2nd Annual LGBTQ+ Pride Paddle (Lenox, MA)

This Naturalist-Led easy canoe trip for all-levels LGBTQ+ & their families, co-sponsored by Q-MoB, Mass Audubon, and Housatonic Valley Association, will help beginners learn basic canoeing skills, and everybody to have fun explorng and learning about an easy, beautiful stretch of the Housatonic River Watershed. After the paddle adventue we invite you to an optional after-paddle potluck dinner near the river, and to bring items for the potluck. For the Paddle Trip, we will split into two groups, both led by experienced canoe trip guides, to make the paddle more enjoyable for people with different experience & skill levels:

1) HARE GROUP: a Naturalist Led group that will cover more ground and explore more of the river & navigable wetlands that make up the diverse parts of the amazing Housatonic watershed. This group is for adults and adolescents with their parent(s) who have canoeing experience and are reasonably strong paddlers. The group will stay together & have a lead canoe & rear canoe that all participants must remain between.

2) TURTLE GROUP: A Naturalist-Led group for people who can swim but do not have much or any canoeing experience, and for families with children (10 & over), or people who just want to go slower and take your time exploring the plants, wildlife, wetlands, & river we encounter on this shorter and slower trip. This group will stay closer together & have a lead canoe & rear canoe that all participants must remain between. This group will also have experienced kayakers acting as shepherds to provide mentoring/assistance should beginners need that along the way, and to keep the group together.

INSTRUCTION: Instructors will review basic paddling skills, how to get into & out of a canoe safely, how to get back into a canoe should it capsize (which is extremely unlikely), and other safety protocols.

DONATIONS: To pay for the canoes, paddles, Personal Flotation Devices, and compensate the experienced canoe guides/naturalists, and help pay for insurance, we ask everyone to make a tax-deductible donation:
* $35/person If you donate online in advance
* $45/person if you donate with cash or check at the Event (no debit/credit cards)
* $25/youth 10-17 if you donate online in advance
* $30/youth 10-17 if you donate at the event with cash or check (no debit/credit cards)
* $55-$75 From those who can be generous and want to help underwrite the costs of families, low-income beginners, and others in-need
* $5-$34 Scholarship Request: Donate Online if you you cannot afford $35
* $10-$44 Scholarship Request: Donate at the Event (cash or check made out to BSCC; no credit/debit cards)

Unfortunately we have no grant to underwrite the costs of this event, so we depend on the generosity of participants to help underwrite all scholarships and scholarship reductions. So please be as generous as you can to help get families and low-income beginners out on the water.

RAIN DATE & CANCELLATION POLICY: Our raindate will be 6/30, 2-5pm. If you wish to withdraw less than seven days prior to the program, refunds cannot be issued. If we cancel the program or shift to the rain date and you cannot make it then, you will be refunded in full.

DIRECTIONS: Woods Pond Parking Area & Boat Dock, (at the intersection of Crystal St and Housatonic St., Lenox, MA. Please refer to this google map link for the location: . It comes up as 505 Housatonic Street, Lenox. From Routes 7 and 20 in Lenox, turn onto Housatonic Street and continue 2.2 miles to the end of Housatonic Street. When you reach the T-junction – go straight into the parking area. Park as tightly as possible, space is limited!

SAFETY, LIABILITY WAIVER, & IDENTIFYING EVERYONE IN A BOAT: Because of Mass Audubon & HVA insurance regulations, when you register please identify the names, emails, & phone numbers of each person who will be in a boat, and anyone under 18 must be registered by their parent/guardian, who also must be present with them throughout the trip. We also need an emergency contact name & phone number for each person in a canoe. Everyone on the trip must sign the HVA or Audubon Liability Waiver Form, which you will get at the beginning, and people under 18 (and who must be 10 or older) must have their waiver signed by the parent guardian accompanying them. Everyone on the trip must be able to swim, and must keep their Personal Flotation Device on and securely fastened whenever they are near or on the water. The safety of the whole group depends on each one of us being well equipped and prepared, so please carefully review the next section on What to Bring.

