On Saturday, April 7th, Mayor Richard Berry and his family joined 45 paddlers from the Greater Albuquerque / Santa Fe Kayak Meetup on a leisure float through the Rio Grande Bosque from Calabacillas Arroyo to Central. 

The Rio Grande is much wider from Alameda to I-40, so it's shallower than other parts of the river.  The recent snowmelt and water transportation to Elephant Butte gave us ideal conditions for a rare opportunity to paddle right through the heart of the city.  

The Mayor and his son had some previous kayaking experience and did very well. The First Lady picked it up really quickly as well and by the end of the trip, I could see her rocking the boat, smiling from ear to ear and having a lot of tun with her newly acquired skills. Not knowing exactly what to expect, but wanting them to have a positive (ie 'dry') experience, I put them in the Liquid Logic Remix XP 9s and 10s.  These boats are super stable, somewhat maneuverable and have a drop-down skeg to help the boat track in a straight line.  I knew they'd do well in these boats.

We also had a number of inflatable kayaks on the trip, also touring kayaks, a few recreational and sit-on-top kayaks and a handful of whitewater boats as well; all of which ideally suited for the Rio Grande Bosque.

Eddie Garcia from KOB Eyewitness 4 dropped in for a few video shots of the kayak flotilla and an interview with Mayor Berry and myself about the drought, ABQ The Plan and the Secretary of Interior's Middle Rio Grande Initiative; a comprehensive conservation, recreation and education management plan spanning 180 miles from Cochiti Dam to Elephant Butte reservoir.  The KOB 4 video can be seen here:  http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2572490.shtml?cat=504&v=1

As if that wasn't enough, we were joined by a film crew from Discover New Mexico, who wanted to draw a little more attention to the Rio Grande right in our own backyard.

April 7th was one of those small victories; for the river, the sport of kayaking  & our community, and water recreation in New Mexico.  It is my sincerest belief that recreation is that missing link between conservation and education.  Recreation, in its various forms, is what gets people emotionally connected to the outdoors.  Without an emotional connection, there would be no stewardship or quest to preserve our limited natural resources.

Paddle on,

Kelly Gossett