Enosburg River Craft Project
Canoes and kayaks available to the public
As much as local residents want to explore our Wild and Scenic Rivers, many struggle to do so due to lack of equipment such as canoes, kayaks, paddles, and personal flotation devices (PFDs). However, the Enosburgh Community Recreation Committee (ECRC) had an idea to solve this problem. Using funding provided through our River Community Grant program the ECRC purchased river kayaks and canoes and associated equipment for community use on the Missisquoi River, making them available to the public at no cost!
To learn more about how to use this wonderful community resource, visit this link to watch a short video!
Taking it Public
So far this program has been used as a poster child for the Enosburgh Initiative and has been highlighted by Rise VT as an example of a successful collaboration of many community and regional groups. ECRC expects to further utilize the program through the Enosburgh schools in the coming year and to have two or more safety and skill development workshops in the early summer. This year will be the first full season that the boats are available, and we are excited to watch the program grow, allowing families who have never enjoyed family recreational opportunities to access the river.
How it Works
The group purchased two canoes and canoe carts, four kayaks, and the accompanying PFDs and paddles for all boats locally from The Great Outdoors Store in Enosburgh. With permission from the Abe Brown family, they then built a storage rack at the Northern Canoe Trail campsite along the Brownway River Trail in Enosburgh. They purchased cables and padlocks and color-coded- each boat having a specific colored lock. To rent a boat, community members visit the Flying Disk coffee shop in town to sign out keys, filling out a liability waiver and having their driver’s license scanned.
Ivonne Kio (Enosburgh Recreation Director), Ben Maddox,(co-owner of the Flying Disc), Sarah Downes, (video actress extraordinaire!), Stacy Carpenter (public health nurse with Rise VT) on filming day.
Filming the Youtube video