[GStarkCR]

(Note: If you are looking for the "surveymonkey" link which keeps dragging emails into your spam folder, you're in the right place.)

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SIW SPECIAL: CRITICAL DNR PADDLER SURVEY
"STICKS IN THE WATER" PADDLERS
April 5, 2009

YOU CAN INFLUENCE THE FUTURE OF IOWA PADDLING:
Work is progressing on the long term Statewide Iowa Water Trails Plan, and with a very small amount of effort, SIW members can play a very large role.
In earlier SIW News Bulletins, we have noted success in securing legislative funding for the plan (Spring 2008), awarding of a contract to Iowa State University (Summer 2008), and the excellent participation by SIW members in the public input meeting at Kent Park (rainy night in November 2008). Iowa State University is continuing to work with DNR Water Trails Coordinator Nate Hoogeveen to develop the Statewide Iowa Water Trails Plan.
The next step is to secure survey input from various stakeholders in Iowa’s waterways, including paddlers, anglers, outfitters, landowners, and others.
Obviously, it behooves us to demonstrate participation in the survey which reflects the numbers of Iowa paddlers and our commitment to the issues related to our sport and our outdoor recreation environment.
Completing the DNR Water Trail paddler survey is easy; just click on the link and answer the questions (most are multiple choice). It requires only an investment of 10-15 minutes of your time, and that investment could return untold benefits for today’s paddlers and for the generations to come.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK & COMPLETE THE PADDLER SURVEY NOW: http://www.surveymonkey.com/WTPAD&c=004

I cannot overemphasize the importance of the participation of every member of Sticks In the Water in this survey. And please feel free to share this link with any paddlers who are not (yet) members of SIW.
If you have any questions about the survey or the Iowa Water Trail development planning process, please contact: Mimi M. Wagner, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture,
Iowa State University, 515-294-9297, mimiw@iastate.edu.

Thanks in advance,
Gregg


REMINDERS:
= Next SIW event Sun April 19 “Get It Together” in Jones County.
= SIW “Boat Builders Visit” Sat April 25 in Cedar Rapids.
= IPTV Frontline 8:00 pm April 21; “Poisoned Waters. More than two decades after the Clean Water Act was supposed to make America’s waters clean enough for swimming and fishing again, two iconic waterways—the great coastal estuaries of Puget Sound and the Chesapeake Bay—are in perilous condition. “
= Canoe Pam’s Upper Iowa camping/paddling weekend May 1-3.
= Iowa Rivers Revival Conference in Webster City May 2-3.
= Project AWARE (June 20-27) signup now open.

EDITOR’S NOTES:
If you do not wish to receive future copies of the monthly SIW News Bulletin and SIW Special notices, please send an email to sticksinthewater@yahoo.com with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.
All other email address changes, subscription adds, or inquiries about "Sticks In the Water" paddlers should be emailed to sticksinthewater@yahoo.com.
BECOME A SIW MEMBER:
"Sticks In the Water" is a canoe and kayak paddling network, centered around Johnson, Jones, and Linn counties in Eastern Iowa, working to provide area paddlers with expanded opportunities to enjoy more time on the water, in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. We respect your privacy and will not share your email address with any other organization or company. To become a member of SIW, email your regular name (first & last) and your email address to sticksinthewater@yahoo.com.
SAFE PADDLING:
The Sticks In the Water paddling group embraces the "Common Adventure" philosophy, under which individual paddlers recognize that paddlesports & other outdoor activities inherently include some risk of injury or death, and assume responsibility for the safety of themselves & the members of their party. The "initiators" of SIW events are not necessarily outfitters, instructors, or paddling experts. That said, we strongly encourage all paddlers to wear PFD’s, avoid on-water alcohol, & utilize proper equipment, training, & procedures in pursuit of a safe & enjoyable paddling experience.
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