This past October several of the Zoar Outdoor paddling school staff, Bruce Lessels, Andrew Jillings, Fergus Coffey and I, journeyed to the Nantahala Outdoor Center in North Carolina for the 2nd Annual Whitewater Symposium. After hosting the 1st Annual Whitewater Symposium last year at Zoar Outdoor, we were all eager to participate in this year?s event. Not only is the Symposium a great place to ?schmooze? with the key players in the industry, share ideas with other paddlers and visits with old friends, it is a great excuse to paddle some cool rivers along the way .

Over the 3 days of the Symposium, we were able to participate in a variety of on- and off-the-water seminars designed to satisfy most every paddler. Whether you were a fanatical paddler and wanted pointers from Eric Jackson or were developing your own program and needed information on the ACA, there was something for everyone. In fact, there were so many interesting programs it was difficult to choose which one to take.

The greatest aspect about the Symposium was the chance to get together to share and debate ideas on the topic that draws us all together and that we love to talk about?paddling. When I think of the Symposium, I think of the excitement, the dedication and the fun atmosphere created by the participants and presenters. If you participated in a clinic with Ken Whiting or attended a discussion on whitewater parks with Scott Shipley you were drawn into their energy and passion for the sport.

Some of the highlights of this year?s event included watching Mary DeReimer and Eric Jackson teach rolling (not at the same time), discussing how to teach women?s freestyle with Anna Levesque, and taking a creek clinic from southern boater Leland Davis. Other recognizable names who where presenting included Clay Wright, Kent Ford, Sam Drevo, Sam Fowlkes, and Wayne Dickert. Presentations by Zoar Outdoor staff included ?Developing great kids programs? and ?Group discussions on target marketing? with Bruce Lessels and Andrew Jillings and I presenting ?You?re It- How to use games and activities to improve your paddling program?. Let?s just say we all had a good time.

Some of the best discussions happened among the paddlers who don?t have their name on the cover of a book or article but are just as excited about the sport. Through these discussions, a theme kept surfacing. The perception of whitewater from outside the sport is different from the reality of the sport. Take a moment and look around your house for magazine ads with paddlesport images in them. What is the message that you are getting from the ad? Is this message positive or negative and who is it directed to? In general, you will find images promoting whitewater as a sport for extreme paddlers only. So, where does this leave the new boater just trying to get into the sport? Does this message say ?you are only cool if you go to the extreme?? Does it turn off potential whitewater boaters who think they can?t paddle whitewater because they have no interest in paddling off a waterfall? Where do you fit into this extreme sport image?

Whitewater is comprised of boaters of every shape, size, gender and age who paddle everything from class I to Class V rapids. Most of us paddle for the fun and excitement of the sport and will never toss ourselves off 100-foot waterfalls. How many of us have made the perfect run in a class II or III rapid and felt complete satisfaction because we made the move we intended to? Can you still remember your first paddling experience when the smaller rapids felt so big and exciting? Paddling is about the joy of propelling yourself through the water and connecting with your environment and the people you are paddling with.

At the Symposium, after an energetic discussion, a group of us composed and signed on to a letter to the industry from the whitewater community to bring to light the misrepresentation of the sport in advertising, designing boats that fit a wider range of people and the promotion of whitewater as a lifetime sport.

Come out and join us for the 3rd Annual Whitewater Symposium, October 8-10, 2005 in Glenwood Springs CO.

Bring on the Fun!

When you ask the guys that work the Deerfield River dams who they work for, they laugh, shake their heads and ask what day it is. Since deregulation of electric power in Massachusetts in 1998, the Deerfield River Project, which includes all the dams on the river, except a minor downstream dam and Fife Brook Dam that controls flows through Zoar Gap (more on that later,) has had 6 different names. Who says big business doesn't move quickly?

