Paddle To The Sea: Rim Fire, Conservation & Restoration
The Tuolumne River Trust’s 6th Annual Paddle to the Sea Event begins this weekend and continues with various events through June 15th.
Patrick Koepele, Tuolumne River Trust Executive Director, was Wednesday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”.
“We invite paddlers to join us for the “grand re-opening” of the Tuolumne River Whitewater Run after last summer’s disastrous Rim Fire.” said Koepele. “This year’s paddle-a-thon will start in the Sierra this Friday, May 2nd with two days of whitewater rafting.”
Koepele continued, “Next we’ll travel through the Central Valley from May 9th to June 6th with a series of flat water canoeing days. These canoe trips are open to everyone – from experts to people who have never been in a canoe before. Children over the age of 7 are also welcome to join in the fun. Then we’ll have three days of sailing on the Delta from June 9th – 11th, and finally two days of sea kayaking on June 14th and 15th, run by California Canoe & Kayak.”
The Tuolumne River Trust’s annual Paddle to the Sea is a six-week long paddle-a-thon from Yosemite, through the Central Valley, to San Francisco Bay. A handful of paddlers complete the entire trip, and many more come along to paddle for a day along the way.
All funds raised by Paddle to the Sea go directly to support the Tuolumne River Trust’s work to help recover from the 2013 Rim Fire, educate children and communities dependent on the river about water conservation and efficiency in the face of the extreme drought conditions that California is currently facing, and restore the watershed.
Last year, the Rim Fire burned 250,000 acres, or 20%, of the Tuolumne Watershed.
According to Koepele, the current drought has created extremely difficult conditions for fish and animals that live in and along the Tuolumne River – all of this affecting the river that provides water for millions of residents in the Bay Area and Central Valley.
Paddle to the Sea also showcases a series of riverside events, including a concert at Mountain Sage in Groveland, featuring Sarah Lee Guthrie (daughter of Arlo Guthrie) and Johnny Irion on Saturday, May 17th and the Grand Finale in San Francisco on Sunday, June 15th.
For more information, please visit www.paddletothesea.org or call (209) 588-8636.
The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45am.
