|
|
SK
Newsletter - July 10, 2007
|
No.5 |
|
|
|
| |
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.
|
| |
| |
|
| |
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
|
Mid-April
- June |
Olympic
Peninsula |
|
San
Juan Islands, Eastern Puget Sound |
|
|
|
Hood
Canal |
August
- January |
*
Table provided by Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife,
Marine Mammal Investigations. |
|
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.
|
| |
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
| |
Canoe and
Kayak Waikato
Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand
Phone: 064 07 847 5565
hamilton@canoeandkayak.co.nz
|
The ROAM
Shop
Nelson, BC, Canada
Phone: 250 354 2056
sales@roamshop.com |
| |
Deep Cove
Outdoors
North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Phone: 604 987 2202
warehouse@deepcovekayak.com |
|
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!
|
| |
|
| |
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
|
| |
|
|
