Finger Lakes Group
Winter 2007 Newsletter
Riverfest 2007
by Linda Couchon
Riverfest is an annual event held in Elmira to celebrate the wonderful gift we have in the Chemung River. The 3rd annual fest was held June 9, 2007 starting with a 10 mile paddle (200 boats registered) from the Bottcher's Landing launch site in Big Flats to the Grove Street launch site in Elmira. Members of the Ahwaga Canoe/ Kayak Club and other experienced boaters helped organize and support boaters on the paddle.
Boaters were greeted at the shores of the Grove Street landing with a grand festival. Bands, vendors, fly fishing lessons, scuba rescue demonstrations, kids crafts, lots and lots of good food and lots and lots of good learning. The Bass Masters held their Casting Kids competition for youth, Endless Mountain Outfitters had kayaks to try out and there was even a glider you could sit in from the National Soaring Museum.
A special treat for the 2nd year was the Cornell Raptors sponsored by the Chemung Valley Audubon Society. A crowd was always around to see and learn more about their beautiful eagle, owls and other birds. A new treat in 2007 was the beautiful Penn Yan Imperial Inboard Runabout from the Finger Lakes Boat Museum.
This year River Fest was a "Green" event. Vendors and exhibitors were told to only use recyclable materials and recycling containers were spread around the fest. Cornell Extension hosted a recycling table with information for the public. Lydia Adams Davis, a folk singer who writes and sings songs about environmental sustainability (including "Times Running Out for Garbage) performed and enticed kids to join her on stage. Planners hope to grow River Fest as a green event and to encourage other events to be green.
Rich Hurley from the Sierra Club was there for the 2nd year to test water collected by paddlers and eager young participants. Fest-goers examined and charted the biotic content of the water, which was used tocreate a report. The biotic index for the day was 78 which rates as a very high "good" score. The Water Boatman was the most frequently identified insect.
River Fest is organized by many volunteers who offer their time and talents to make the day a success. Beth Farr and Lorena Morey from the Near Westside Neighborhood Association and Linda Couchon from Extension are the coordinators for the event. Contributions from the community help defray the expenses.
Mark your calendars for River Fest 2008—and hope for another beautifully sunny day on Saturday, June 7, 2008. Keep posted at www.ChemungRiverTrail.com.