WWTA is a leader, partner, and resource for water trail planning and development across the state of Washington. WWTA facilitates volunteer involvement in water trail stewardship and educates members and the public at large about relevant political issues and best practices for low impact recreation (Leave No Trace). WWTA represents the state's non-motorized boating population in the political and recreational planning realm. WWTA remains an authority on the needs of non-motorized boaters in terms of physical and informational access to Washington's waterways.


Spring 2010 Easy Current News
Online Here



Coming Soon...
WWTA's First Ever
Online Auction!
September 30-October 7th, 2010

The WWTA 2010 Online Auction
needs your help. Make it a success
by donating an item, or a gift
certificate for a service or experience.
You will be helping to raise funds to
continue the ongoing work of
Washington Water Trails Association!

Spread the word, please. The more
items offered the more successful our
first online auction will be!

Do you, or someone you know, have an
item to donate? Use this DONATION
FORM today! DONATION FORM (EMAIL)

And, thank you so very much.

Check the WWTA Calendar for details
about the 2010 Online Auction as they
become available!



WWTA Cascadia Marine Trail
Camp-Over at
Kopachuck State Park

The weekend long event, Friday through Sunday, began with a social and potluck dinner on Friday night. WWTA wants to thank all who participated!

Kopachuck State Park is an unexpected delight for those who've not visited. It is easily accessible, and at the same time isolated and peaceful. Kopachuck's musical name originated from the Chinook language: “Kopa" means "with" or "by" or “at” and "chuck" means "water". This beautiful park has a western exposure with spectacular sunsets, and a panoramic view of snow-capped Olympic Mountains. Kopachuck's 109 acres include towering stands of second-growth Douglas firs, dense underbrush, trails, sandy beaches, plus many varieties of land and marine animals, and birds.




New Identification Stickers
Christopher Cunningham, of Sea Kayaker Magazine, has a feature in Sea Kayaker's August 3rd eNewsletter about the Paddle Smart Identification Sticker. "The US Coast Guard has created new identification stickers to speed rescue efforts and return lost gear. The bright orange self-adhesive stickers give you a way to put your name and phone numbers on your kayak and other paddling gear. For kayakers, gear that goes astray without identification is simply lost. There are plenty of good Samaritans out there who would happily return gear they find if they knew to whom it belonged. For the Coast Guard, a kayak or a paddle found adrift or washed up on a beach is cause for concern. If that gear has identification information on it they have a place to start to see if there is reason to initiate a search and rescue (S&R) effort." Check it out!




Thank you to all who signed up for the Spartina Survey in August. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) needed paddling volunteers for the annual invasive plant survey on the Chehalis River Surge Plain (CRSP) in Grays Harbor County.

9th Leave No Trace Course Success
Trip leader, teacher, camp counselor, black-clad ninja diver, these are some of the newly minted Leave No Trace Trainers from WWTA's June 12-13 Blake Island course. Participants had a combined 342 years of outdoors experience that fueled discussions of driftwood, dogs, Dutch oven cooking, and dinner's gray water disposal.

The eight explored personal ethics, learned an array of educational approaches, and practiced techniques to share Leave No Trace messages with friends, groups, and complete strangers.

Since 2003, Washington Water Trails has educated 62 individuals to conduct Leave No Trace Awareness and Trainer Courses!




Puget Sound Challenge (PSC) 2010!
This is an approximately 150 nautical mile paddle, broken up into 13 segments, to travel from Port Townsend to Olympia. The "challenge" is to complete the entire course in one year (or season) and this can be done individually, with friends, or with a group like a paddling club or kayak shop. The Olympic Kayak Club has scheduled paddles of all 13 segments, April through October, and everyone is welcome to participate

To register for the Challenge contact the Olympic Kayak Club. Goals of the PSC include raising awareness and funds to support Washington State water trails, and the work of Washington Water Trails Association!

Check out Olympic Kayak Club for a description of the complete course and the WWTA Calendar for the dates of all 13 segments, through October.

From a San Juan County News Release...
Beginning May 1, boaters will need to obtain a permit and attend a brief training session before launching any boat from San Juan County Park. The training, which covers the laws protecting killer whales and other marine wildlife, and the laws and guidelines for responsible boating within the San Juan County Marine Stewardship Area, was developed in association with the Whale Museum's Soundwatch program.

The training and permit requirements will be in force for anyone launching a motor, wind or human powered vessel between May 1 and September 30; the season when killer whales frequent the County's waters.

The permitting and education program was instituted after The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposed regulations (see below) which would effectively close San Juan County Park's boat ramp and prohibit most boating activities on a large percentage of the west side of San Juan Island during the summer season.

For more information, contact the San Juan County Parks and Recreation office at 360-378-8420.


2010 UPDATE
Proposed Vessel Restrictions for San Juan Island:

NOAA has now posted public comments.

Interested people will be notified via NOAA's killer whale listserve.