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SK Newsletter - July 10, 2007
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No.5 |
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Feature
US Coast Guards New Rescue 21 System
by Christopher Cunningham
If you are still pondering the purchase of a VHF radio, there’s a new program that the US Coast Guard has been working on that will add another good reason to carry a VHF while you’re kayaking.
The Rescue 21 System being put in place around the US will upgrade much of the equipment the Coast Guard (CG) has been using to receive distress calls. Under the previously existing system, distress calls relied upon callers to identify themselves and their positions. Boaters who were panicking, unaware of their position or unfamiliar with the names for local landmarks might be unable to give the CG vital information. Here in the Puget Sound region, the CG enlisted the help of a citizen action network to help locate boaters in distress. The network involved homeowners with a view of the waterways who could serve as the eyes of the CG and confirm information that may have been garbled or lost in a VHF Mayday transmission.
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Other News
Beached Seal Pups
PSA from NOAA
The harbor seal pupping season has started, please consult the table below for your area.
Location |
Time of Year |
Columbia River, Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor
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Mid-April - June |
Olympic Peninsula |
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San Juan Islands, Eastern Puget Sound |
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Hood Canal |
August - January |
* Table provided by Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, Marine Mammal Investigations. |
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Nursing pups remain with their mothers for four to six weeks, and then are weaned to forage and survive on their own. Mothers will often leave their pups on the beach for several hours at a time while they're foraging for food. It's normal for seal pups to be alone on the beach. This does not mean they're abandoned. Human disturbance near the pup may cause stress and delay the mother's return because of natural wariness. The best thing you can do is leave the pup alone and keep your distance so its mom will return!
Seals and sea lions use shoreline habitat on a regular basis to rest and regulate their body temperature. NOAA Fisheries Service advises the public to stay at least 100 yards away from all marine mammal species to avoid disturbing or harassing them, and to protect people and pets from diseases.
All marine mammals are protected by law. You can be fined if you harass any marine mammal. If you see anyone handling or harassing a marine mammal, call the Office for Law Enforcement at 1-800-853-1964. If you believe a marine mammal is stranded or injured, or a seal pup has been alone for 24-48 hours, please call your local stranding network or NOAA's stranding hotline at 206-526-6733.
Water Trails
Water trails have been an important part of the sea kayaking scene for the past two decades. The trails help preserve access to the water, establish and maintain campsites, promote low-impact forms of recreation and create communities of stewardship to watch over our waterways. In this issue of the SK Newsletter, and in issues to come, we’d like to introduce you to water trails long and short and urge you to support them in their efforts to give us places to paddle.
Northern Forest Canoe Trail
Submitted by Kate Williams
Executive Director
Historic 740-mile watertrail linking the waterways of New York, Vermont, Quebec, NewHampshire and Maine with flatwater to Class IV-V whitewater.
Incorporated in 2000, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a non-profit, membership organization whose mission is to celebrate the rich human heritage and diverse natural environment of the Northern Forest by establishing and stewarding a water trail tracing historic Native American travel routes across New York, Vermont, Québec, New Hampshire, and Maine.
The idea for the Trail was born in the 1990’s when Native Trails, Inc. researched the traditional east-west water routes used by Native Americans and early settlers in the Northern Forest Region. The Northern Forest Canoe Trail organization was formed as a way to translate this route research into a recreational, community, and regional resource. From the outset, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail has distinguished itself as a can-do, action-oriented non-profit, committed to making the Trail accessible for recreation, expressive of regional culture and heritage, and meaningful in very concrete ways to the local communities through which it passes.
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Sea Kayaker Store and More
Camp Cooking - The Black Feather Guide
 by Mark Scriver, Wendy Grater and
Joanna Baker.
Learn how to successfully plan and prepare meals for camping trips of all kinds! Includes over 60 recipes.
MORE ON COOKING
Kayak Cookery
by Linda Daniel
Learn how to provision your kayak kitchen, plan meals, store food safely and add to your paddling recipe collection with recipes such as “Shitake Stir-fry” and Sourdough Cobbler.
Click here to order.
WELCOME new Sea Kayaker magazine dealers
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Canoe and Kayak Waikato
Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand
Phone: 064 07 847 5565
hamilton@canoeandkayak.co.nz
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The ROAM Shop
Nelson, BC, Canada
Phone: 250 354 2056
sales@roamshop.com |
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Deep Cove Outdoors
North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Phone: 604 987 2202
warehouse@deepcovekayak.com |
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Stop by and say hello!
Sea Kayaker magazine will be attending the West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium
September 14-16, 2007 in Port Townsend, WA.
For show contact information and to see a complete calendar of events-
Click here.
Online Sweepstakes!
Sea Kayaker Magazine - Are you a subscriber?
Published bi-monthly, bringing you product reviews, techniques, safety articles, destinations, and more!
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From the Advertising Manager
Check out the classifieds!
by Paul Riek
Over the past several months I’ve been showcasing various categories of our Advertising Directory. This issue of the SK Newsletter I’d like to take a closer look at our classified section.
The businesses listed below are definitely the unsung heroes of our industry.
Click here to read more.
Sea Kayaker Magazine, Independently owned and operated since 1984
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