NATIONAL COAST TRAIL ASSOCIATION

5124 NE 34th Ave. - Portland, OR 97211-7452 - http://www.coasttrails.org - (503) 335-3876

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 31st, 2003
Media Contacts: Al LePage, Executive Director, National Coast Trail Association, (503) 335-3876
                            Chris Hathaway, Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership, (503) 226-1565 ext. 228
                            Chip Jenkins, Superintendent, Fort Clatsop National Memorial, (503) 861-2471 ext. 401

     Al LePage, Executive Director of the National Coast Trail Association (NCTA), completes traveling some 140 miles by kayak on Friday, August 15th to paddle from Yacht Club Park and Boat Launch in Astoria, Oregon at about 1 PM , a local park managed by the City of Astoria Parks Department.  He will finish the paddling he's done over the first two weeks of August during the "Bonneville to the Pacific! event to promote public awareness about the proposed Lower Columbia River Water Trail.  The final paddler joining him along this stretch of his journey across Young's Bay and up the Lewis and Clark River to Fort Clatsop will be outdoorsman Scott Shuey.  They will travel approximately 5 miles to reach the proposed boat launch and landing site facility at the National Park Service's (NPS) Fort Clatsop National Memorial.  They will be met by a NPS staffperson, who will be available to answer questions for the media about the proposed launch/landing site and Fort Clatsop.  The National Park Service will also begin a special "living history" interpretive event near the site of the former saltworks encampment later the same day, on Friday, August 15th at 5 PM, at the south end of the beach in Seaside, Oregon.  Although guided paddling is not available to the public as part of the paddle event, the public can arrange tours along various sections of the trail through various local area businesses.   Examples include Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe in Portland, OR; Scappoose Bay Kayaking in St. Helens, OR; and Skamokawa Center in Skamokawa, WA.  In the Astoria-Warrenton area near Young's Bay, Pacific Wave is a local area business that sells varied sports merchandise and offers instruction, tours, and equipment rentals and repairs for people who enjoy water sport activities as well -- visit www.pacwave.net for further information.

     "One obvious endpoint for those retracing the paddlestrokes of Lewis and Clark along the  lower Columbia River," notes LePage, "is Fort Clastsop.  The expedition left their campsite at Tongue Point on December 7th, 1805 to paddle around present-day Astoria and cross Young's Bay to travel up today's Lewis & Clark River to reach the site where they would construct Fort Clatsop.  The stretch I'm doing today is a great way to recreate the adventure for yourself.  Of course, since one part of the mission of the National Park Service is to protect the resources under their stewardship, landing a canoe or kayak at the 'canoe landing' site near the fort itself would quickly make a mess of this marshy area.  But, another part of their mission is providing opportunities for the public to enjoy what they have as well.  There already exists a boat launch that motorized users can access the river with just a couple of miles upriver from the fort.  The National Park Service is in the process of developing a place where canoes and kayaks can launch and land their crafts, and learn about Lewis & Clark, too, not very far from the fort itself.  By the way, it only took about three weeks of hard work to build Fort Clatsop, and by New Year's Day 1806 they were in their quarters.  What a great place to end my paddle!  Maybe someday, if I develop my kayaking skills to a more advanced level, and do all, or even part of the trip again, it would also be great to end somewhere between 'station camp' and Cape Disappointment on the Washington side, too!"

     The Lower Columbia River Water Trail is envisioned as a 146-mile water trail from Bonneville Dam to the Pacific Ocean that people in non-motorized boats can safely travel for day or overnight explorations.  The water trail links together seven specific sections or "reaches" along the lower Columbia, each approximately 20 miles long -- about the distance of a typical two-day paddle.  Beginning at Bonneville Dam and going downriver these "reaches" are, (1) The Gorge, (2) Portland/Vancouver, (3) Sauvie Island, (4) Kalama/St. Helens, (5) Longview/Rainier, (6) The Refuges, and (7) The Mouth.  The journey along its length is spectacular and fascinating, a rich melange of gorgeous landscapes, historical sites, and working ports of call.  This free-flowing section of the Columbia River flows through the magnificient Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area with its volcanic cliffs and waterfalls.  It also travels along many wildlife refuges; waterfowl abounds at Sauvie Island and Ridgefield, there's Columbian white-tailed deer at the Julia Butler Hanson refuge, and one may enjoy the multitude of marshes and islands of the Lewis & Clark National Wildlife Refuge.  Cultural and educational attractions along the river corridor include historical and maritime museums, abandoned riverfront towns, Forts Vancouver and Clatsop, and places where Native American's lived and worked in the past.

