email : Webview : TSRA Swift Water Rescue, Volunteer Opportunities and Lost Loonies

Share this:

Swift Water Rescue Seminar

Learn how to rescue yourself and your paddling friends!

Location: Ocoee, TN on the Ocoee River
August 18-20

Whitewater enthusiasts participate in hazardous activities in wilderness environments. Are you prepared to rescue yourself or your best paddling friend? Are they prepared to rescue you? Help in many cases may not be immediately available, and might be hours, not minutes, away.

Sign up and bring your favorite paddling crew to this clinic. It’s like buying yourself, and them, the safety line that may save your lives. This course doesn't involve paddling, but does include a LOT of swimming.

Learn more and register here!

Obed WaterFest - July 22
Volunteers Needed

On Saturday, July 22nd, TSRA will be assisting the Obed Watershed Community Association by providing boater safety for their WaterFest.

We need volunteers to help at this event. Our support builds relationships which help us maintain our access to rivers on the Cumberland Plateau. Please consider joining us and bringing your kayak.

Contact John Schneider if you are willing to help.

Paddle Support for Music City Triathlon - July 23

Join TSRA, the Cumberland River Compact and Paddle Adventures Unlimited in providing safety boats for the 2017 Music City Triathlon on Sunday, July 23, 2017. Volunteers will position their own kayak or stand-up paddleboard around the perimeter of the swim course to provide swimmers who need assistance something to rest on.

Volunteers should have their boat unloaded and on the East Bank Landing at Nissan Stadium by 6:15 a.m., and should be finished by 9:30 a.m. And the best part? After the swim, you can paddle on the Cumberland or stick around and enjoy the race!

Read details and sign up here.

Why Join TSRA Paddler Chat?

Over 270 people have joined TSRA Paddler Chat in the past three months. The group is a place where friends and family of the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association come together to talk about boats and gear, plan paddle trips and tell river stories. Recent flash paddles announced in Paddler Chat include trips on the Buffalo, Duck, Hiwassee and Pigeon rivers. Join today and get in on the fun!

In order TO JOIN THIS GROUP you must:

1) Request to join the group, and
2) Sign a waiver to acknowledge that the trips we plan here are just groups of Common Adventurers enjoying the river together.

*The good news is that you can sign this waiver once and it will cover all TSRA Common Adventurer trips from now on!

Paddler Spotlight: Basic River Rescue Graduate Kaylen Wilson

Kaylen is an experienced rec boater but a whitewater newbie. After graduating from Rescue for Rec Boaters she decided to take the plunge into Basic River Rescue . . . and brought all of the trepidation you might expect her to have. But she stepped up to every challenge . . . even the ones she didn't think she could do (like being the rescuee in a T-rescue!). Through her drive to learn these valuable skills and her determination to conquer her fears Kaylen proved herself to be an MVP in this year's class. We look forward to seeing where she goes from here!

Find TSRA on social media!

TSRA EVENTS
ONLINE CALENDAR

EVENTS AT A GLANCE!

July 22: Tons of Fun Intro to Paddling #3
July 22: Obed WaterFest
July 23: Paddle Support for Music City Triathlon
July 29-30: Rescue Skills for Rec Boaters #3

August 5: Pigeon River Paddle
August 18-20: Swift Water Rescue
August 26-27: Tuckaseegee/Nantahala Paddle

September 9: Cumberland River Dragon Boat Festival
September 17: Lost Loon Triathlon

Tons of Fun Intro to Paddling #3

July 22 Sold Out Wait List Open

Learn new paddling skills in a safe, calm environment as you explore the fun world of kayaking.

Rescue Skills for Recreational Boaters

July 29-30 Sold Out Wait List Open

This entry-level safety and rescue class is for canoists and kayakers who plan on paddling flat water lakes and slow moving rivers such as the Caney Fork, Cumberland, Harpeth, Piney, or Stones River.

Lost Loon Registration is Open!

Take part in the bike ride, tandem canoe and trail run on September 17 with fellow Loonies and outdoor enthusiasts! Triathlon proceeds benefit TSRA's conservation efforts. Check out other fun costumes and photos on The Lost Loon Triathlon Facebook page and register at www.lostloons.com.

We also need spectators and volunteers! Click here for volunteer opportunities.

Big South Fork River Station Camp Access Build Completed

Access Build at Station Camp on the Big South Fork River

TSRA completed another successful access build on July 8, 2017, its first on National Park Service (NPS) land, at the Station Camp access point on the Big South Fork River. A special thanks goes to all our dedicated volunteers from TSRA and the state and national park services, including Clyde and Christine Gensert who hosted and planned the build, NPS Park Superintendent Niki Nicholas and park personnel who assisted, John Schneider who organized volunteers and Woody Woodall who acted as straw boss.

Volunteers at Access Build at Station Camp on the Big South Fork River

Read more about TSRA's river access program on our website.

Big Swan Headwaters Preserve: A TSRA Conservation Project

The Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association has contributed over $30,000 to the Swan Conservation Trust (SCT) as it has bought 1,358 acres in the Big Swan Headwaters Preserve adjacent to “The Farm” in Lewis County. Most recently, TSRA helped SCT retire the debt on the Baggs Tract land purchase. On July 8, 2017, SCT held a dedication ceremony for the conservation easement on this land. The conservation easement, a legal tool that restricts development and timbering and will be upheld by the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation (TennGreen), will forever conserve the forests, streams and seeps throughout the property.

Another Successful Basic River Rescue Class

Basic River Rescue on July 14-16 included a large group of brand new kayakers and whitewater newbies. It was a great weekend and we are thrilled to welcome them all into the family! Thanks to our fabulous instructors and volunteers who, once again, brought it all together in such fine form!

Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association
P.O. Box 159041, Nashville, TN 37215-9041
www.paddletsra.org