Plotting paddle places

Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005

Plotting paddle places

By Denis Cuff
Knight Ridder

A move is gaining momentum to create a San Francisco Bay water trail, a network of launching and landing sites for kayakers and canoeists who want to paddle along the 450-square-mile shoreline.

Small-boaters and recreation planners are putting their weight behind state legislation that would authorize the trail. Getting an early jump, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission has snagged a federal grant to devote a planner to the project for two years.

``I think this is the next generation of access to the bay,'' said Will Travis, executive director of the commission. ``We've had trails along the bay shore and ridges, and many shoreline areas for people to see the bay. Now we're talking about something to get people out on the water.''

Kayaking and sailboarding have surged in popularity on the bay, but most shoreline access points are more suitable for pedestrians or big boats. The places often lack beaches, small docks or other smooth surfaces to launch small boats.

In addition, many such places lack restrooms, long-term parking, sites for unloading boats and camping spots for overnight trips. Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-El Cerrito, who introduced the bill, said she wants to ease the path to the water.

Her bill requires the Bay Commission and the state Coastal Conservancy to coordinate cities, counties, ports, parks and other groups in planning the water trail. The bill would apply to non-motorized boats that can be loaded on car tops.

The agencies would map routes and develop signs and information material to steer paddlers where to go to avoid unsafe currents, large boats, or wildlife nesting or nursery areas.

``Formally placing the trail in state statute is a beginning,'' Hancock said. ``We're not allocating money, but providing a vision to ensure that our bay stays a public resource and the next generation has full opportunity to experience it.''

The bay trail would be modeled after similar ``water trails'' in Washington's Puget Sound, Florida's Everglades and the Midwest's Great Lakes. A bay water trail could become another attraction for tourists, said David Dolberg of Richmond, a board member of Bay Access, a group formed to promote the water trail. Developing campsites or hostels near the shore could enable multiday paddling trips, he said.

Environmentalists worry about putting more people on the water. The paddlers could harm wildlife that need peaceful areas away from people, they say.

``The trouble is that people on light boats can get where critters don't expect people to be,'' said Arthur Feinstein, conservation director for the Audubon Society's Golden Gate chapter. ``I think the potential for conflict is pretty huge.''

Hancock and Dolberg said addressing environmental concerns will be part of the trail planning. Water trail proponents can produce signs and educational materials about sensitive waters that paddlers should avoid, Dolberg said.