Registration for the Dragon Run spring paddle season opens on Saturday, March 9, at 9 a.m. Friends of Dragon Run (FODR) conducts paddle trips in The Dragon during the spring, summer and fall. Reservations are on a first-come-first-served basis. The spring paddle season will run from Saturday, April 13 to Wednesday, May 22. Most Wednesdays are reserved for group paddles. Each trip will accommodate nine paddlers. Paddlers must be at least 18 years old.
FODR paddle trips fill up quickly. Individuals who work during the week don’t always have an opportunity to register until after work when many of the best dates have been filled. To ensure that everyone has a fair chance at registering for the paddle day of their choice, we have moved paddle registration days to the second Saturday of the month.
Paddle trips will begin at Big Island, a FODR property located in King and Queen County. The trips will leave from and return to the same location where guests parked their cars. This is a round trip paddle, and the upstream paddling may be strenuous at times.
Jeff Wright, FODR president, noted, “Spring is a beautiful time to paddle the Dragon. The bald cypress will be getting their needles and we will see spring flowers such as spatterdock and wild azalea. The highlight of these trips are sightings of the golden yellow Prothonotary Warbler. This tiny bird breeds along the Dragon in early spring and migrates to Central and South America around August.”
Dragon Run is a unique ecosystem that stretches 40 miles from Powcan to the Piankatank River. Most access points to Dragon Run are on private property which has helped protect this pristine swamp and contributed to the unique habitat and abundance of wildlife.
Friends of Dragon Run is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to preserving and protecting the entire Dragon Run wilderness area. One way to achieve this goal is to offer the public an opportunity to experience this unique habitat. Paddle trips are also a primary fundraiser for FODR, and the organization requests a $50 donation at the time of registration. Paddle guests are provided with a kayak, paddle, and personal flotation device. A crew of volunteers assist guests through beaver dams and along the course of the journey. A nature guide accompanies the guests to point out the natural beauty and answer questions. The trips last approximately three hours.
Be sure to sign up soon; reservations fill quickly. Visit DragonRun.org for more information and to sign up.
Friends of Dragon Run (FODR) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Our mission is to protect, preserve, and encourage the wise use of the Dragon Run watershed. We fulfill our mission through education, stewardship, and citizen science. For more information about Dragon Run and to join our activities, visit DragonRun.org.
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