January 13, 2015 By Conor Mihell
In tracing waterways
from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico, canoeist Natalie Warren has had a lot of
time to observe the role of rivers in promoting thriving communities. Now,
she’s taking her message to river towns across the Midwest, including St. Cloud,
Minn., where she was a keynote speaker at the Water Trails Tourism Summit. A member of the outdoor education
nonprofit Wild River
Academy, we contacted Warren to learn more about her “integrated
recreation and economy” manifesto. — Conor Mihell
Natalie Warren
CanoeKayak.com: Talk
about how both wild rivers and urban waterways have inspired your speaking
interests.
Natalie Warren: I discovered my love of paddling and the outdoors through
exploring wild rivers. On those trips, I admired the scenery and ecological
health of the remote areas of the world. However, it takes big bucks and a lot
of travel time to reach those areas, which excludes people with little money or
little time from participating in such expeditions. When I paddled urban rivers
from Minneapolis
to Hudson Bay and from Minnesota
down to the Gulf of Mexico, I realized that our local water trails
have their own beauty and, even more, provide a classroom to learn how our
country uses rivers. My experiences on wild and urban rivers inspired me to
speak about building a culture around urban paddling, diversifying the paddling
community, and increasing recreation, positively impacting all aspects of
society.
How long have you been
thinking about the role that waterways play in communities?
During our trip up to Hudson Bay, we paddled by communities along the Minnesota
River, Red River, and Lake Winnipeg. We compared these communities and became
experts on key components of a thriving riverfront. There’s a strong
correlation between interaction with water trails and sustainable or growing
economies. Several towns along our route were ghost towns or agricultural
towns. Like a business, small towns should constantly advertise themselves to
increase tourism and the money that flows into their economy. Historically,
towns have chosen to depend on one or two industries, whether its agricultural
towns, mining towns, cheese-plant towns, etc. On our trip we saw firsthand the
repercussions of mono-economies. Agriculture, for example, used to require a
whole community to tend to the land. Now one farmer can farm thousands of acres
of corn or soybeans alone. Towns that were once vibrant have boarded up shops
and barns falling into the ground.
I got to thinking. These
farms, industries, and energy plants all had one thing in common: The
river. It was on that trip that I began to understand the complexities of
integrated recreation and the importance of diversified economies.
Paddling past towns on
the Lower Mississippi tied to local energy plants during Paddle Forward’s 2013
expedition. Photo courtesy Paddle4Ward.com
What’s your end goal?
My goal is to use the river as a way to diversify small town economies, to
increase tourism, and bring life back to river communities. I’ve seen it done
before. I bet you can think of a small town like this, too — a place within a
few hours of where you live where you can go for the weekend to bike, hike,
canoe; a place with a coffee shop, an interpretive center, and a bed and
breakfast; a place where you can unwind after a long day of recreating with a
beer by the water. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Every town along a water trail has
the potential to be that weekend getaway.
My end goal is decades
in the making, and I am not the sole force in pushing for increased recreation
on local waterways. Through my public speaking engagements, I hope to highlight
the positive ripple effects of opening up to the river and prioritizing water
trails to improve recreation and trails, tourism and economies, and increased
environmental education and ecosystem health. It all starts with a paddle in
the water.
What are some examples
of communities that have embraced their riverfront?
There are several cities and towns that stand out from my travels up to Hudson
Bay and down the Mississippi. Before I highlight a few places, here is a
checklist of things that, in my opinion, make a great river town:
- Access to the water
- Outfitters
- Hiking and biking paths
- Restaurants and breweries
- Museums, interpretive centers
- Camping
- B&B / Cabins
- Lodging (Hotels / Inns)
- Neighboring towns/cities with similar amenities
When our Paddle Forward expedition
canoed through Wabasha,
Minn., we wished we had a few more days to explore the area. Right
after a long day of battling winds on Lake Peppin, we paddled right up to
Reed’s Landing Brewery to have a beer by the water. The next day we paddled
with someone who runs the local bed and breakfast and outfitter. He kayaked
with us to the National Eagle Center (again, right on the river) where we
learned about birds on the Big Muddy. This town has access to beautiful hiking
paths on the bluffs by the river, an outfitter, a bed and breakfast, several
restaurants, a great brewery, and just a quick jaunt from Red Wind (great place
for climbing). It passes my checklist with flying colors.
Looking through the fog
for America’s next great paddling town during Paddle Forward’s 2013 expedition
down the Mississippi. Photo courtesy Paddle4Ward.com
The farther you go down
the mighty Mississippi River, the harder it is to provide direct access to the
water. Dubuque, Iowa
was a memorable stop for us because, even though they still had retaining walls,
the city built an enclosed harbor for boats to stop in and explore the city. We
were able to paddle right up to the National Mississippi River Museum where the
director let us stay the night in an old Army Corps dredging boat. We got
together with city planners who showed us Dubuque’s Art on the River
— a path along the Mississippi that displays new artwork every year.
This project brings people of all ages out to interact with the river and helps
market the city as a river town. Kudos for the creativity!
We were contacted by a
community group in Montrose, Iowa,
to invite us to stop and tour their town. Reaching out to paddlers is a great
sign of a happy, proud river community. The sun set as we paddled the calm
waters toward Montrose. We were greeted with flashing lights and honking horns
as the community ran to the riverbank to welcome our group of paddlers. They
held a dinner for us and we swapped stories about the river. The next day,
members of the community gave us a tour of the button factory museum and we
rode through town on the back of a trailer to learn about the town’s history.
Turns out, Montrose was a major producer of buttons when buttons were made by
drilling holes into mussel shells (before they were over-harvested). While
Montrose may not fulfill all of the checklist categories, I have never met
community members along the river who were more passionate about maintaining a
culture around their waterway.
What’s in this for
paddlers?
Local recreation heaven! As towns turn toward the river, paddlers will have the
opportunity to take low-cost paddle trips with minimal travel time. This
experience is not a replacement for your annual Boundary Waters trip or Arctic
river expedition. Paddling locally is a great way to explore nearby water
trails, learn more about your home state, and take a peek at the beauty in your
own backyard. And eat a piece of pie at the coffee shop on the river while
you’re at it. Every time you paddle locally you are partaking in a larger
movement for the betterment of communities, ecosystems, and the future
of river-town economies. That’s a lot to digest … good thing there is a brewery
on the water!
— Read more about
Warren’s argument for urban paddling corridors in our Voices of
Wilderness series.
