C U R R E N T S
Summer Happenings: Tampa Bay Watch Seeks Volunteers Florida State Parks offer Green Vacation Tips Four Florida Parks Make Top 100 List for ‘08 Swiftmud has Plans for Conner Preserve Third Annual Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival (Southwest Florida / Lee County) Oct. 25-Nov. 2
Seven GPS Paddling Trails Now Open
Florida Outdoor Camping and Kayak Group Announces Alafia River Challenge: 11/8/2008
NEW RELEASE!
Click Here for more info and to Order Your Copy Now!
NY Paddlers Learn The Hard Way:
Three young New Yorkers are alive to tell about their helicopter-supported rescue, March 30 on Long Island Sound after their canoe overturned. But they'll also have to admit to stupidity and answer summonses for failing to wear life jackets. According to Newsday the three survived, despite 42-degree weather, by holding onto the sides of a kayak that had gone out paddling with them. Police said none of the four paddlers had Personal Flotation Devices. Sometimes dumb luck works, but PFDs save lives!
Florida...
For the Kids!
Afternoon on a Florida River - By Bill Dudley
Many thanks to Bill Dudley for sharing his tranquil water wanderings!
Want more? Visit Bill at www.BillDudley.com
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Tampa Bay Watch seeks volunteers. "Join Our Outreach Team! Florida State Parks Announces Green Vacations in Florida Florida State Parks Announces Green Vacations in Florida "People travel from around the world to vacation in Florida. You can do the same without depleting your wallet, gas tank or the environment. To find a state park within a 100-mile radius of any Florida city, visit One Tank Adventures. You can spend time at the beach, tube down a river, swim in a crystal-clear spring, camp under the stars or rent a cabin. For information about scheduled activities, visit: Crane Point is located at MM 50, bayside across from the Kmart plaza. Please call (305) 743-3900 for more information. Price is $10 and $5 for members of Crane Point.Join as a new member and admission is free! According to Seth Rosenberg, President of Reserve America, the selections are based on testimonials and feedback provided by park rangers and campers. Nearly 4,000 U.S. parks were reviewed with the final 100 selections determined by specific family-friendly criteria ranging from educational programs and visitor centers to camping amenities and overall beauty and scenery. The sixth annual list includes a wide variety of ratings covering everything from best beaches to scenic views. Oscar Scherer State Park was again a favorite, landing in both the Top 50 Hiking Trails and Kid Friendly Park categories. St. Joseph Peninsula State Park in Port St. Joe placed in three categories—bird watching, fishing and beaches. In all categories, 20 Sunshine State facilities made it to this year’s list. Fort Clinch State Park-Fernandina Beach, FL Oscar Scherer State Park-Osprey, FL St. Augustine Beach KOA-St. Augustine, FL St. George Island State Park-St. George Island, FL Top 25 Amazing Spots John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park-Key Largo, FL Lake Kissimmee State Park-Lake Wales, FL Top 25 Biking Trails Oleta River State Park-North Miami, FL Myakka River State Park-Sarasota, FL St. Joseph Peninsula State Park-Port St. Joe, FL Top 25 Canoeing Spots Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park-Niceville, FL Top 25 Educational & Historical Facilities Highlands Hammock State Park-Sebring, FL Top 50 Fishing Spots John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park-Key Largo, FL Okeechobee KOA-Okeechobee, FL St. Joseph Peninsula State Park-Port St. Joe, FL Top 50 Hiking Trails Myakka River State Park-Sarasota, FL Oscar Scherer State Park-Osprey, FL Topsail Hill Preserve State Park-Santa Rosa, FL Top 25 Kid-Friendly Parks Oscar Scherer State Park-Osprey, FL Top 25 Park Beaches Anastasia State Park-St. Augustine, FL Little Talbot Island State Park-Jacksonville, FL St. Joseph Peninsula State Park-Port St. Joe, FL Sugarloaf Key/Key West KOA-Sugarloaf Key, FL Top 50 Scenic Views Blue Spring State Park-Orange City, FL Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park-Okeechobee, FL Top 25 Tours & Events Myakka River State Park-Sarasota, FL Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park-White Springs, FL Unique Cabins Silver River State Park-Ocala, FL Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park-White Springs, FL The two-year effort to make the Ten Thousand Islands more accessible includes a system of seven canoe and kayak trails with GPS maps, created and verified by volunteer paddlers. Eventually the Blueway will connect the northern coastline of Collier County to Bonita Springs, joining with the Great Calusa and the Paradise Coast Blueways. When complete the trail system will be part of the Florida Saltwater Circumnavigation Trail, encircling the entire Florida peninsula from Jacksonville around to the Panhandle in the Gulf of Mexico. Maps and information about the Paradise Coast Blueway are available at: www.paradisecoastblueway.com. Information about the Paradise Coast Paddlers Club is available at their website: www.paradisecoastpaddlers.com The Southwest Florida Water Management District (Swiftmud) has approved a list of recreational uses for Conner Preserve, located off State Road 52, east of U.S. 41. Over the next two to three months, crews are expected to finish preparing and marking hiking, bicycling, and horseback trails as well as camping areas. The district acquired the 2,980-acre preserve five years ago to protect natural systems and water quality and to provide flood protection and opportunities for nature-friendly recreation. Florida Outdoor Camping and Kayak Group Announces New Meetup What: Alafia River Challenge 2008 When: November 11, 2008 Where: Click the link below to find out! The 2008 Alafia Challenge Canoe and Kayak Race is poised to be bigger and better than last year. It is an all day race for experienced paddlers and the nonexperienced alike. It is great family fun for the entire day. Starts @ 7:00a.m. and ends @ 3:00 with Lunch, band, & trophies. Learn more here: http://www.alafiachallenge.com/ Make plans now to welcome fall with the most exciting paddling festival in the country. Oct. 25-Nov. 2 along the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail. The 190-mile marked paddling trail meanders from its southern tip at Bonita Springs to its northern-most points around Pine Island Sound and up the Caloosahatchee River Festival goers and paddlers will be able to participate in a wide variety of events and activities countywide. The third-annual Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival will take place between October 25 and November 2, 2008, in Lee County’s waterfront communities of Pine Island, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Captiva islands, Bonita Springs and Estero, Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Fort Myers, Alva and Buckingham. Paddlers, competitors, families and outdoor enthusiasts from around Southwest Florida, the state and the nation are expected to attend this one-of-a-kind eco-event. Nine days of festivities will include competitive canoe/kayak races, a pro-am kayak fishing tournament, paddling clinics and demonstrations, seminars, family activities, archaeological and environmental events, guided tours, a speakers' series and more celebrations along the Great Calusa Blueway www.calusabluewaypaddlingfestival.com has even more info for you than before, including: Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau FallFest 2008: www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/fall_fest_2008/index.php
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