‘Paddles up Niagara’ is kickoff for Greenway

by Karen Keefe
Grand Island Dispatch, June 16, 2006
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, June 17, 2006

Niagara River Greenway Commissioner Paul Leuchner and fellow kayaker Liz Lutnick demonstrate the Paddles Up Niagara starting point near the sledding hill on Beaver Island. Also shown are Niagara River Greenway Commission Administrative Coordinator Rob Belue, left, and Beaver Island State Park Manager Bill Huntoon. (photo by Barbi Lare)

The Niagara River Greenway Commission is putting its mission statement into action with the kickoff event, “Paddles Up Niagara.”

On Saturday, July 29, 100 kayaks and canoes will take a leisurely, 7.8-mile paddle trip on the Niagara River’s edge, along the Grand Island shoreline.

Starting at 1 p.m., boaters will navigate the waterway from Beaver Island State Park to the Eagles Overlook boat launch just below Buckhorn State Park. The number of boats is restricted to 100 for this trip, and the entry deadline is Saturday, July 15.

There will be a festive hoopla planned around the event also, so it’s not just the boaters who are in for some fun. Information booths, kayak and canoe demonstrations, food and socializing are all on tap from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day.

The Greenway Commission wants “Paddles Up Niagara” to show the kind of fun events that can happen in the green corridor that it’s their job to create. That corridor will link parks, trails and environmental resources in 12 municipalities along the Niagara River.

The plan for the Greenway is due in March 2007; but the commission wanted to give a sneak preview that could leap off the drawing boards and stir the waters. Paddle Up could create a ripple effect.

“We hope it becomes an annual event,” said Rob Belue, administrative coordinator for the Niagara River Greenway Commission. “An awareness of the whole process – that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

To help set the tone for the day, Native American Neil Patterson of the Tuscarora Nation will conduct a blessing of the boats. Belue said this will connect the event to its history and honor Native American tradition regarding the Niagara River.

The starting point for the paddle trip is the lagoon at the near edge of Beaver Island’s sledding hill. It’s an area park employees have dubbed “Huntoon’s Hump,” named after Beaver Island State Park Manager Bill Huntoon, Belue explained.

Skimming along the placid shoreline beside the West River Parkway, the boats will be relatively free from the faster current that characterizes the Niagara River. Boaters’ safety will be further ensured by the presence of the U.S. Coast Guard, the State Park Police and the Erie County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol.

Belue said there will be pullout points at Fix and Whitehaven roads for those who don’t want to go the whole 7.8 miles. Over time, if enthusiasm for these so-called “cartop boats” takes hold on the Niagara, there could be kayak and canoe races, with a series of “float stations,” established along a similar route to the July 29 paddle trip.

Providing an educational perspective for Paddles Up will be the state park interpretive staff. Other groups that have been invited to participate are the Buffalo- Niagara Riverkeepers, the Sierra Club and the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce. And don’t be surprised that a business group is on the same guest list with the environmentalists. Greenway Commissioner Paul Leuchner has said “Eco-tourism is one of the biggest untapped resources on Grand Island.”

The Greenway Commission has hired a team led by the local consulting firm Wendel Duchscherer to prepare its overall plan. But the commission wants and needs the community’s help in connecting the dots and creating a continuous ribbon of river access, recreation opportunities and an improved quality of life for all to enjoy. To this purpose, the commission has scheduled a number of information meetings this summer and fall. The summer meetings include:

•Monday, from 7 to 9 p.m., at Niagara University, in St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 405-406, in Lewiston.

•Tuesday, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Sheridan Parkside Community Center, Room 113, 169 Sheridan-Parkside Ave., Tonawanda.

•Tuesday, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Wheatfield Community Center, 2790 Church Road.

•Wednesday, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, 25 Nottingham Court.

•Monday, June 26, 7 to 9 p.m., the Niagara River Greenway Commission meeting in Buffalo Common Council Chambers, City Hall, Buffalo. At this meeting, the commission will announce the winner of its logo competition. The winner will receive $500 and the honor of seeing their artwork on Greenway signs, stationery, brochures and the like for generations to come.

For more information, visit www.niagaragreenway.org.