Paddle in the Park
JOHNSON COUNTY EDUCATION PROGRAMS, Johnson County
Monday, July 22, 2019
Paddle the newly restored Kent Park Lake! Spend a portion of the paddle gathering water quality data. Spaces very limited so register early!
To register: Email inaturalist1@co.johnson.ia.us or call 319-645-1011 to register. Participants are required to be at least 10 years old unless stated otherwise. Spaces are limited to the available JCC kayaks, but some will allow additional paddlers with personal kayaks. More details about location, time paddling, etc. will be shared upon registration. Each event is dependent on safe weather conditions and water levels, and the program may be canceled or moved to a new location if needed.
About the Paddle in the Park program series: In the fall of 2018, Johnson County Conservation purchased ten kayaks to use for public programming, and the naturalists are excited to get them out on the water as much as they can! To help with that, JCC has started the Paddle in the Park series. Each month, a naturalist will lead paddling programs on different water bodies throughout the county. Most weeks, paddlers will explore either the newly restored Kent Park Lake or the backwater slough at Pechman Creek Delta. Both areas will provide unique experiences for the participants, whether paddling a seldom-paddled area like the slough, or checking out the different aspects of the lake restoration.
This series is designed to help the public explore new natural areas, but also to further the conversation on water quality. During each paddle, time will be set aside for citizen science. Paddlers will help the naturalist gather water quality data and sample for aquatic macroinvertebrates (insects and other small creatures that tell us a lot about the health of the water body). Thus, paddlers are helping to gather a snapshot of the health of each aquatic system, data that will ideally be built on year after year.
