DC Area Boaters Form Great Falls Kayak Coalition To Coordinate with Resource Managers and Public Safety Officials On River Safety and Falls Access
A few miles upstream of the Capital Beltway, the bottom falls out of the Potomac River over a series of Class V+ drops known as Great Falls. The “Falls” were first run in the mid 1970s and have maintained their status as an East Coast test piece for today’s expert boaters. Thanks to the efforts of local boaters, the Canoe Cruisers Association and American Whitewater, access to the Falls has remained open over the years.
Though the Potomac River is under the jurisdiction of the state of Maryland, the Great Falls section is wedged between two national parks (one in Maryland, one in Virginia). As a result, access to Great Falls and coordination on river safety issues depends on good cooperation with the National Park Service, the United States Park Police, state and local governments, and county fire and rescue departments in both Maryland and Virginia.
Because Great Falls is such a treasured resource, a group of locals that regularly run the Falls recently decided to form the Great Falls Kayak Coalition to coordinate and facilitate communication between the boating community and the various government entities involved in river safety and falls access. Fortunately, the relationship between the boating community and the government players has a strong foundation – one of the first people to run the falls in 1978 was former park ranger Bill Kirby.
GFKC’s goal is to build on local traditions and proactively manage the relationship between the boating community and the various government players to promote river safety education to the general public and to preserve access to Great Falls. Part of managing this relationship includes serving as a resource to the various government agencies on matters of stewardship, safety protocol and rescue situations. To help achieve this goal, GFKC formed an alliance with American Whitewater and invited AW’s National Stewardship Director, Kevin Colburn to join GFKC. Kevin accepted and believes that working together, AW and GFKC can help keep Falls access open and safe long into the future.
GFKC members include Falls veterans such as Paul Schelp, Gil Rocha, Risa Shimoda and Tom McEwan who have been maintaining thoughtful relationships with the various government players for decades. Other notable locals include Dave (the “Mayor”) Collins, creeking legend Harris Haynie, safety ace Steve Taylor as well as pro boaters Joe Stumpfel, and Kristen Podolak.
If you have a stake in how Great Falls is managed in terms of safety and access, contact Kevin Colburn at AW, or one of the following GFKC liaisons:
Paul Schelp: 301/942-1315
Joe Stumpfel: 301/881-5694
Adam Cramer: 202/462.5349
To download a copy of this Release, please visit the following link: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/resources/repository/GFKC.Release.Final.doc