Press Blog

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHARLEMONT, MA - When spring warms the air each April, eager adventurers pull on river gear and jump on the whitewater rivers of Massachusetts. Long cherished by paddlers for its high water, spring is a great time for everyone to take advantage of the whitewater excitement offered only during this short season.  Zoar Outdoor, a whitewater rafting outfitter in western Massachusetts, runs two unique spring rivers that capture the thrill of the season while offering great opportunities to get outdoors and experience adventure. 

Two hours west of Boston, the Millers River offers a big water rush on class III and IV rapids that culminate at its confluence with the Connecticut River in the scenic French King Gorge. The Millers has a long history of providing hydropower to the region’s industry and it’s not unusual to glimpse old structures through the trees as you raft down the long, rolling rapids.  This trip is ideally suited for school groups, scout groups and other adventurers over the age of 12.

Henry David Thoreau portaged around them, but whitewater rafters now run the rapids of The Concord River, a half-day urban whitewater adventure just 30 minutes from Boston in the town of Lowell, Mass.  The Concord offers a unique urban rafting trip on class III and IV rapids with fun play and surfing spots and a special treat at the end when rafters pass through an 1850’s lock chamber as the trip finishes in the center of Lowell.

Rafting Manager, Brian Pytko loves spring rafting for the opportunities it provides to get on new rivers at interesting levels. “When you see each stream you pass by feeding its flow into the main river, you get the sense that you’re riding nature’s roller coaster.  I love the energy of the water and the chance to plug into the excitement of the changing seasons.”

No previous rafting experience is needed for either of these trips, only a willingness to paddle hard and have fun on the water. Millers River trips run during the first two weeks in April, and trips on the Concord are run in conjunction the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust on weekends during April and as late into May as water levels allow. A portion of Concord River whitewater rafting proceeds supports the work of the Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust to protect land along the Concord River.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHARLEMONT, MA – This past Tuesday, for the second year in a row, Zoar Outdoor Adventure Resort hosted program interns from The Nature Conservancy’sLeaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) on a zipline canopy tour. Zoar Outdoor and The Nature Conservancy have maintained a unique partnership to protect America’s forests.

Zoar Outdoor supports the Conservancy’sDon’t Move Firewood campaign, a multimedia outreach effort to educate the public on the issue of non-native forest insects and diseases that are wreaking havoc on trees in all regions of the United States. In the Massachusetts forests, the newest and most prominent threats to trees are the Asian longhorned beetle and the emerald ash borer. These invasive insects cannot be controlled by spray or treatment once they reach the forest, and so the Conservancy’s Don’t Move Firewood campaign seeks to raise awareness about a common method of insect transport within the US - as hitchhikers on firewood. When people transport firewood further than 50 miles for camping trips or heating homes, tree-killing pests can get a ride to a new place, where they cause new infestations.

As part of the partnership between Zoar Outdoor and the Nature Conservancy, six New York City teens participating in the Conservancy’s (LEAF) program in western Massachusetts participated in Zoar’s zipline canopy tour, gaining new perspective on the ecological importance of trees. The LEAF program, now in its 18th year, has a mission to engage urban youth in conservation activities now so that they will become stewards for our planet tomorrow. A recent survey of LEAF alumni found that the students are far more likely than their peers to engage in environmental issues as adults.

Zoar Outdoor’s partnership with the Conservancy is consistent with their core values, since they prioritize environmental stewardship. Zoar Outdoor generates electricity from solar panels to offset 80% of the company’s total usage, offers incentives for employees to commute to work using “human-powered” means, and plans thoughtfully to minimize environmental impact in all their endeavors. Their three-hour zipline canopy tour, which travels down scenic Hawk Mountain on eleven zip lines, three rappels and two sky bridges, involved arborists throughout the construction process and makes use of existing trails to minimize forest impact. Zoar Outdoor continues to consult with arborists during the course’s regular maintenance, ensuring the continued health of the forest.

Learn more about the Don’t Move Firewood campaign at www.dontmovefirewood.org and the LEAF program at http://www.nature.org/aboutus/careers/leaf/. More information on Zoar Outdoor’s zipline canopy tours can be found at www.deerfieldzipline.com.

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.  To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. 

Zoar Outdoor Adventure Resort has been offering family-friendly outdoor adventures along the Deerfield River in the culturally-rich Berkshire Hills of western, Massachusetts since 1989. Family owned, the company offers a wide variety of human-powered adventures for all ages from April through October. Zoar has a reputation for excellent customer service, environmental concern and developing a community around people who like to play outdoors.

Media Contacts

Zoar Outdoor: Meghan Ecceline, Marketing Assistant

Meghan@zoaroutdoor.com, 800-532-7483

The Nature Conservancy: Misty Edgecomb, Senior Media Relations Manager

medgecomb@tnc.org, 617-532-8317    

Zoar Outdoor Adventure Resort is hosting a river cleanup on the Deerfield River on May 19th and 20th. The river cleanup is free and open to the public, and participants save 50% on tickets to the Reel Paddling Film Festival on the evening of the 19th. The river cleanup is part of the Deerfield River Rally, which also includes a paddling workshop and the film festival.  

Flooding from Irene in the fall moved some rocks and gravel bars on the Deerfield River when water levels rose to over 100,000 cfs, nearly a hundred times normal summer levels, causing widespread flooding. Irene also scoured trash and debris from upriver and deposited some of it along the banks downstream. The river cleanup will focus on the section of the Deerfield below Fife Brook Dam. Cleanup will be primarily land-based and is open to all ages. 

Zoar Outdoor prioritizes river stewardship and is affiliated with such organizations as the Deerfield River Watershed Association and American Whitewater. This is an official National River Cleanup event. More information about the Deerfield River Rally is available on the website, and people interested in participating in the river cleanup should email info@zoaroutdoor.com. Participants are welcome one or both days of the cleanup.

Zoar Outdoor was one of many businesses affected by the damaging floods from Hurricane Irene last August, but they’ve rebuilt over the winter and are looking forward to the upcoming season with renewed enthusiasm. While the Deerfield River washed away a building and equipment last fall, Zoar Outdoor is planning an event in celebration of the river, recognizing that, except for these rare, destructive events, it is the lifeblood of the community and of their business.

The raft barn that washed away was already a second-generation building, having been rebuilt in the 1970s after burning down (its original purpose was to store propane tanks). Zoar Outdoor has used the barn to store rafting equipment such as PFDs (life jackets), helmets, paddles, pumps, throw ropes, generators and all the miscellaneous gear that goes along with rafting operations. Almost immediately after the storm, the company began planning for the barn’s replacement. Construction continued throughout the winter, and the barn officially opened for use on March 9th. The new barn is built to withstand more severe weather than the previous structure, and also designed with ease of use in mind, allowing guests to get their equipment in an orderly traffic pattern.

Zoar Outdoor is also hosting the Deerfield River Rally on May 19-20 to kick off the season with an event of celebration and stewardship. They want to emphasize the benefits that the Deerfield has brought to this community, including providing hydroelectric power, recreation for boaters and fishermen, and wildlife habitat. The two-day event will combine a river clean-up with a kayaking refresher clinic and culminate in the Reel Paddling Film Festival to be held at the Warfield House in Charlemont on Saturday night.