
See what you missed on the 2023 Program and then Plan for 2024!
Thanks to Monica Williamson of Wiliamson Creative Agency for the Brochure Design
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Saturday April 29! It was a great day! Check back in for Hugh Heward 2024!
The Grand River Awaits You!
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Gary and Linda De Kock and got their brick for Verlen Kruger Award
They completed the 25 mile Hugh Heward Challenge!
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What a beautiful brick for Gary and Linda De Kock!
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Joanie and Gary McGuffin enjoying Knowing Nature: Stories of the Boreal Forest
Smithsonian traveling exhibit at MSU Museum until Nov 12, 2023
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League of Michigan Bicyclists was at QAS2023! Now check out their tours!
So many routes, so many options!
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Gary and Linda De Cock were awarded the Verlen Kruger Award for 2023!
This year, as a fundraiser for Water for People, they traveled the Suwannee River.
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Father and Daughter team: All about the Volunteers!
Emma has come with her dad for many years to QWS and now QAS. Thank you!
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Subaru helped to display the Grand Prize Raffle paddleboard and paddle from Little Bay Boards
The woman who won this beauty danced for joy!
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Welcome to new exhibitors, Mr. Mock's Hammocks! All Smiles!
They contributed door prizes making people even happier!
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Michigan Waterways Stewards showed off their new inflatable for cleanups
Check the website for a chance to join in a local cleanup!
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Denny's Central Park Bicycles was there early with many bikes!
Thank you for your sponsorship! Great to have you with us.
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Chicago Adventure Therapy and Opps. Unlimited for the Blind joined us
QAS 2023 was a success, with speakers and exhibitors such as CAT and OUB.
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LeValley Outdoors was there! They braved the storm to come to QAS 2023
Year after year, our exhibitors make the show!
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Kevin was at QAS 2023. He is truly a Happy Camper.
Thanks to all the speakers who made QAS 2023 a success.
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MSU Museum launch of
Knowing Nature: Stories of the the Boreal Forest
On April 19, 2023, the MSU Museum launched the traveling Smithsonian Exhibit: Knowing Nature: Stories of the Boreal Forest. Our QAS 2023 speakers, Joanie and Gary McGuffin were there, and a free talk on Birds and the Boreal was presented and a recording will be available soon. There will be a special Story Time at the Museum based on the Exhibit on June 14. Register to join this free event. The exhibit will be at the MSU Museum through November 12, 2023 and is presented in English and Spanish! Vamos todos para conocer nuestro bosque boreal.
The Annual Hugh Heward Challenge Event on the Grand River was a success!
Middle Grand River Organization of Watersheds (MGROW) with its partners hosted the annual Hugh Heward Challenge paddle event on the Grand River on April 29. Participants chose the full Hugh (50 miles), the Half Hugh (25 miles) or the Quarter Hugh (12.5 miles) paddling our iconic local river, ending at Thompson Field in Portland at the Hugh Heward Memorial. It was a beautiful day. The day also included laying the brick for our Verlen Kruger Award winners, Gary and Linda DeKock.
League of Michigan Bicyclists has their Riding Schedule up!
Check out all the events on the LMB website. Join the HUBFEST 2023 at Tecumseh on June 10. This is a Family Friendly Event with Pavement, Gravel and Multi Use Trail options and an afterparty in Tecumseh!
Join the Tri-County Bicycle Association (TCBA) for the annual Ride of Silence to honor those bike riders who lost their lives or were injured when struck by vehicles. In both Lansing and Traverse City, the event will held Wednesday Afternoon May 17. So many more bicycle events found at lmb.org .
With our new collaboration with the League of Michigan Bicyclists, QAS included a special session with Michigan DNR. Check out their announcement
on e-bikes on State Trails. Check out http://bit.ly/3J8JJ7r
SAVE-Background color is #2d3f51
QUICK LINKS
So MANY events and opportunities!
Here is just a sample and we will add more in along the way to include backpacking and hiking, conservation and stewardship!
The snow is leaving the land, the ice is melting from rivers and lakes, and we are all preparing for our spring and summer adventures. It is hard to keep up with everything but here are options to check out from some of our QAS 2023 Exhibitors and Friends.
