2011 PENINSULA PADDLE
Taking place on World Environment Day, 5 June, the 2011 Peninsula Paddle will involve a team of intrepid social activists and outdoor adventurers from diverse backgrounds as they paddle the fresh waterways that join False Bay to Table Bay. They will connect with community organisations along the way, highlighting the social and environmental challenges that confront the interface between human and aquatic communities in Cape Town.
The 2011 Peninsula Paddle will navigate upstream following the vleis and canalised freshwater rivers of the Cape Flats that have their mouth in False Bay. On reaching the apex of the watershed, the team will then paddle downstream following the Black River as it exits into Table Bay.
The Peninsula Paddle aims to raise awareness of major social and environmental concerns that affect the Cape Peninsula and how we would like to live with and around the rivers in our city. Each of these concerns has global significance as environmental and economic crises deepen. These twin forces have their most dramatic expression in poor communities living in environmentally compromised areas, magnifying inequality in a divided city.
The first ever paddle was undertake on 23 May 2010 by Thomas Cousins, Kevin Winter, Allistair Lee and Trevor Johnston. They kayaked across the Cape Peninsula to raise awareness of issues related to water quality, urban design and community amenities. This paddle had never been attempted before.
In 2011, the Peninsula Paddle will once again see paddlers in various craft, from kayak and canoes to stand-up paddle (SUP) boards, navigate these inland waterways of the Cape Peninsula to draw attention to the need for transformation our freshwater resources: environmentally, socially and politically.
At key points along the waterways a number of activities will be undertaken, including raising awareness in each local community through which the rivers and canals pass, environmental education for school learners, taking water samples and other aquatic measurements, and introducing youth to watersports.
If you would like to participate in or support the 2011 Peninsula Paddle, please send an email to: . For further information and updates about the day’s activities visit our website: http://peninsulapaddle.wordpress.com.
Ends
Media contacts
| Alison LeeEmail: | Catherine Ritchie |
1 Comment
Kim, May 31, 2011 at 5:45 pm
A group of Kayakers from the Scenic South will join the Peninsula Paddlers on Muizenberg Beach at 6:45 sharp and accompany them along the length of Zandvlei to the mouth of the Sandriver. The main armada of Peninsula Paddlers will then set off to negotiate the City’s waterways to Milnerton, which includes sections carrying your canoe and sections cycling. Some paddlers will stay on Sandvlei and do our bit for the environment by doing a plastic bottle clean-up. For details of the route go to http://peninsulapaddle.wordpress.com/
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