An Innovation Grant helps paddlers promote safety, respect,  stewardship—and fun!

Launching a boat into the Applegate River is a bit of a Lewis & Clark affair: Thrilling, but uncharted. Common lore about floating our local river is scant. Where is it ok to put-in, or take out?  What are the hazards? Boaters can easily be caught off guard by low bridges, large rapids and ankle-deep sections (Take note: The Applegate River is not for the faint-of-heart).

Applegate resident and former raft guide, Angie Fuhrmann, was surprised at the lack of information about the river. “I started to ask around and realized that not many people get out and paddle it,” she explained.

After securing an Innovation grant from A Greater Applegate, Angie gathered a group of friends and started the Applegate Paddle Club. The group brings together kayakers—and also rafters, canoers, and Stand Up Paddleboard enthusiasts.  Their goal? To foster an active paddling community, promote water safety and education, and steward the shorelines. One of their current projects is to map the Applegate River. They hope to have the map published by fall.

The Applegate Paddle Club’s efforts align with the part of the Applegate Valley Vision that calls for enhanced “access to the Applegate River for locals and visitors.” This falls under the Steward & Sustain section.

The Paddling Club’s first formal meeting was last March and they’ve had other meetings since. At the June gathering, the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council provided an invasive species training for the paddlers to help with local monitoring and management efforts.

Understanding private property boundaries is also high on the Club’s list of goals. It’s important for that paddlers be prepared and know where the public put-ins and take-outs are located.

The group may file for nonprofit status at some point in the future, but for now they remain a club. If you are interested in joining, head over to their website: www.applegatepaddlingclub.org