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Welcome to the March Newsletter!
Things are starting to thaw and Spring is just around the corner - a perfect time to hatch plans for the upcoming paddling season! So crack open those guide books and send in your suggestions so we can start fleshing out our calendar. Or better still, come to the next meeting and be part of the planning process!
-the editor

CCC Dues Reminder
The March 1st grace period is fast approaching, so if you haven't renewed now is the time :). Annual membership is still only $10 for individuals, $15 for families. Also, please remember to send in a signed application/renewal form with your dues: you can download the form from the CCC website at http://canoe.freeshell.org/ccc_member_appl.rtf

CCC Has New Meeting Place
That's right - we have a new meeting place: South Eugene High School. South Eugene HS is centrally located at 400 East 19th Avenue and has many rooms available should the need arise. Many thanks to Robert Horner for making the arrangements.

Proposed Boating Fees/Access Changes
(pulled/paraphrased from white-water mailing list)
Jim Virgin* of Oregon Canoe Sport, who has been sitting on a committee formed by the Division of State Lands to study the navigability issue, has forwarded this link to a draft of the "Oregon Waterway Recreational Access Framework Plan Act of 2003". He has also requested comments. Read Jim's complete post and give him feedback at the following link: eugenekayaker/message#534 (cookies must be enabled)

Ref: WATERWAY ACCESS PLAN - 2003 (WORD doc file)

* Correction:
Contrary to how Jim's post reads, Jim is not the person to forward comments to. To quote Jim:

"Any responses or comments on this issue should be directed to the correspondent's legislators. Remember, the legislators have not seen the proposal in question. More apropo to comment is SB 293, a less radical, but still worrisome attempt to stall the navigability determination process and SB 218, a reasonable attempt to bring the process forward by separating it from issues of ownership and applying federal law."

Skinboats - 1999 West Coast Skin Boat Gathering
photo by Jeff W.
About 100 people attended this gathering at Bowman Bay on
Fidalgo Island near Deception Pass. You can see more pictures of this gathering at www.treecrusher.com/kayak/skinboat99/

CCC Meeting - March 4th
Agenda: Spring trip planning
**new location**
South Eugene High School, Room 202
400 East 19th Avenue
Eugene, OR
Mar. 4th, 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Directions: See www.sehs.lane.edu

Mystery Paddle - March 16th (tentative)
Water levels and weather conditions being what they are in March, this trip will depend on whats happening
at the time. It will definitly be something easy and preferably not too far away. Suggestions appreciated.

Meet time & place: TBA
Leader: Jeff W. (541) 342-8371 ; "jeffwoodall at myrealbox dot com"

Green River - May 1-10 (tentative)

(from the email list)

Greeting boaters.
I'm organizing a canoe trip thru Canyonlands National Park on the very 
very very scenic Green River from about May 1-10.  This is a flat section
of the Green; there are no rapids.  However, there can be wind and depending
on water level, one may have to catch an eddy in order to stop at camp!
I did this trip 3 years ago for 6 days and I want to go back for a
longer period of time. 
 
It takes about 20 hours to drive to Moab, Utah which is where the trip originates.
There will be at least 3 lay-over days with plenty of hiking. 
 
If you're interested, give me a call or e-mail me.
 
Lana
683-1409

Siltcoos River Trip Report
The trip was great. Nice weather, nice river, nice company. There were 3 of us--Phil, Joe, and me. We put on at Westlake and paddled down to the tree completely blocking the river just below the 101 bridge. We couldn't find a way to get around it so we paddled back to the car and drove to another put-in down stream. We had a nice trip down to the ocean and back. There was more current than I was expecting. The original plan to paddle round trip from Westlake to the ocean and back would have been hard work.
- Mari

Coyote Creek Status
Out of curiosity, I drove out to Coyote creek last weekend and hiked the nature trail that parallels it. As you might imagine, the creek is still pretty low, no doubt due in part to the below average rainfall this winter. I estimated the level to be about 5' below the canoe access steps. At this level, it would still be float-able, but there are many trees down and the current is much swifter, making it a bit hazardous. There is an upside though: there's no mosquitos!
-Jeff

HOW TO: Repair a Cracked Boat with WhaleyWelding
I found this helpful How-To for repairing plastic boats on Jason Rackley's Oregon Kayaking web site, www.kayaking.peak.org. To quote John:

"I first discovered John Whaleys duct tape welding technique back when he was paddling his old Wavesport Descente. John's boat had 13 (yes, THIRTEEN) cracks in the bottom of it, but he had successfully patched every one of them! The patches actually out lasted the boat; the plastic ended up wearing through on the bottom of the boat on the NF Mollala."

Kayaking Drop-in Sessions at Echo Hollow Pool
The pool is open every Thursday night 8:30 - 10:00 PM.
Cost is $3.50/person.
The pool is located at 1655 Echo Hollow in Eugene.

Oregon River Sports (334-0696) rents boats for the Echo Hollow
Pool roll sessions for $8. You can pick boats up between 3-6 pm and
return them Friday morning.

February Meeting Minutes

• First meeting at new location. 10 members in attendance.
• Several members brought photos for "Photo/Slide Potluck".
• Very tasty brownies consumed - Thanks!
• Horst shows slides of the May 2002 John Day trip and Eastern WA trip.
• Generated trip wish list.
• Planned March meeting.

Newsletter Contributions Wanted
Got something to add? Anything remotely canoeing-related is welcome. Photos, stories, tips, whatever, can be send it to the editor - aka Jeff Woodall - at jeffwoodall "at" myrealbox "dot" com .