Expanded Blueway set to open
Boon to kayakers, tourism
SPECIAL TO FLORIDA WEEKLY

The Great Calusa Blueway will nearly double in size to 190 miles when the map for a new leg of Lee County's marked paddling trail debuts in an event Tuesday, Oct. 30 on the Caloosahatchee River.

The now 100-mile trail meanders from Bonita Springs north through Estero Bay and Pine Island Sound to Charlotte County. The new leg adds 90 miles of river and creeks to the trail, which has free maps and other information online at www.greatcalusablueway. com

The blueway has been a boon to Lee County tourism since its inception five years ago. The county has been recognized as one of the best U.S. kayaking destinations by both Paddler and Canoe & Kayak magazines. The trail itself has garnered National Recreation Trail designation, also putting it in the forefront of paddling trails nationwide.

A ribbon cutting and celebration is set for Tuesday, Oct. 30 as part of the nine-day Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival, which features more than 40 kayak-related events countywide along the trail and waterways. The Riverside Park event is among a handful of happenings on the river and its tributaries, such as Billy Creek, which enters the river near the park.

COURTESY PHOTO Lee County has some of the best paddling trails in the world.

"Personally, for me, the Caloosahatchee leg is the most exciting part of the Great Calusa Blueway, as the river is an oftenforgotten part of our local waters," said avid paddler Mary Rawl, co-founder of the Friends of Billy Creek and an organizer of Tuesday's event.

"Many of the residents of Lee County have not had the experience of gliding along the surface in a rowing shell or a kayak in the early morning," she said. "In order to appreciate the river and become good stewards of our waterways, we have to experience it first-hand. Hopefully, this leg will bring both local residents and our outof town guests onto the Caloosahatchee and its creeks and foster an appreciation for this valuable resource. This river is truly the lifeblood of Lee County."

The county's blueway system was born with the completion of the Estero Bay portion - or Phase 1 - in early 2003; its Pine Island Sound section (Phase 2) was finished in 2005. Both legs have numbered markers spaced roughly a quarter-mile apart, guiding canoeists and kayakers through mangrove estuaries and sheltered bays. Put-ins are designated along the trail, as are other amenities such as campsites, restaurants, marinas and cultural and historic sites of the Calusa Indians, for whom the trail is named.

This new Caloosahatchee leg - called Phase 3 - also highlights put-ins, amenities and historic stopping points. It also now is among the most comprehensive maps available showing where public land and stopping points are along the river, which is increasingly becoming urbanized.

Unlike the Estero Bay and Pine Island Sound sections, though, this leg does not have markers on the river. Instead, GPS coordinates are provided for highlights, putins and the mouths of each creek.

"We didn't want to clutter up the river, which already is laden with speed-zone signs and other markers," said Betsy Clayton, waterways coordinator for Lee County Parks and Recreation, which manages the blueway. "We want to encourage kayakers and canoeists to slip their boat in and enjoy the lush landscape, the oxbows and the Old Florida-style feel you get on the river as you travel from Cape Coral and Fort Myers upstream toward Alva."

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

>>What: Celebrate the Caloosahatchee >>When: 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30 >>Where: Riverside Community Center, 3061 East Riverside Drive, Fort Myers >>Cost: Free >>Activities: Ribbon cutting for Caloosahatchee leg of the blueway, kayak demonstration, ecoinformation, area dignitaries, refreshments, kids' treasure hunt, and more. The event is part of the Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival and Charlotte Harbor National Estuaries Days; sponsored by Friends of Billy Creek and City of Fort Myers. >>Call: 461-7162

ONLINE

>>New map: A PDF of the Caloosahatchee leg of the trail will be posted soon at www.greatcalusablueway. com

>>Festival: More details on kayaking events are at www.calusabluewaypaddlingfestival.com