The Coosa River Basin Initiative/Upper Coosa Riverkeeper (CRBI) kicks off its spring paddling schedule this Saturday, March 24, with a 15-mile trip on the Etowah River near Canton, and continues the fun with six more trips planned through May 5. 

 

Saturday’s paddle takes participants through heart of Cherokee County and the former haunts of the Cherokee Indians, stroking over the river’s Native American fish weirs and through a surprisingly wild landscape in one of Georgia’s fastest growing counties.

 

Shuttles will be provided for a small fee and boat rentals are available. The trip is free to CRBI members. Non-members may pay membership dues beginning at $15 at at www.coosa.org Pre-registration is required. 

 

To register for the trip, pay membership dues and/or rent a boat, visit http://www.coosa.org/events/paddle-trips or contact CRBI Volunteer Adventure Trip Coordinator Alan Crawford at 706-346-3509 or via e-mail at ibwheelin2@yahoo.com 

 

 “CRBI’s paddle trips are a chance for citizens to see what’s at stake on the Etowah River,” said Joe Cook, CRBI Executive Director & Riverkeeper. “It is a beautiful river teaming with life, but it is also threatened by multiple dam proposals on feeder streams as

Provided suitable water levels, participants in many of CRBI’s spring paddle trips will get a chance to view several Native American fish dams dating back 500 to 1,000 years. These V-shaped dams were built by ancestors of the Cherokee Indians who ingeniously used them to capture fish. 

 

CRBI’s Spring Paddle Schedule includes the March 24 trip as well as:

 

March 31—McGraw Ford Paddle on the Etowah in Cherokee County This 15-mile paddle on the Etowah takes you from Old Federal Road to East Cherokee Drive—a trip that cuts through the heart of the scenic McGraw Ford Wildlife Management Area.