Canoeing in Color: October 2, 2010

Canoeing in Color -- October 2, 2010

 

Come celebrate the Shiawassee River this fall on Saturday, October 2nd. 

Bring your canoe or kayak to WaterWorks Park in Holly on South Broad Street. 

We'll set off around 1:00pm or a little later if that suits your schedule. 

Heavner Canoes will again be on site offering rentals and shuttles 

North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy will co-sponsor this event, 

and give you a guide to preservation sites along the way. 

The three-four hour paddle could be heavenly, or the weather could be chilly, 

so plan accordingly. 

For more information, call 248-634-3513 (Sue Julian).

2008 Shiawassee Fall Color Tour Paddle

Another successful push forward - river cleanup

As told by Chuck Julian - Headwaters Trails Volunteer

The river cleanup went well on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2010.  We had 12 people put in at Hogan Road and take out at McCaslin Lake Road.  We cut one big tree and a couple of small ones, trimmed some face slappers and pulled a lot of trash out of the river (We lost two orange log cutting wedges at the newly cut big tree, let me know if you find them.  The water was a little to stirred up for us to see them once they hit bottom).  We started at 9 and finished at 2:30.  Afterward, we were served dinner at Ricky Ostrowski's house, played a game he called Polish horse shoes and enjoyed ourselves with each other's company.  We were able to transport the trash to the Argentine dumpster with the exception of the tires.  At this point, we are not sure what to do with them.  Thank you to everyone who came and thank you to Doug and Kristy Fairbanks for loaning us four canoes, their van and trailer.  We would not have been able to transport the all the trash without them.  Debbie McCarty transported the trash to Argentine, only then to have her water pump fail in her truck.  The recent rain has brought the river up a foot or more, so if it goes down again, there may be logs that need to be cut.

At the current river level, the Shiawassee River is clear from Water Works Park in Holly, to Bird Road in Argentine.  I am told that the stretch downstream from Bird needs a lot of work but that will have to wait till next summer.  Now is the time to enjoy the river.  The fall colors are just starting to come out.  Migrating ducks, Sand Hill Cranes and Blue Heron abound on the river.  It is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the natural beauty.

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Canoe Video on Shiawassee

Autumn paddle on the Shiawassee River Oct 22, 2007
- launching from WaterWorks Park in Holly,MI
and traveling 7 miles of numerous twists and turns,
finally taking out at Strom Park in Fenton,MI.

We saw geese, ducks, swans and even a large green Bullfrog.
The video shows how the river quietly meanders about,
being narrow in some sections while widening out in others.
The transitions from forest to marsh and back again show
the diversity in the watershed ecosystem.

Canoeing in Color - Oct.6 - 1:00 pm

Canoeing in Color,
- co-sponsored by North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy
Come out and experience a wonderful fall paddle

Maps : see LINKS section (right hand column of blog)

MAP of Shiawassee River

Date : October 6th

Time : Launch at 1:00 pm in the water (arrive early to set-up)

Launch : WaterWorks Park on Broad Street in Holly, Michigan

Take-Out : Strom Park in Fenton, Michigan

Contact : Sue Julian e-mail ........ mailto:sjulian@provide.net

UPDATED INFO

Bring your own canoe or kayak or
call Heavner Canoes at 248-685-2379 to rent one.

Return trip transportation will be provided free.

For more detailed information
just call Sue at 248-634-3513.
An RSVP is appreciated by phone or e-mail at