Environmental Initiatives, said in a press release. Patagonia has long supported restoring a free-flowing Snake River to recover salmon and steelhead, which the company has featured in their Freedom to Roam Campaign.

“The last cut at this plan largely ignored the impacts climate change will most certainly have on these salmon. And it ignored the unique habitat in the Snake Basin that these fish call home.  The science tells us that getting these fish back home is the surest and perhaps only way to ensure salmon in the Columbia-Snake Basin under a warming world.  Let’s hope that in addition to protecting the ESA, the administration prepares for the current and future harms caused to these fish from global warming.  Let’s get these fish back to their habitat so we can ensure salmon in the Columbia-Snake Basin for generations to come.”

— John Kostyack, Executive Director of Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming for National Wildlife Federation in Washington, DC. NWF is the lead plaintiff in the fight to protect Columbia-Snake salmon.

“What is at stake here goes far beyond the issue of salmon recovery. To me, it raises the question of whether we have the courage and the will to reconcile the growing contradiction between the world we say we want to leave our children and the one we are actually creating through the decisions we make today. And it calls into question our capacity to take explicit and intentional action to shape our own future rather than to simply react to circumstances, allowing by default our future to become a matter of chance. It’s time to fight for salmon. It’s time to fight for us. It’s time to fight for our future.”— John Kitzhaber, former governor of Oregon and currently running for a second term, said in a 2007 Sea Grant-hosted keynote address.

“Federal Defendants have spent the better part of the last decade treading water, and avoiding their obligations under the Endangered Species Act… We simply cannot afford to waste another decade.”

— U.S. District Court Judge James Redden to Counsel of Record in National Wildlife Federation v. National Marine Fisheries Service May 15, 2009.

Video:

Link: http://www.vimeo.com/11825460

Embed: <object width=”400″ height=”225″><param value=”true” /><param value=”always” /><param value=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11825460&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1” /><embed src=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11825460&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1” allowfullscreen=”true” allowscriptaccess=”always” width=”400″ height=”225″></embed></object><p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/11825460“>Save Wild Salmon</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user1133057“>Epicocity Project</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com“>Vimeo</a>.</p>

Sign up now to attend the 2010 WW symposium at NOC in North Carolina.

http://reservations.noc.com/express/reservation/results.jsf?locationId=Any+Location&typeId=47&activityNameId=Any+Name&startDate=10%2F08%2F2010&endDate=10%2F10%2F2010&guestCount=1

Early bird special through June 15th.

Hope to see you there!

-Sam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 28th, 2010

Local Film Provides First Hand Look at Unique Dam Removal and Restoration Project in the Wind River watershed in the Columbia River Gorge.

What:      Portland Premiere of Trout on the Wind and 3 other short films:         Ascending the Giants, (John Waller, Portland), An MBA Meets a                 Fisherman, and SalmonsKin. (Available for Advance Review)

When:        May 13th, 2010, Doors 6:30 PM
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd

Cost:        Tickets are $7 and proceeds benefit the Crag Law Center                     and Gifford Pinchot Task Force

Contact:     Ralph Bloemers, (503) 525-2727 or Megan Hooker at 525-2724

On Thursday, May 13th Crag and Gifford Pinchot Task Force will host the Wild Rivers Movie Night at the Hollywood Theater.  The evening will feature the Portland Premiere of Trout on the Wind, a locally produced documentary about the removal of the Hemlock Dam from Trout Creek in Washington.  Trout Creek is a tributary of the Wind River in the Columbia River Gorge, and in the summer of 2009 salmon and steelhead made their way up the creek without the aid of a fish ladder for the first time in decades. The Forest Service worked with local organizations, contractors and citizens to joined forces to remove Hemlock dam and restore over 20 miles of prime habitat for Columbia River Steelhead.  This film provides a first hand look at how this successful restoration project was accomplished from start to finish.
Three additional selections from the Wild & Scenic Film Festival will be shown, including John Waller’s Ascending the Giants, the Good Life Parable: An MBA Meets a Fisherman and a short called SalmonsKin by Thomas Dunklin.
All proceeds from the showing will benefit the Crag Law Center and Gifford Pinchot Task Force.  Crag is a public interest environmental law center that supports community efforts to protect and sustain the natural legacy of the Pacific Northwest.  Gifford Pinchot Task Force supports the biological diversity and communities of the Northwest through conservation and restoration of forests, rivers, fish, and wildlife.  The two organizations have worked together for many years on projects in Washington, played a role in the removal of Hemlock dam and restoration of Trout Creek.
The films will be shown at the Hollywood Theater in Portland (4122 NE Sandy Blvd). Doors open at 6:30 pm, films start at 7:00 pm.  Tickets are $7 and are available at the door or in advance via the Hollywood Theatre website.  For more information, visit www.crag.org/support-us/crag-events and http://www.gptaskforce.org/get-involved/upcoming-events

Daniel Fox was one of our pioneer paddler / guides  for the Century Paddle last summer, and was an aid supporter of the Clackamas River Cleanup.  He is a great guy who is ambitious and a great shot with the camera.  He is setting out to embark on a 6 month journey to South America, and needs your help.  Please check out his website and support the cause.  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thewildimageproject/2010-argentina-expedition

Head to Pizzicato Pizza’s new sustainably-built restaurant at SE Division & 21st and ask them to pour you a  pint of Fish Brewing’s organic Willamette Riverkeeper Paddler Pale ale! This eatery was constructed of recycled materials.

Enjoy gourmet pizza & cold organic ale! All proceeds on December 10th benefit Willamette Riverkeeper’s efforts to restore Oregon’s Willamette River. There’ll be a special get together from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Where: Pizzicato at SE 21st & Division (across from New Seasons)

Check out this video from American Whitewater!  Support these folks:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dw5u2WA_6Q