American Canoe Association Announces Twelve ACA-Recommended Water Trails

Springfield, VA – Pamela Dillon, Executive Director of the American Canoe Association (ACA), announced the selection of twelve water trails from around the U.S. as “ACA-Recommended Water Trails” for 2006. Dillon made the announcement Wednesday from the ACA’s national office in Springfield, VA. The trails selected are listed below.

“Today, more and more Americans are looking for great ways to enjoy the outdoors. These twelve trails provide them with outstanding recreational paddling opportunities, and give them the tools they need to enjoy themselves safely and with minimal impact on our natural environment,” Dillon said in announcing the trail selections. ACA President Kirk Havens added that “traveling by water is one of the great American experiences. These water trails provide a wonderful, natural experience to both families and the solo paddler.”

ACA-Recommended Water Trails meet a set of basic criteria and stand out as particular good destinations for paddlers. To be eligible, a trail must meet the following requirements:

The trail must be a contiguous or semi-contiguous waterway or series of waterways that is open to recreational use by paddlers;
The trail must have public access points for paddlers; The trail must be covered by a map, guide, signage or a website that is of reasonable quality and detail and available to the public. Published or printed materials for the trail (e.g. guidebook, map, signs, website) must communicate low-impact ethics to trail users; and The trail must be supported and/or managed by one or more organizations.

ACA-Recommended Water Trails earn the right to use a special ACA logo in maps, signs and other printed material related to the trail. This year’s selections join twelve other outstanding trails selected as ACA-Recommended Trails in 2005.

The American Canoe Association is the nation’s largest and oldest paddlesports membership association. First formed in 1880 on the shores of Lake George, NY, the ACA provides paddlesport education, supports paddlesports recreation programs, and advocates for sound stewardship of our nation’s waterways.

The Association’s interest in water trails can be traced to its founders, who cited “the exploration, creation and preservation of water trails for recreational use by Americans of all ages” as a key reason for the creation of the ACA. Designation of this year’s recommended trails is part of the ACA’s water trails program, launched in 2005 during the ACA’s 125th Anniversary year. This program supports the development and maintenance of trails throughout the U.S. and Canada by providing resources to trail developers, recognizing premier trails around the country, and connecting paddlers to trails in their area. The ACA’s website features the most comprehensive on-line database of water trails on the web, available at http://www.americancanoe.org/recreation/watertrails.lasso. Read more about the ACA’s water trails program on the ACA’s website, at http://www.americancanoe.org/stewardship/watertrails-overview.lasso.

The 2006 ACA-Recommended Water Trails are (visit this page on the ACA website to read a short description of each trail – http://www.americancanoe.org/pdf/arwt_2006_detail.pdf):

Apalachicola Paddling Trail System – Florida Panhandle

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Paddling Trails – Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Conodoguinet Creek Water Trail – Southern Pennsylvania

Hudson River Water Trail – Eastern New York
Lower Mattaponi and Pamunkey Canoe Trail – Eastern Virginia

Middle Allegheny River Water Trail – Northwest Pennsylvania

Milwaukee Urban Water Trail – Southeast Wisconsin

Muskingum River Water Trail – Southeast Ohio

Ohio River Water Trail – Markland Pool Section – Southwest Ohio / Northern Kentucky

Potomac River Water Trail – Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia

Tilghman Island Water Trail – Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

Willamette River Water Trail – Western Oregon


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