WHAT TO BRING:

1) Sliding Scale Donation (amounts listed above can be paid: online, cash or check made out to “BSCC”) if you did not already donate online when you registered,

2) Raincoat/Windbreaker

3) Water bottle (not glass),

4) Snacks (in double ziploc bags),

5) Shoes that can get wet and won’t slip on wet surface (e.g., closed-toe sandals, water shoes, old sneakers/boat shoes, NOT crocs),

6) Bathing Suit & tee shirt that will dry quickly (not cotton) & if it is predicted to be windy & cooler, bring a fleece or long-sleeve baselayer that will keep you warm even if it gets wet,

7) Water-proof Sunscreen,

8) Sunglasses, secured with strap,

9) (Optional) Hat with a brim & cinch to protect you from sun, wind & getting cool,

10) (Optional) Cell Phone in Dry Bag or Double Ziplok Bags

11) If you are staying for the potluck dinner (5:30-7:30pm), please also bring in a cooler a dish &/or non-alcoholic beverages to share with about 6 other people & that do not have to be heated, like a summer salads, pasta salad, gazpacho, tabouli, hummus, guacamole, cheese platter, fruit tray, sandwiches, wraps, etc. To accommodate people with food allergies or sensitivities, please make a sign that discloses if your potluck item contains any of the following: sugar, dairy, gluten, eggs, meat/chicken/fish/shellfish, nuts/peanuts, MSG, preservatives, food colors, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, soy, vegan, vegetarian, paleo. While we will provide disposable plates, bowls, forks/knives/spoons, & paper towels, we encourage you to bring your own non-disposable versions of these things & serving ladles/tongs/spoons to cut down on the amount of waste our group creates.

WHAT NOT TO BRING:

1) ALCOHOL OR MOOD-ALTERING SUBSTANCES: Because minors are invited to this event and because alcohol or mood-altering substances can endanger everyone's saftey in canoeing, we expressly forbid both alcohol, cannabis products, & other mood-altering substances at this event, and ask people not be inebriated or high at the event.

2) CELL PHONES: All guides will have cell phones to use in an emergency, but they are not available for casual use, and we recommend leaving your cell phone in your car so you can have maximum fun on the trip and not be distracted. If you do not have a dry bag or double ziplok bags to store your cell phone in while on the water, we strongly recommend you leave your cell phone in your car and NOT bring it on the water.

DIVIDING PEOPLE INTO BOATS: While we try to keep friends and families together in canoes, safety concerns mean we will prioritize matching a strong paddler with a less strong or beginning paddler in each canoe. So if your friend group or family has a lot of strong paddlers or a lot of beginners, we may ask to pair people in your group with others who will bring about more safety for the group. We will always avoid having 2 beginners in a canoe if we can.

WEATHER: Please check the weather in Lenox from your home before you leave for the Pride Paddle, so that you will be able to bring the right clothes to deal with any last minute changes in the weather. Weather in the Berkshires can change quickly and it is always good to be prepared for rain, wind, & unexpectedly cooler or hotter temps than were forecast the day before. We will only cancel this trip if thunderstorms or steady rain is predicted after noon on the day of the trip, and we will inform you via Text should a thunderstorm be predicted. If intermittent light rain is predicted, we request you bring a raincoat and join us in the wetlands because intermittent, light rain can cool us and the wildlife off and make for a magical trip.

CARPOOLING & RIDE-SHARING: Because there may be limited parking at the boat launch area and because we want to be able to provide rides to people who may not have a vehicle, we request you let us know when you register if you need a ride or are open to carpooling or providing rides to people who live near you.

REACHING US DAY OF HIKE: If you have trouble finding us, will be late, or can't make it, please call/text Bart at 503-734-6508 or Erik at 978-914-3634.

Event Venue

Mass Audubon's Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, 472 West Mountain Road, Lenox, United States