Aug. 1: River sweep, 9 a.m., Blue Mountain Lake town beach to Village of Raquette Lake.
Aug. 2: River sweep, 10 a.m., 2.5 miles north of Seveys Corners on State Route 56, South Colton to Catamount Lodge and Forest. Access trail grand opening; beginner guided hike to Catamount Mountain; booths, displays and lodge tours, artisan exhibits and demonstrations from Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY).
Aug. 3: Boat launch clean up; all day; Norwood Beach; St. Lawrence County Youth Conservation Corps, Village of Norwood crews and volunteers to clean boat launch and canoe carries; Community presentation, "Four Rivers in One" on the history of the Raquette River; 7 p.m., Colton-Pierrepont Central School auditorium.
Aug. 4: Trail and carries maintenance, Buttermilk Falls and Deerland carries in Long Lake, all day; Northern Forest Canoe Trail crews and volunteers to construct and re-establish carries.
Aug. 5: Invasive-species presentation, 1 p.m., Flammer Theater, Wild Center, Tupper Lake. "Unwanted: Invasive Species of the Adirondacks," with Hilary Smith, director of the Adirondack Invasive Species Program; trail and carries maintenance continues, 9 a.m., Buttermilk Falls and Deerland in Long Lake; Northern Forest Canoe Trail crews and volunteers to construct and re-establish carries.
Aug. 6: River sweep, 10 a.m., Axton Landing near Tupper Lake about 7 miles to boat launch on routes 3 and 30, known as "The Crusher." Hands-on Educational Ecology program, 1:30 p.m., Wild Center, Tupper Lake; Dr. Don Osterberg leads exploration of on-site Greenleaf Pond and Raquette River. Community presentation, "Four Rivers in One" on the river's history, 7 p.m., Tupper Lake Library.
Aug. 7: River sweep/land clean-up, 9 a.m., from boat launch on routes 3 and 30, known as "The Crusher" to Setting Pole Dam; land crews to clean up causeway and bridge between Moody's and Tupper Lake and at Setting Pole Dam. River sweep/land clean-up, 6:30 p.m., Higley Flow boat launch, South Colton.
Aug. 8: Whitewater release, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Full-flow release at Stone Valley in Colton. Informational booths, displays and water-related craft exhibits, Colton Fire Station.
Aug. 9: River sweep, 11 a.m., Fall Island Park in Potsdam to the Brookfield boat ramp at Norwood Lake.
TUPPER LAKE — A series of events set for Aug. 1 to 9 will clean up the Raquette River and showcase its unlimited recreational and economic potential.
The 174-mile river, which originates in Blue Mountain Lake and ends at the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation at Akwesasne, is the second-longest river in New York.
Some believe the Raquette could expand tourism, business investment and create jobs if its communities have a coordinated effort that promotes its care and use.
Business owners, private-land owners, municipalities and outdoor enthusiasts formed the Raquette River Blueway Corridor Committee to develop just such a long-range strategy.
Blueways are state-designated small-boat and paddling routes that provide recreation and raise awareness to attract visitors who seek rest, overnight accommodations and land-based attractions.
This is the first time the committee has attempted such an event, but its Web site — www.raquetteriver.com — already has more than 8,000 hits.
"We obtained state funding and conducted a preliminary study to identify interests of the communities along the Raquette and learn their visions," said Louise Bixby, one of the coordinators.
Following a series of public hearings with input from river-edge residents, the committee aligned with American Rivers and its National River Cleanup campaign "to raise awareness and identify sites for volunteer cleanup," she said.
More hearings are scheduled for late August to set development priorities and work with communities that are farthest along in their vision plans, Bixby said.
But first, the Raquette must be cared for properly.
"Helping keep the river clean is one way that citizens can do their part for the river we love," she said.
River-sweep events are planned where paddlers take to the water, removing debris along the shoreline.
Safety concerns voiced by the State Department of Environmental Conservation lead to adding trail- and carry-maintenance days at Buttermilk Falls and Deerland.
Northern Forest Canoe Trail crews and other volunteers will widen and re-establish safe carries, said Mike Prescott, a licensed Adirondack guide and leader of the river-sweep events.
"We need to get people to carry on the trails rather than using North Point Road," he said.
The existing trails are overgrown and narrow, which makes canoeists use the main road, Prescott said. But that is causing safety concerns because the road is frequently used by drivers.
He said some users are coming out of the river and putting in more often than necessary when they have to bypass the overgrown trails.
The continuing work will also fill in muddy areas with crushed stone to create better footing and remove blown-down debris that blocks the trails.
For more information on all the river-awareness events, call Mike Prescott at 494-9633 or Louise Bixby at (315) 262-2130.
E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com
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