ISSUE
QUARTERLY MONTHLY JOURNAL OF
01
STEWARDSHIP JOURNAL OF NEWS STEWARDSHIP
SPRING
NEWS
ACA Stewardship PADDLING TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
2012
this issue Paddle Green Program P.1 The ACA’s “Best of” Stewardship Initiatives__
Fast Facts:
80% comes from land based sources
More than 60% is comprised of plastics
33% of plastic products are single use and 85% of plastics are not recycled
and Grassroots Change P.2-3
6.14 million tons of debris enter marine environments each year
Most plastics never fully “go away” but breakdown into microplastics (less than 5mm long)
I want to get involved! If you are in a region that the Paddle Green Program is scheduled to visit, register
National News and Water Trails P.4-5 Words from the National Office P.6
Paddlers for Healthier Oceans As the ACA’s revitalizes its stewardship missions one
community development program will educate, equip,
issue in particular seems to standout as being increas-
and encourage local boaters to paddle sustainably.
ingly important: marine
debris.
summer of 2012 that will be executed with oversight
million tons of debris are estimated to enter marine envi-
from the Stewardship Coordinator at the National Office
ronments annually. The United Nations Joint Group of
and volunteers from regional paddling clubs and part-
Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution has
ners. Scheduled events include:
estimated that land-based sources can account for up to
Event
Location
Date
80% of the world’s marine pollution. Increasing efforts to
Celebrate the Rappahannock
Fredericksburg, VA
June 9
LOVE the Lake
Lake George, NY
July 20-22
Clean Water Paddle— in partnership with NorthBay
North East, MD to the Harbor
August TBD
Future Stewards Cleanup at the National Paddlesports Conference
Charleston, SC
Nov 3
remove debris and litter in freshwater streams and rivers, prior to entering coastal or marine environments, has the potential to make a tremendous impact.
online at americancanoe.org or call Cate at the National Office! If the ACA isn’t currently scheduled to come to you give us a call and we can help you
The ACA will spearhead a series of cleanups in the
According to the National Academy of Sciences, 6.14
Who better to tackle this growing global issue than the ACA? As paddlers we already paddle in marine environments or recreate on all the waters that eventually flow into them. And with an estimated 50 million people pad-
organize your own cleanup.
dling annually, small acts of good on-water stewardship
“We as paddlers are in a unique position to add a
Remember, whether it’s an
can really add up!
‘corrective stroke’ to the marine debris problem,” says ACA Executive Director, Wade Blackwood. “Not only
entire watershed or just a few paddling buddies, every bit
If 1/10 of those who are estimated to paddle each year
does the ACA want the paddling community to under-
makes a difference!
pledged to collect 1 bag of trash during 1 paddle, 37.5
stand the severity of the issue, but realize paddlers have
million tons of debris would be removed from our na-
an opportunity to significantly
tion’s rivers and streams!
decrease the amount of
SPONSORED BY
th
de-
bris flowing into oceans today.
1
This year, the ACA will pilot its first ever Paddle Green
A little effort from paddlers will
Program. Designed to mobilize the recreation communi-
make an enormous impact on
ty to proactively create healthier waters, the ACA
the waterways we cherish.”