Chesapeake Bay News

Questionable conditions on the Potomac River caused a delay of the 2011 Potomac River Ramble.  The make-up date is set for Sunday October, 16 2011.

Start time: 8:00 a.m.
End time: 5:00 p.m.
Where: Meet at Shepherd University (shuttle service to just below Dam 4)
What: The 2011 Potomac River Ramble
The October make-up paddle will be contingent upon enough participants signing up.

For more information, please visit www.potomacriver.org.

The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin invites the public to paddle with members on the Potomac River for the Shepherdstown Brunch Trip Sunday, September 11, 2011.

NOTE : The event has been re-scheduled due to water conditions. The make-up date is set for Sunday October, 16 2011.

Spend a day on the Potomac paddling between the shores of Maryland and West Virginia.  The one day Ramble will start mid-morning on Sunday September 11th just below Dam 4 and end in cozy Shepherdstown, W.Va.  Along the way, paddlers will stop for an out-of-boat brunch and a couple of educational programs focusing on watershed issues.

The Potomac River Ramble is a canoeing and kayaking event that features environmental programming, restoration projects, festive meals, meetings with elected officials, and much more.

Novice and experienced paddlers alike enjoy a unique on-the-water experience that builds a strong environmental ethic, while having a lot of fun.  The Ramble aims to elevate awareness of the Potomac River’s importance to the region and to encourage local residents to play an active role in its restoration.

Experience with boats is not necessary.  Guides, food, and transportation will be provided.  Attendees can enjoy Potomac River scenery, presentations, food, camaraderie, and paddling.

For information or to register for the event, visit the River Ramble page on the ICPRB website.

A special guest has been invited to the annual Potomac River Ramble, July 8-11. On the second night of this year’s canoe and kayak camping trip, the 18th century Cherokee Indian “Mankiller” Ostenaco (played by actor  Doug Wood) will appear in the firelight, his head painted warrior red, to tell the story of how he led 130 men into war to protect British settlers against the fury of the French.

The Potomac River Ramble, sponsored by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin and led by River & Trail Outfitters, is an annual, multi-day canoe and kayak trip featuring riverside camping, catered meals, restoration projects, history talks, nature walks and environmental education.

Biologists, historians, geologists and other experts will meet the group of paddlers along the way for hands-on instruction and discussion. Organizers hope participants will become intimately connected with the “nation’s river” by camping alongside it as they paddle the three-day course.

This year’s event begins Thursday evening, July 8 and ends Sunday afternoon, July 11. Experienced guides and other experts will lead paddlers from Town Creek Park, W.Va. through the gorges and rolling hills of the Potomac River’s Paw Paw Bends, ending at Little Orleans.

No paddling experience is necessary, and you do not have to register for the entire trip. The cost is $55 per day and includes meals, camping fees, guides, shuttle and educational programming. If you do not have a boat, rentals are available; prices include delivery and pickup.

For more information please visit:  http://www.potomacriver.org/cms/

You may also contact Jennifer Willoughby with the ICPRB at 301-984-1908 ext. 109 or JWilloughby@icprb.org; or Lee Baihly with River & Trail Outfitters at 301-988-5712 or lee@rivertrail.com.

The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin has been working to enhance and protect the Potomac River and its tributaries through regional and interstate partnerships since 1940. River and Trail Outfitters has been guiding trips since 1972, annually outfitting more than 30,000 people on various rivers in the Potomac watershed.

The 2009 Potomac River Ramble will be held June 24th – 28th. This year’s Ramble will feature the Monocacy Scenic River from the city of Frederick, Md. through the Monocacy Aqueduct and down the Potomac, ending at the McKee – Beshers Wildlife Management Area.

For 2009, events will include:

* Studying aquatic invaders with the Md. Department of Natural Resources and the Hood College Biology Department;

* Examining the inter-sex smallmouth bass problem in the Potomac with the U.S. Geological Survey;

* Interpretive programs at the Monocacy National Battlefield Park;

* Amphibian and wetland surveys with ICPRB and Montgomery County DEP biologists.

The Potomac River Rambles are a series of multi-day canoeing and kayaking expeditions that feature environmental programming, riverside camping, restoration projects, festive meals, meetings with elected officials, and much more.  Novice and experienced paddlers alike enjoy a unique on-the-water experience that builds a strong environmental ethic, while having a lot of fun in the process. The Rambles aim to elevate awareness of the Potomac River’s importance to the region and to encourage local residents to play an active role in its restoration.