The New Owner
The latest owner is a company from Canada called TransCanada. They are a "leading North American energy company focused on natural gas transmission and power services with employees who are expert in these businesses... TransCanada owns, controls or is constructing more than 4,700 megawatts of power generation ? an amount of power that can meet the needs of about 4.7 million average households. The Company?s common shares trade under the symbol TRP on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges." Their website is www.transcanada.com.

Fife Brook and the Bear Swamp Pumped Storage Plant
There's a catch to this. A few years ago, in a move to improve cash flow, USGen New England, the then-owner of the Deerfield dams, including Fife Brook and the Bear Swamp Project, sold the Bear Swamp Project to a large leasing company and leased it back.

They remained the visible presence at the project, but they were operating it under a management agreement with the financing company.

Licensed by FERC along with Bear Swamp is Fife Brook Dam, one of the most important dams from paddlers' perspectives. Because it was owned by a different company and is licensed separately from the rest of the Deerfield, the Bear Swamp Project was available for purchase a la carte. And there was a taker - Brascan Power, along with its partner, Emera, are set to acquire the project in March of 2005.

What this means to paddlers is that Fife Brook Dam and the Zoar Gap stretch of the river will be operated by a different company than #5 Dam and the Dryway stretch. The two companies are presently negotiating a water management agreement to define their obligations to one another. It's assumed that the agreement will result in an operating mode similar to the pre- sale mode. Of course, both the Fife Brook Dam and the Deerfield River Project remain subject to the FERC license that requires at least 106 days of releases at Fife Brook Dam and 32 releases on the Dryway each year. This agreement is the hook that paddlers can hang their hat on.

So Who did Electric Deregulation Help Anyway?
In Massachusetts we heard a lot about the need for deregulation of electric utilities. The promise of lower rates due to the economic efficiencies provided by a competitive market for our electricity dollar lured consumers. Massive commissions and opportunities to speculate on this essential commodity convinced the investment banks and utility companies. But the lower rates haven't materialized, and the leaner, meaner power companies aren't as good stewards of the rivers and their surroundings as were the regulated utilities.

From a paddler's perspective, deregulation has caused release timing to fluctuate much more than it used to, it has resulted in fewer maintenance workers picking up trash, removing fallen tree limbs, and maintaining picnic areas, put ins and other utility-owned public areas.

Bulls Bridge on the Housatonic River in northwestern Connecticut is one of the premier spring paddling spots in New England, but paddlers have had a tough time convincing federal regulators that the river should be managed as the prime resource it is. After a long struggle to overcome a controversial water quality certificate issued August 24, 2000 by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), boaters are having to confront a future without the scheduled recreational whitewater releases we had hoped the relicensing would provide.

In December 2000, FERC?s staff expressed concerns over the lack of balance in the state?s Water Quality Certificate which supported a run-of-river operation that would require that the water coming into a dam from above equal the water the dam was passing downstream at all times. The state contended that run-of river would support the non-native trout species introduced for the sport of fishing, favoring recreational fishing over recreational boating.

An Environmental Impact Statement issued in July of 2003 stated that run-of-river would create a hardship for recreational users and businesses associated with whitewater boating and would cost Northeast Generation Services Company (NGS) $108,000 in lost generation.

With these findings released and with FERC staff expressing their concerns regarding the state?s certification process, the paddling community hoped that finally they might get some consideration in the relicensing process. They were apparently wrong! In June 2004, FERC issued an operating license to NGS that ignored paddlers? concerns and ruled entirely in favor of recreational fishing interests.

As the anglers celebrate, the boating community is regrouping for the next battle in what has been a five-year uphill struggle. The town of Falls Village has filed suit against the State of Connecticut stating they have not followed the relicensing process properly.

The Housatonic Area Canoe & Kayak Squad (HACKS) is planning to join the suit. This buys the paddling community some time to petition a new Governor and a new commissioner at the DEP.

Meanwhile the paddling community is considering how best to approach NGS for the four spring and fall releases they had originally requested when the relicensing process began, but until these issues are resolved the paddling community can do nothing but pray for rain. With enough rain, even DEP can?t stop the Housatonic from running over the spillway!

