OLD TAPPAN, N.J.—Lake Tappan Paddle Day on Saturday, Aug. 3 gave participants a unique opportunity to kayak or canoe on the normally restricted local reservoir.
The event was offered by the Hackensack Riverkeeper and Suez North America working in partnership to support the Hackensack Riverkeeper’s mission to protect, preserve, and restore the Hackensack River.
“It’s been an event where we have partnered with the Riverkeeper for many years now,” said Sonja Clark, director of communications for Suez Water. “It’s a fundraiser for them so we are supporting them in their environmental pursuits and we like to showcase what we have here.”
Paddle Day was organized into four sessions throughout the day with participants able to bring their own kayak/canoe or borrow one from the Riverkeeper’s fleet. The boats available included a single-person kayak, a tandem (two-person) kayak, or a canoe.
To ensure that boats were able to enter the reservoir all boats had to be washed down at a wash station before entering the water.
All participants received a free waterproof phone pouch and lunch courtesy of Inserra ShopRite.
Paddle Day is one of three summer events in which Suez allows community residents and individuals to come and paddle on the reservoir, says Clark.
Founded in 1997 by Capt. Bill Sheehan, the Hackensack Riverkeeper works to preserve and restore the Hackensack River Watershed through environmental action, advocacy, education and litigation.
—Story by Kathryne McCann, with reporting and photos by Murray Bass