SHORELINES

You could spend an entire lifetime paddling across Alabama's 132,000 miles of water from the Tennessee River to the Gulf of Mexico and the thousands of lakes, rivers and streams in between. Two organizations have partnered to help educate young people just starting that journey. e 4-H RiverKids Program teaches children ages 9-18 basic paddling skills, water safety and more about outdoor recreation. Since 2015, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) has worked closely with the Alabama Scenic River Trail (ASRT) on the program. Under the partnership, RiverKids has grown to 28 counties, with 37 certified instructors and almost 800 participants through 4-H. Some of the counties participating with Alabama Power lakes include Cherokee, Etowah, Randolph, Shelby and Tallapoosa. RiverKids started as a small program run by ASRT. Its founder, Fred Couch, wanted to encourage kids to explore the outdoors while teaching them about water safety. e group soon realized working with 4-H would expand RiverKids' reach and support the association's goal of promoting water recreation in Alabama. "We opened the trail as an opportunity for residents to get out on the water," said Jay Grantland, ASRT executive director. "Our goal is to promote the waterways in Alabama as a recreational opportunity. e goal was to give kids the opportunity to explore and learn what Alabama has to offer and to do it safely, since there is an inherent risk with water activity." e RiverKids program is seasonal and typically runs from April to October. Classes include paddling basics and safety but also explore topics such as fishing, hiking and being environmentally conscious. Each class is a little differen. Some are structured as one- or two-day events, while others resemble a Photos courtesy of: Alabama Cooperative Extension System 5 apcshorelines.com

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