Meet our new Office Manager!

Cliff Borgeson is our new office and reservations manager. Recently relocating from the Mt Washington Valley in NH, Cliff has been operating an antique business in Ashfield for the past two years. He has spent 18 years in the paddling industry managing the business office for a whitewater rafting and canoeing company in NH and Maine. He is excited about once again being involved with the paddling world and is looking forward to working with our fun staff of river professionals. Stop by the office and say hello!

Thanks to Annie Ellenbecker, our interim Office Manager (and hopefully, future kayak instructor) who filled in during Evie Locke's maternity leave!

The Annual National River Cleanup Week, sponsored by America Outdoors and American Rivers is scheduled for May 14 - 22 on the Deerfield River. This year?s event will be sponsored locally by The Deerfield River Watershed Association, New England FLOW, and Zoar Outdoor. In past years we have collected hundreds of bags of trash with the help of student volunteers from local elementary schools, adult volunteers from the local community, and paddlers who frequent the Deerfield.

National River Cleanup Week was founded by America Outdoors, a national association of outfitters and guides, in response to the need to keep waterways clean. The program is held annually throughout the country and provides free trash bags, media help, and advice to local cleanup groups. The Clean Water Act and industry efforts have helped remove pollutants from many of the country?s water sources, however, local streams and rivers still have years of accumulated refuse and trash washed up from floods and spring rains.

Zoar Outdoor will coordinate cleanup efforts along the Fife Brook section, a 17-mile reach of the Deerfield River with schools and local organizations. Interested individuals or groups who would like to volunteer can contact Bruce Lessels.

Some interesting facts about the Deerfield River Watershed:
Along its 70 mile course, from Stratton Mountain in Vermont to its confluence with the Connecticut River in Deerfield, Massachusetts, the Deerfield River drops over 2000 feet, providing some of the best whitewater in New England. The Deerfield is one of the coldest and cleanest rivers in Massachusetts. It is considered one of the best fisheries in Massachusetts and today the state stocks thousands of trout every year to augment the native populations.

About the DRWA:
The primary purpose of the Deerfield River Watershed Association (DRWA), which was founded in 1988, is to protect and preserve the ecosystem of the 666-square-mile Deerfield River Watershed.

Their goals are to promote the best uses of the Deerfield River through educational activities and outreach, to monitor water quality through regular testing programs, and to organize and participate in local Riverfests and river cleanup activities.

What You Can Do:
You can volunteer to help clean up the Fife Brook section on Saturday, May 21. You were coming out to paddle that weekend anyway, right? And then you can join us to paddle the first Dryway release the following weekend. We will have a Zoar raft available to collect trash along the river and a collection point at the take-out at the Gap. Contact Bruce at Zoar for more information or if you?d like to volunteer.

Why not join the DRWA and support their efforts to protect and preserve the ecosystem of the Deerfield River Watershed?

Visit their website to find out more about membership.

Upper Millers (Birch Hill Dam)

April 9 & 10

10:30am - 2:30pm

1900 cfs

Lower Millers (Tully Brook Dam)

April 9 & 10

11:30am - 1:30pm

1/2 foot at the Main St. bridge in Athol

42nd Annual River Rat Race Sunday

Lower Otter Brook (NH)

9am - 3:30pm

250 cfs

Westfield River (MA)

5:30am - 3pm

Knightville Dam 1000 cfs
Littleville Dam 700 cfs

46th Annual Westfield River Races

Blackwater River (NH)

12pm - 3pm

600 cfs

16th Annual Blackwater Slalom

April 24 & 25

7am - 4pm

600 cfs

April 30
May 1 & 2

8am - 3pm

800 - 900 cfs

Snyder Mills Race
East Regional US Team Trials

West River (VT)

