Paddling | Skillet Creek Journal

A Paddle Park For The Baraboo River

February 26th, 2010 |

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“Expanded opportunities for recreation for locals and tourists will result from removal of the dams. The free-flowing “Baraboo Rapids” will be a significant attraction for people seeking more challenging canoeing or kayaking. ” – John Exo, UW-Extention, April 2006.

Commentary – You don’t hear much in the Baraboo area about expanded opportunities for canoeing and kayaking these days. Now that all the hubbub around the removal of the Baraboo Dams has settled it seems we’re happy to pave a trail and put up some office buildings. In fact since the floods in 2008, it’s become even harder to actually get a canoe or kayak through the “Baraboo Rapids” unless the river is high. Paddlers of course are a very small portion of a community’s population and are easily lost behind the glow of riverfront real estate profit potential. The focus on a restored Baraboo river is for most part, not actually the about the river, but what you can build upon its banks and how a quick profit can be ingested with a bit of long term tax revenues for seasoning. It seems everyone involved in the river restoration at this point has been caught up in the economic party line and completely forgotten the bit about “expanded opportunities for recreation”.

Realizing that the Baraboo hills are dead center of a massive tourism hotspot focused on nature and outdoor recreation (Not to mention Wisconsin Dells), and as a paddler and coach, I have been calling for another option for the Baraboo river, A paddle park. Once again my quixotic ideas seem to have windmills putting up their dukes on the county courthouse lawn. The idea apparently is so crazy that it can’t find 10 minutes consideration. Of course when it comes to ideas, outright rejection is often a really good sign!

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Now the Baraboo river does not have the sort of flow that would support a world class whitewater park. It could, however support a smaller, less impactful, and less expensive paddle play area perfect for folks looking to learn in class II-III conditions not to mention a quick rush for passing paddlers as well. There is already a section of the Baraboo river through the city in dire need of care as it is, if for no other reason than to allow a canoe passage in mid-July.

The arguments against of course boil down to two main issues. Economic and environmental. At this point neither is a real augment because no one as of yet has taken the idea seriously. That’s where I come in. I’m not going to fight or play games with local politicians and self-appointed experts. I’m not going to bang my head against old schoolers who think office complexes & box stores are always the impetus of growth. What I will do is say that our community may be missing an opportunity simply because we’re not thinking outside-the-box as the cliché goes. So let’s at least give a paddle play area a serious hearing. Why not?

Whitewater Play parks have been popping up all over the US and Europe over the last decade and have proven themselves to be a draw to people in the area hungry for white water. (Translation: Tourism dollars.) The environmental research has been done over and over again and continues to show no real documented negative effects on the ecosystem. In fact there is a real positive effect as the deep water pools created for the park provide a good habitat for fish and another hot spot for area fisherman.

Economically we are in the right place at the right time. A steady rise in environmental awareness and solid growth in the outdoor recreation industry offer bankable odds to such an endeavor. Given our location between Devil’s Lake State Park & Wisconsin Dells, and the continual expansion of parklands, preserves and trails around the Baraboo hills, a paddle play area is puzzle piece made to fit. Once in place, opportunities for business go well beyond such unimaginative and limited goals as simply taxing more “office space.” Creative investors could bring in new business, outfitters, retail outlets, a shopping plaza, restaurants with an overlook to the park and on and on. Such a plan would actually revitalize the river district, and not simply put up a bunch of glass overlooking a lone paved trail. Office buildings will not bring more visitors to Circus World Museum or bring more shoppers to Downtown Baraboo. A paddle park may. We are not talking about reinventing the wheel. It’s been done. Repeatedly.

Even the most sensible plan for a community’s future calls for fresh ideas and recognizing your strengths. So here’s one. Take it, or leave it. Thing is sitting here in the Baraboo hills of all places, it seems as if we’d be pretty dumb not to be willing to at least do a feasibility study. I mean, do you really think a few more offices are making the best use of our river front? What are we missing here? Are a few new leases actually going to bring vibrant healthy growth to our area for years to come? Really?

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