We Improve Access for Waterway Recreation
The Conservancy's Canoe Access Development Fund was established in 2008 by the generosity of longtime Conservancy members and outdoor enthusiasts, Roy Weil and Mary Shaw. CADF provides grants to watershed organizations and other community groups to develop and improve access sites on the region's rivers and streams for canoeists, kayakers and anglers. CADF projects focus on rivers and streams where people can canoe or kayak, with an emphasis on easier whitewater suitable for novice paddlers. The best reference for identifying these types of waterways remains the “Canoeing Guide to Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia,” compiled and edited by Roy Weil and Mary Shaw.
CADF funds are allotted using a thorough proposal and vetting process. Applicants include nonprofit watershed and conservation organizations, community groups, municipalities and more. Grant awards range in amounts up to $5,000 per site and can be used in a variety of ways, including improving an existing access, developing a new river access or adding nearby parking areas.
Through its staff, WPC also provides hands-on assistance to grant recipients for planning and site preparation.
Download Our Canoe Access Development Guide
As more and more people get on the region’s water to canoe, kayak, fish and recreate, it’s important that safe, durable, accessible sites are available. We’ve developed a canoe access development guide for groups such as existing watershed associations, paddling clubs, outdoors groups and community organizations that are interested in developing and improving canoe and kayak access sites on Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams. It provides an overview of considerations in developing river access sites, as well as links to a number of resources to help you plan.
