Join us for a paddle on the Ocklawaha River with Adventure Outpost and special guest Gina Kent, a Swallow-tailed Kite expert from the Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI) in Gainesville. Although the Swallow-tailed Kites will be the focus, she will point out and speak on the other birdlife we encounter along the way.

We will begin just downstream from the Kirkpatrick (formerly Rodman) Dam. This section of the Ocklawaha below the dam is wide and braided, and we’ll navigate past numerous side streams and winding forks that make this an interesting area to explore.

The wide, open channel of the Ocklawaha River offers an excellent panorama of river forests and swamps that in some places stretch a half-mile back from the main channel. Here, we find a menagerie of wildlife that love such places. We’ll step back in time and see very little sign of civilization. As history buffs dream of Acuera warriors and the steamboats which once plied these waters, birders and animal lovers will be getting a lot of use out of their binoculars and cameras. In addition to its scenic beauty, this stretch of the Ocklawaha also serves as an excellent “living museum” of man’s 12,000 year relationship with nature in Florida.

When we make our way back downstream, we will stop for lunch at the site of the former river settlement/steamboat landing of Davenport, which is adjacent to the Davenport Mound, an ancient Indian burial site first excavated in the 1800’s.

This is an easy-paced paddle on the slow-moving tannin-stained waters and usually takes about 3-4 hours.

Register

To register, please call Adventure Outpost at (386) 497-4214. Mention the date (June 4) and St. Johns Riverkeeper and have your payment information ready (they accept VISA and MasterCard) to secure your reservation.

Cost

$45 (includes kayak rental)

$35 (bring your own)