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)
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As more and more people take to human-powered boating, clashes between people-powered enthusiasts and power boaters have heated up.
Both sides want access to waterways. But not everyone wants to consider other people’s needs. Many want to do their thing without regard for the consequences to others. It seems in places like the tight confines of Holgate Channel, behind Ross Island is where they’re most evident. You often experience wake boarders and the huge waves they make plus the noise of the beat coming from the stereo. Or on the Rogue where kayakers get swarmed by jet skiers.
If your paddle has ever been disturbed by noise or wakes, you’ve probably got an opinion.
The “share the road” debate rose to the front page of the Oregonian yesterday. Read about it here.
Somehow we pulled it off. Spelling 350 with Kayaks on the Willamette River Thursday Aug 6th. We brought 32 kayaks for the event but had no idea how many people would actually show. We usually have about 10 people for our skills socials every thursday, and after a number of phone calls I thought we would easily have enough bodies for 32 kayaks. Unfortunately the weather decided to get cloudy and chilly, and after a number of last minute no shows we were scraping together barely enough people to create the 350…
I figured we needed a minimum of 14…. we only had 12 at 7pm. But by 7:30pm as the paddlers got on the water we had a few last minute stragglers show up and we ended up with 19 people. Enough to make the visual statement to the country that Epicocity means business, and this nationwide event is going to happen Oct. 24th. I look forward to being involved in this next 350.org kayak action.
If you’ve been on one of the Northwest River Guides/Next Adventure paddles on the Willamette River this summer, you’ve paddled the area behind the east side of Ross Island. That area is full of ospreys, blue herons, tree-nesting birds, deer, and even a pair of bald eagles nest nearby. It just so happens that hot summer days that stretch is very popular with jet skiers and wake boarders. The wakes these boats produce erode the banks and the noise hinders the restoration of wildlife habitat.
For much of the year, there has been a campaign supported by Willamette Riverkeeper, Oregon Audobon Society and The Urban Greenspaces Institute to establish a no-wake zone in that area. Founded in 1996, Willamette Riverkeeper is the only organization dedicated solely to the protection and restoration of the Willamette River. Its efforts with regard to the improvement of habitat and water quality on the Willamette have made it the leading organization when it comes to Willamette River issues.
The initiative was supported by the Portland City Council and the Portland Parks Department. The idea was to create an area that protects the habitat restoration investment inside the Lagoon, provide a greater level of safety in the channel and lagoon, and an overall better environment for viewing and hearing wildlife - something our Sunday morning Ross Island / Next Adventure paddles would benefit from! Unfortunately, the Marine Board, the small state agency that is funded entirely with boater fees, did not accept their own staff’s recommendation and declined the proposal July 27th.
Fact is, the Marine Board is composed mostly of power boaters. We need human-powered river users on the Oregon State Marine Board!
Northwest River Guides teaches intro kayaking classes on the Willamette River in downtown Portland. These kayak lessons are a great way to get some exercise, enjoy nature and view Portland from another angle. All ages and abilities levels are welcome as recreational kayaking is a very beginner-friendly sport. For more info, call our office at 503.772.1122. NRG also has beginner trips to Vancouver Lake, the Columbia River, Willamette Falls and Sauvie Island.
Just another beautiful day on the water with Northwest River Guides.
Take a sea kayaking class with Northwest River Guides. NRG teaches flatwater kayaking lessons close to Portland, OR on the Willamette River, Columbia River, Vancouver Lake, Nehalem Bay and other waterways. Give us a call at 503.771.1122 for more info. Northwest River Guides also does whitewater rafting trips on local Portland rivers – the Sandy, Clackamas and Santiam.
Amazing sunset at Willamette Falls during a NRG trip.
The Clackamas River is one of the classic paddling rivers of Oregon. The upper stretches of the river drain the Cascade Mountains just south of Mt. Hood and lie in the National Forest bearing its name. Classic rapids such as Bob’s Hole and Toilet Bowl are on this section of river. The Lower Clackamas is a fantastic section of river for beginner kayakers. From Barton Park down to the confluence with the Willamette River at Clackamette Park the rapids are class 1 and 2. These rapids are the “bunny slopes” of whitewater and perfect for learning how to whitewater kayak. Northwest River Guides teaches classes all spring and summer long on this river- the water is low and warm making it great for learning. Come join Northwest River Guides for a great introduction to whitewater kayaking.
During this winter deluge, I was thinking about how nice it is during the summer to go down to the Willamette River with Northwest River Guides and eNRG Kayaking for the skills socials. Images of fall in the beautiful NW… This is a shot of instructional guru Dave Hoffman with a student.
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Dave Hoffman is getting ready for a HUGE group of kayakers to go for a paddle up to Willamette Falls. This effort was coordinated by eNRG Kayaking and Oregon Active. It was a great kayak program.
This is a great shot of all the kayakers in the locks. It is amazing how much water they hold back. The industrialized zone is hardly the landscape that Lewis and Clark marked as the end of the Oregon Trial. Its amazing what humans can do to build up an area around such a historical site.