April 23 & 24

8:30am - 4:30pm

1500 cfs

September 24

8:30am - 4:30am

1500 cfs

Saturday, May 7

7000+ cfs

Saturday, July 2

1300 cfs

Saturday, May 14

7000+ cfs

Sunday, July 3

1300 cfs

Saturday, May 28

1800 cfs

Saturday, July 9

2400/1800 cfs

Sunday, May 29

5500 cfs

Saturday, July 30

2400/1300 cfs

Monday, May 30

1300 cfs

Sunday, July 31

1800 cfs

Saturday, June 4

5500/1800 cfs

Sunday, August 14

3500 cfs

Saturday, June 11

5500/1800 cfs

Sunday, September 4

5500/1800 cfs

Sunday, June 19

3500/1800 cfs

Saturday, September 17

3500 cfs

Thursday, June 30

1300 cfs

Saturday, October 1

up to 6000 cfs

Friday, July 1

1300 cfs

With a break in the weather this week, there has been some activity in The Outfitters Shop in regards to interest in new boats. I would like to update you on the status of the 2005 kayaks. I will do this by breaking the boats down into categories as to type of boat. We have all boats in stock unless noted otherwise. Stop in and check them out.

Playboat: Dagger has a new playboat, the Crazy 88-6.2 & 6.3 ($1149.00); it has been designed with more "Air" in mind. They have also eliminated the pods on the very popular Kingpin Icon 6.1, 6.2 & 6.3 ($999.00). Late last fall, Jackson Kayak completed the Star series with the All-Star, Star and Super Star ($995.00); these boats did very well in the World Championships.

Liquidlogic?s new playboat is the Vision 44 & 56 ($1099.00). Zoar Outdoor sold the first Vision 56 in the country to The Dryway?s own Jeff Campbell. Here is what Jeff says about the boat: "I love this boat! It flat spins and carves as well as any playboat I've paddled, and rolls easier than my [WaveSport] Stubby used to. Great playboat, great riverrunner."

To accommodate a slightly larger paddler, Necky has produced the Orbit Fish ($1099.00). This boat looks like a "Surf" machine. The Seven O M/L & L/XL ($1099.00) by Pyranha are due to start shipping later this month.

And last but not least Wave Sport did not produce a new playboat this season due to the success of the ZG 48 & 56 ($999.00).

River Runner/Playboat: To improve on the very popular I3, Pyranha has designed the I4 M & L ($1099.00). It is a little narrower than the I3 which should make it quicker edge to edge. We have already had quite a bit of interest in this boat. Wave Sport produced the EZG 42 ($999.00) last fall which drew a fair amount of attention. You may have seen a few of them on the Dryway. Janet, Zoar Outdoor?s Instruction Manager, says "The EZ 42 is comfortable, fun and sporty. I love it." The EZG 50 & 60 ($999.00) are in the shop and those who have paddled them in the pool have found them to be lots of fun. I believe that these are going to be very popular on the rivers of New England.

River Runner: Dagger, by designing the Mamba 7.5. 8.0 & 8.5 ($1049.00), is looking to add enjoyment to whitewater kayaking and open the door to new paddlers. The Mamba looks to have performance as well as ease of paddling in mind. The Trigger ($999.00) from Liquidlogic, which fills the niche for the smaller paddler in the Lil Joe & Hoss ($999.00) series, is becoming quite popular. If you have not seen these boats check them out.

River Runner/Creek: Jackson Kayak is working on the Hero & Super Hero ($995.00). For more information, watch their website. And again Wave Sport is sticking to the Diesel 65 & 75 ($999.00) which has proven to be a great boat.

Creek: Jackson Kayak should start shipping the Rocker ($995.00), a collaboration of David Knight, EJ and Clay Wright some time in March. EJ and David have been giving the boat some rigorous testing. And Johnnie Kern?s El Jefe ($1099.00) from Liquidlogic has been tested all over the world by Liquidlogic?s team paddlers. We should see this boat in early April. This is going to be a good one. If safety is a concern of yours, check out Necky?s Crux ($1049.00) with its built in shock absorbing bulkhead.