     "Safety and respect are two of the most important things to carry with you at all times," emphasizes LePage.  "First, you shouldn't just throw a kayak or canoe into the Columbia and think you're ready.  The Columbia's not a lazy river like the Mississippi; even in summer its waters are cold, its winds are strong, and tides effect the current all the way to Beacon Rock!  You need to be prepared in terms of the necessary knowledge, skill-level, and proper equipment to do the specific stretch of river you'll be paddling.  A lifejacket is an obvious piece of safety equipment, but I also invested in everything from a VHF radio, to speak with approaching ship captains and send distress signals, to a leash to attach my paddle to the kayak if I flip.  Second, a lot of the shoreline along the water trail belongs either to individuals or the public agencies managing their lands for the benefit of wildlife.  Those using the trail need to respect landowners and agencies alike by only using places where resting, camping, and access are allowed and obeying the regulations that protect wildlife and their habitat."

    The Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership (Estuary Partnership) has been coordinating the effort to develop the water trail since August 2001 under the direction of Chris Hathaway, Director of Watershed programs for the partnership.  The work is being done through the Lower Columbia River Water Trail Committee, with technical assistance provided through the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program.  The Committee was formed in September 2001 as a bi-state coalition of people with a diversity of interests and connections to the river.  It includes representatives from state and federal agencies, local governments, environmental groups, paddling organizations and businesses, historical associations, economic development councils, trail associations, as well as interested citizens and others.  The group works as an ad-hoc committee of the Estuary Partnership, a non-profit bi-state organization funded through the US Environmental Protection Agency and the states of Oregon and Washington.  The committee's work has focused on planning, mapping and inventory of facilities for lauching, landing, resting, and camping, identifying local partners and gaining support for the trail concept, public outreach events, and developing a quality brochure.

     Scott Shuey is an avid outdoorsman -- white water kayaking, backpacking, snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, river rafting, and mountain climbing are some of his passions.  He's walked the length of the Pacific Crest Trail from Canada to Mexico along the spine of the Cascade Mountains, the Sierra Nevada's and throught the desert; was the first with two partners to hike the Pacific Northwest Trail from Glacier National Park in Montana to Cape Alava on the Pacific in Olympic National Park, and walked the Continental Divide Trail along the spine of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico over 2600 miles!  Along with Jim Olsen he was the first to ski descent Mt. Dickey in Alaska.  He's circumnavigated Nova Scotia on his mountain bike entailing some 1800 miles of coastline, he's been to Thailand to swim it's ocean and tour the jungles there, and he's kayaked in the Barclay Sound area of Vancouver Island.  On this trip he will be able to add to his resume . . . "followed in the paddlestrokes of Lewis & Clark to reach Fort Clatsop."

     LePage, is an avid hiker, cyclist, and kayaker.  He hiked in the footsteps and kayaked in the paddle strokes of the 1805-06 Lewis & Clark Expedition along sections of both the Washington and Oregon coasts during 1999 and 2000. He also retraced -- dressed as the famed mountain man with replica gear -- the Jedediah Smith Trail during 2000 some 200 miles over 3 weeks along the southern Oregon coast on the exact calendar dates it was originally done by Smith in 1828.  He most recently retraced the historic 150-mile Alexander McLeod expedition that first explored the central Oregon coast in 1826, doing so by bicycle from Fort Vancouver to Lincoln City, and then on foot -- portraying the not so famous Hudson's  Bay Company Chief Trader in authentic period clothing with replica gear -- from Lincoln City to Florence, Oregon.  LePage is also the first, and apparently only person, to have ever hiked the entire 1800-mile length of the West Coast Trail, having done the 400-mile the Oregon Coast Trail section in 1988, the 200-mile Washington Coast Trail in 1992, and the 1,200-mile California Coastal Trail in 1996.  He also recently received the 2003 Doug Newman Award from the Oregon Parks & Recreation Department for his efforts towards the development of recreational trails in Oregon.

The National Coast Trail Association (NCTA) is a non-profit organization working to "Keep The Coast For Everyone" through recreational trails, public access, and the preservation of historic and natural environments.  It is also a member of the Lower Columbia River Water Trail Committee.  Visit www.coasttrails.org for organizational and special event details.

The Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership is a non-profit bi-state organization working in Washington and Oregon to protect and restore the nationally significant lower Columbia River esturay with on-the-ground improvements, education and information programs.  It coordinates the efforts of the Lower Columbia River Water Trail Committee.  Visit www.lcrep.org for further information.

Fort Clatsop National Memorial is the only National Park Service site solely dedicated to sharing the story of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.  Visit www.nps.gov/focl/ for further information.

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The following four photos may be used by the newspaper print media and cropped and color-balanced as necessary.
They are high resolution photo images of 300 dpi suitable for print quality.
Please credit the National Coast Trail Association.
 
 

History comes alive at Fort Clatsop through special interpretive programs.