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Environment | Alternative Transportation | Environmental Commission
May 31 , 2007 Meeting:
Canoeing, Kayaking and the Ann Arbor Liveries
Cheryl Saam, City of Ann Arbor
- Resources
- 2 canoe liveries: Argo and Gallup, open 9 to 9 Memorial Day to Labor Day
- 65 kayaks, about 140 canoes; paddle boats and rowboats too; (compared to 0 kayaks and 47 canoes and boats 5 years ago)
- 2 hr route, 84% Argo to Gallup;
- Barton to Gallup new last year, launch site at the base of Barton dam;
- Delhi to Argo 4hr;
- Dexter to Argo 6hr route (only about 100 a year)
- About ½ patrons just paddle hourly and ½ river trips
- Both liveries have a public boat launch, usually a handful of boats on a weekend day
- Paddle parties, brunch paddles, birthday parties, river day camps, preschool programs, senior programs: walks, wetlands by canoe, full moon paddles, instruction workshops, coffee shop with Zingerman’s baked goods, Meeting room rentals, festivals at Gallup Park, corporate trips, working with Huron Clinton Metroparks s at Delhi
- Grant from MI to do 6 river cleanups
- Attendance, Finances and Growth of programs
- Last year 30,000 paddled; 40,000 through the livery in other ways, conference rooms, etc (compared to 25,000 people in 2003)
- 72% are Ann Arbor residents; this could be a bit skewed – as this is regardless of size of group, as long as 1 person is a resident; others from all across SE Michigan
- 2007 first six weeks doubled from 2006 numbers
- Last year revenue $323,000 expenses about $300,000; turns a profit and provides resources for other park areas
- Memorial Day 2007 – busiest day ever; there was 1.5 hours wait; $10,000 earnings; Gallup park parking lot gate was closed for the first time ever
- Argo livery used to only be open on weekends
- Future Programs and goals
- AAPS 7th grade SEEE program: water testing / aquatic life/ stormwater also with Dexter, Ypsi;
- Grant for high school physical ed, so Huron and Community high students can learn to paddle and fish
- Next year resident/nonresident rates will be the same
- Requests for services that you don’t provide?
- People ask for whitewater courses;
- People also ask for private boat storage locations
- Considerations
- If water level goes down it would reduce the option to row
- No one will paddle if it isn’t clean fresh water, and the perception of cleanliness
- Liveries don’t monitor e-coli levels
- Prefer drop-in attendees to reservations
- Wonders what the capacity is – when is too many ppl on the river on weekends that it would take away from the experience
- Want to keep it a natural get-away experience
- Maintaining stewardship and safety– currently have polite river users, limited alcohol use, everyone wears a life jacket
- Restrictions: Boats have no wake, 10 horsepower boats restrictions; these are the private boats; no swimming
- Removing obstructions and stream bank restoration
- Opportunities: working with other cities and metro parks; integrating children; goal of education above this stretch of the river
For more information, contact Cheryl Saam,
Facility Supervisor
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