After 43 days on the water, eight weary paddlers arrived at the Capitol Building. They traveled 1,000 miles via the St. Lawrence Seaway, Lake Champlain, Hudson River and Chesapeake Bay in a 35-foot voyageur canoe. And they were on time.
The 40th anniversary celebration of the United States’ Clean Water Act on October 17 on Capitol Hill was their welcoming party. “I challenge the Riverkeepers of the Potomac and Ottawa to make these the cleanest rivers in the world that flow through national capitals,” Max Finkelstein, the trip’s organizer, told the crowd to applause. They’ve got a ways to go.
Sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF), Capital to Capitol by Canoe raised awareness about the health of the waterways shared by Canada and the United States. “It’s important to keep our waters drinkable, swimmable and fishable,” says Pam Logan, a spokesperson for the CWF. “The trip was a tremendous success.”
Finkelstein and the group spoke at paddling clubs and met with political organizations along the way and blogged about their journey. “We advocated for more cooperation between Canada and the United States to take better care of our waterways—from the community level to the political,” says Finkelstein. “Water knows no national boundaries, neither should we…”
Finish reading this article in the 2013 Spring issue of Canoeroots & Family Camping. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
