These days, it’s not often that explorers change maps. Even less common that the vehicle of discovery is a canoe. But that’s just what happened in 2012, when Adam Shoalts discovered seven previously unknown waterfalls, accidently paddling over the edge of one in the process.

This past summer, he returned to the Again River, which straddles the border between Ontario and Quebec, with funding from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society to properly document his discoveries.

While maps of the Again River did exist prior, they were based on aerial images taken in the 1950’s and weren’t entirely accurate. Returning to document his discoveries meant measuring the height and exact location of each waterfall, information that Shoalts will then use to correct the existing topographical maps of the area.

Find out more about Shoalts and the Again River in the November issue of Paddling This Month, available for Apple and Android devices as well as your desktop on November 20th by clicking here. 

Project Canoe needs your help this holiday season. After a fun-filled summer of paddling in the Temagami area with 120 youth, their canoes have seen better days. They are launching this holiday campaign to raise funds toward new canoes. New canoes means ensuring their youth continue to have a life-changing experiences out on the water. 

To donate, visit there page here: www.canoe.org/2013/11/help-project-canoe-float-the-boat/

Project Canoe uses the outdoors, including wilderness canoeing, to create a transformative environment in which at-risk youth develop life skills, social competencies, and resiliency. Their signature Wilderness Canoe Program focuses on basic canoeing and camping skills, environmental awareness, and the development of valuable social and leadership skills such as co-operative decision making, team work and conflict resolution.

For more information, watch a mini-documentary about Project Canoe below.

Jackson Kayak is growing its presence across the pond. A press release earlier this week announced their hiring of Mathieu Dumoulin as a new European Whitewater Team Manager.

Dumoulin is also joining Jackson as a member of the team he’s been hired to manage—in the announcement, Eric “EJ” Jackson calls Dumoulin “one of the most impressive freestyle paddlers [he’s] ever seen.”

Dumoulin is a nine-time French National Champion and two-time European champ who’s spent a lot of time paddling with Jackson boaters. “My style of playboating, especially in competition, has been evolving with JK team members like Nick, EJ and Dane who have styles of their own,” Dumoulin says.

Impressive paddling resume aside, Dumoulin joins Jackson armed with a master’s degree in business, making him the prime candidate to develop the team overseas, inevitably growing the brand that’s been explosively successful in the whitewater industry since it was founded in 2003.  

Jackson announced their hiring of Dumoulin just weeks after adding French boater Nouria Newman to an expanding list of European paddlers, that also includes two-time world champion Claire O’Hara. 

See Jackson Kayak’s announcement here.