It’s a reasonably good guess that most whitewater paddlers in Ontario have at some point sharpened their skills at Palmer Rapids on the Madawaska River. Palmer (as it’s known) is a near-ideal whitewater site for an introduction to whitewater, or for refining a paddler’s skills at any level. The Paddler Co-op has been a fixture in this area since 1997, providing access to the river for paddlers, along with a range of services including instructional clinics, camping, transportation, and equipment rental. Organized by the Co-op, biannual Palmerfests have become fixtures on the paddling calendar. Paddler Co-op is organized as a non-profit, and for its first twenty-plus years operated at its current site as a tenant. Faced with the possible sale of the site by its long-term owner, in 2024 the Co-op has launched a fund- raising campaign to allow it to buy the property and secure its long-term future at Palmer Rapids.
The Wilderness Canoe Association has now joined the long list of Paddler Co-op supporters through entering a sponsorship agreement with the Co-op. The WCA board had an opportunity to hear about
the Co-ops plans first-hand, including through a presentation by Paddler Co-op executive Director Ryan O’Connor (a recorded YouTube video can be found by searching for Paddler Co-op on the WCA YouTube channel). The WCA board decided to contribute to the paddler Co-op’s fund-raising goals for three main reasons:
- the value to paddlers of ensuring continuing access and support for paddlers at Palmer Rapids, as a tremendous asset for whitewater paddlers in Ontario;
- an opportunity to raise the WCA’s profile among Co-op looking to expand their circle of paddling friends and to benefit from WCA resources and outing arrangements; and,
- building on WCA’s sponsorship to take full advantage of the Co-ops offering for WCA members, including as a site for the WCA’s fall gathering in 2024, with discounts on Co-op camping and other charges flowing to WCA members. The WCA contribution used a combination of WCA reserves and a portion of funds contributed in memory of Mike Wevrick, with agreement from the Wevrick family, representing an enduring component of Mike’s paddling legacy. The WCA encourages its members to plan a visit to Palmer this year, and see what’s going on at the Co-op. WCA members considering a personal contribution to the
Paddler Co-op fund-raising campaign can check out the fund-raising campaign web site at https://sweet-
home-paddler-co-op.raisely.com/ .
