A Day of Action

On Saturday, October 24th, NRS organized an event as part of the International Day of Climate Action, also known as 350.org. Our goal was to create the numbers 3-5-0 on the water of a local lake, with boats. We put out the word to the local community and asked them to join us.

Fall weather in northern Idaho is unpredictable and we kept our fingers crossed for a day of no rain. And we lucked out! Rain the day before and the day after, but no rain on the 24th. That was the good news. The bad news was that the wind blew like hell – 15-20 mph!

We met at the lake with a great group of local boaters. We got as organized as we could on shore, then jumped in our boats to give it a go. It was crazy trying to hold formation in that wind with a mix of whitewater and touring kayaks, a canoe, inflatable kayaks and rafts. We started far upwind and passed down in front of the photographer on the bluff. We were too far out in our first pass to make a good picture, so we struggled back to the shore and used the calmer water there to finally get a photo with part of the boats!

Then we retired to the group shelter to share a picnic lunch of brats and salads made by local businesses. We also shared educational literature, compact florescent light bulbs, weatherizing supplies and low-flow showerheads provided by Avista, our regional power company.

It was fun to meet with fellow boaters and help make a statement in support of our political leaders making the hard choices to protect the environment and the waterways that we love to recreate on!

Photos by Paco Echevarria