Paddles Up celebrates its 20th anniversary with kayaks & sunshine

Photos and story by Senior Contributing Writer Alice Gerard

Kayaks, ecotours, food trucks and sunny weather were the highlights of the 20^th anniversary of Paddles Up, held July 25 at Beaver Island State Park.

The event was organized by the Niagara River Greenway Commission.

Community Engagement Director Michelle Lockett said, “Looking at the registrations, it looks like about 250 participated, not including any of the safety paddlers, vendors or other volunteers (approximately 100), so approximately 350 people, maybe more participated.

“This year, we added a couple of things. We had the classical and historical boats go out on the water, including an 1812 replica. War replica. So, the paddlers were able to see these boats. And then, we have free e-bike trial rides down by the parking area. This year, we’re raffling off a kayak.”

Additionally, one of the event’s founders was presented with an award.

Lockett said, “Twenty years ago, Niagara River Greenway started Paddles Up as their signature event. Paul Leuchner was the founder. He is still paddling with us today. He’s an ecotour guide and a safety paddler. As a matter of fact, we awarded him a nice appreciation plaque this year in memory of the 20th anniversary of Paddles Up. We wanted to recognize him for all of his efforts in helping Paddles Up to be the successful event that it is today.”

Jim Sharpe presents an award to Paul Leuchner as an appreciation for the 20^th anniversary of Paddles Up. (Photo by Bob Van Hise)

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Tracy Fletcher, of the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust, said her goal at the event was recognition of her organization: “Today, we’re just getting the word out about who we are, letting folks make a little seed dumpling, if they like, with some wildflower seeds and some coloring pages for the kids. We’re just trying to get our name out there so people know who we are.”

The mission of the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust, Fletcher said, is to “look for contaminated brownfields along Western New York waterfronts and either purchase them or put conservation easements on them with the landowners so that we can protect them in perpetuity with the goal of making them publicly accessible.”

The Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust also “does a lot of work with invasive species removal.” Invasive plants that are frequently found in this area include Japanese knotweed and mugwort.

Kevin Tocke, who is with Surfrider Foundation, said, “We have a great time engaging with people here. People are willing to come up to you and talk and chat about what you have going on and learn about your organization. It’s paddlers and like-minded people, too. We have a Nerdle contest. Guess the number of Nerdles.”

The Surfrider Foundation, Tocke said, is a national organization “dedicated to protecting the waves, beaches and access to the water of the oceans and Great Lakes.”

It does beach cleanups, collects and sorts trash to determine what types of things are discarded on beaches, and “We look at different beaches and we see what type of different pollution washes up there,” Tocke said.

One of the Surfrider Foundation upcoming events is scheduled for late-August in Pennsylvania. “It’s the ‘Surf’s Up Meetup,’ in Presque Isle,” Tocke said. “We do a beach cleanup and a barbecue, and we do a paddle out afterwards. It’s Aug. 22.”

Grand Island Recreation Department Supervisor Joe Menter said, “The high point for me was the ecotour, especially seeing the osprey and hearing its beautiful call. We were in the East River Marsh by the osprey nesting platform talking about the history and habitat restoration when the osprey flew in and landed. The call is absolutely beautiful, so we just sat in the quiet of the marsh and listened for a minute. I explained the call was likely a guard call because we were so close to its nest, so we moved further down the marsh to give it space and finish our ecotour.”

Lockett said, “What I love about it, is hearing from many of the attendees who said they had a good time or love the event and actually thanking us. When we were shutting down, a man wearing the very first T-shirt from 2006 came up to me and was talking about how much he loved the event because he enjoys talking to all the different people and finding out where they had traveled from. He was impressed by how much the event grew from 2006, including many different events and vendors. He should be our spokesperson.

“I also like seeing people enjoying the ecotours and speaking with the environmental exhibitors, because I hope they leave the day learning something new. The man who won the kayak came and picked up yesterday. He said he didn’t know that deer were on Grand Island or that they could swim – now he does.”

Menter said he likes “meeting people (for whom) it is their first time in the Niagara River, showing them that it is safe. Being a member of the team that puts Paddles Up Niagara together to help people experience the Niagara River is a privilege.”

Participants in the fun paddle enjoy their time in the water.