I pulled this off of the Birmingham, AL canoe club site. I thought anyone who has ever paddled any of these rivers might be interested.
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Scenic trail on Coosa-Alabama river system boost for ecotourism
8/17/2007, 12:08 p.m. ET
The Associated Press
ANNISTON, Ala. (AP) - A 631-mile scenic river trail from northeast Alabama
to Mobile on the Coosa-Alabama river system could generate ecotourism
dollars, travel industry officials say.
The project proposed by Fred Couch of Anniston is slated for completion next
June.
With 19 counties adjacent to the river corridor, Alabama’s rivers seem to be
an untapped resource for ecotourism, Couch said.
Eleven resolutions have been passed by local governments throughout the
state in support of the trail project.
Visitors along the trail also might gain a greater appreciation for water
quality in Alabama rivers, said Calhoun County Commissioner Robert Downing.
Downing told The Anniston Star in a story Friday that he has been encouraged
by the response about the project throughout the county and the state.
Couch and members of the nonprofit Alabama Scenic River Trail group are
collecting information about stops along the river for brochures.
He said about $150,000 remains to be raised to pay for signs along the
river, including printing costs and upgrades at dam sites to allow portages,
or navigational routes around the dam in order to reconnect with the river.
The group has applied to be a nonprofit organization, Couch said.
Grey Brennan, marketing manager for the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and
Travel, calls the scenic river tour an ambitious project that is consistent
with state plans to promote natural waterways.
“By linking these rivers together as a single trail, they become easier to
promote to vacations, especially those that are out of state,” he said.
Brennan said there will be different types of people who will use the trail.
“The outdoor adventurer will want to do the whole trail and maybe stay at
bed and breakfasts. Many people will only use sections of the river. They
may stay in Anniston, Montgomery or Mobile, any of the other towns along the
river,” he said.
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Information from: The Anniston Star,
http://www.anniston star.com/
Awesome
Maybe the Flint River next???
Of course…
This presupposes that Alabama Power is ever again willing to allow ANY water into the Coosa below Lake Jordan.
Sigh… maybe someday it will rain.
G_K is going to open it ! YAHOO
I'm planning the inagural trip that will have the opening ceremonies as I an whoever paddles with me arrives. I'm only 2 days into the planning. The big ceremony will be in Montgomery. I paddled this trip before they started planning the trail and I have been working with them so I'm doing the trip again as an official and designated trail.
I'll have the itinerary done in a couple of days and then we'll move the dates a little to accomodate the ceremonies.
C'mon John and join me for part of it. I'm going to start in Rome,Ga and zero my GPS when I get to the state line. This will give them a GPS track of the trail.
Bryan, are you coming on this one too.
Dates?
G-K,
Do you have any tenative dates?
You keep teasing me with all of these great expeditions…I don’t have enough vacation time to keep up with you!
Seriously, if it’s at all possible I will gladly participate…keep me posted.
BPS
Dates?
Sections? I need a vacation!