Published: July 06, 2008 09:53 pm            

NIAGARA RIVER: Up the river with a paddle

Canoes and kayaks set to take trip to promote river access

It’s going to be a great day for a paddle.

Canoes and kayaks will launch from Beaver Island State Park at 12:15 p.m. July 26 for the third annual Paddles Up Niagara, an event run by the Niagara River Greenway Commission to promote access to the Niagara River.

“The goal is really to bring people to the Niagara River so they can experience it, enjoy it and recreate in it,” said Event Chairman Paul Leuchner.

Organizers are billing the event as a leisurely 4.8-mile paddle around the south tip of Grand Island. The event festivities begin at 8:30 a.m., departure ceremony at noon and a fundraiser lunch on River Lea for the Grand Island Historical Society at 2:15 p.m. People finished with the event can be shuttled to the lunch.

The event is free but lunch will carry a required $10 donation.

“Every weekend I see people lugging up canoes and kayaks and they get out of here,” said Rob Belue, executive director of the Greenway Commission. “People don’t realize there’s probably a dozen entry points here on Grand Island.”

Leuchner said they’re hoping attendance at this year’s event doubles over last year’s 236 participants. In the future, organizers hope the event can spread its wings over several days, beginning in Buffalo and ending in Youngstown .

“We just want to keep expanding the base of the people who are interested in gaining access to and using the resources of the Niagara River,” Leuchner said. “We want to get as many people out on the river to experience it and enjoy it and not have them feel hindered like they can’t go out there.”

The commission also recently announced two honorary co-chairs for the event, Frank and Jeannette Levin of Amherst. In 1992, the couple contributed money to save Strawberry Island on the Niagara River, which was in danger because of erosion. They also contributed money in 2007 for an informational kiosk at Beaver Island State Park that tells the story of Strawberry Island.

“Frank Levin’s quite a man,” Leuchner said. “He came forward when Strawberry Island was probably not going to be existing much longer and triggered an environmental movement that has served as a catalyst for many other activities.”

The Greenway Commission is charged with reviewing whether projects seeking New York Power Authority relicensing settlement money are consistent with the Niagara River Greenway Plan. Its rulings are not binding though, as funding determinations are made by four committees representing different interest-holders along the Niagara River.





Visit www.niagaragreenway.org or call Rob Belue 773-5361. Registration forms can be downloaded from the Internet.

        

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