Paddle Antrim is doing it again, providing so many ways to enjoy the Chain of Lakes Water Trail, including classes in June and July for kids and new paddlers, paddling tours, local outfitters, and more. Go to their events page to check it all out.
West Michigan Coastal Kayakers Assoc. (WMCKA) is hosting their Symposium soon (May 26-29), so be sure to go on line and get registered for this fun event. If you can't make that, check out all their other events.
The Lansing Oar and Paddle Club is found on Meetup and at wordpress, with an awesome trip schedule, including whitewater, river, and sea kayaking.
The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a great destination to explore outside the Great Lakes. Maine has incredible rivers, lakes, and shoreline. Visit their events calendar or check out the Trip Planner for your adventure in the North East.
There are many outfitters and guides in Michigan and the region. Among those at QAS 2023 were Heavner Canoe and Kayak Rental, Forest the Canoe, and Cabin Falls Ecolodge on the Temagami with Hap and Andrea Wilson. Look at our 2023 Program Booklet for a list of more exhibitors!
The League of Michigan Bicyclists has posted their schedule and it is jam packed with biking options throughout Michigan, from MUP in July in the Upper Peninsula to the Michigander Tour in July in Southeast Michigan. Check out all the many rides with LMB and its partners.
A key 2023 cycling event is the 52nd Dick Allen Lansing to MACkinaw Bicycle Tour! DALMAC has various options and routes for your end of summer riding, and registration is available now. Check it out on Facebook. The folks at the Tri County Bicycle Association TCBA organize this ride and have many more options to be ready for the DALMAC. They also have a free Youth Cycling Camp in July as well as a Youth Riding Club with fun rides and safety classes.
Funding for MI SPARK Grants now open for applications
If you work with a nonprofit or community group, check out the Michigan SPARK Grants program. Applications opened May 1 and applications must be finalized by June 26, 2023. Check out the examples of funded projects, such as that by Paddle Antrim for river trails. These are large grants! Who is eligible?
1) Eligible applicants must be legally constituted to provide public recreation and can include:
2) Units of government or recreation authorities.
3) Federally designated tribes.
4) Regional or statewide recreation organizations.
5) Consortiums of local units of government or recreation authorities.
6) Applicants who were not funded in round one and were previously determined eligible.
Check it out!
QUIET ADVENTURES SYMPOSIUM IS A WRAP
Revisit the fun with Paddling Adventures Radio, Paddling the Blue, and others at your podcast source point. Paddling Adventures Radio already has the Podcast Episode 368 , Episode 369 and Episode 370 available so you can go and share in the fun of QAS 2023 as Derek and Sean interview Kevin Callan, Forest the Canoe, Hap Wilson, and others. We had a full agenda of 34 speakers and many exhibitors, so they had a lot of talent to interview.
John Chase with Paddling the Blue Episode 83 features more of the wonderful cast of characters at the Quiet Adventures Symposium 2023. On YouTube, Kevin Callan shared a youtube video on the Road Trip to Quiet Adventures Symposium 2023. Revisit the epic snow storm!
We again thank our exhibitors and our sponsors. Many thanks to our sponsors for their support, including Williams Subaru as show sponsor; Great Lakes Paddlers, Tri County Bicycle Association with DALMAC, and Denny's Central Park Bicycles for room sponsorships; Moosejaw for show bags; and Eagle Monk Pub and Brewery for Volunteer Bandanas. Special contributing individuals include Michael Neiger, Jerry Vandiver, and Pat Harrington. Williamson Creative contributed design expertise for our program, and Veith Consulting supports our event management software as well as website. Thanks to Big Bay Boards of Petoskey for the gorgeous paddle board and paddle. Thank you League of Michigan Bicyclists for working with your sponsors to bring a wonderful mountain bike with accessories from Goodspeed bike from Cyclefit Sports, BarYak accessories, Ghost Cat Bags, Widefoot accessories, and a Sub-48 Bike Tour (Pavements Ends).
If you enjoyed this event and would like to be more involved in the next one, please make sure that you answer the Attendees Survey or just contact us directly at info@quietwatersociety.org . The Survey was sent to all advanced ticket holders. If you paid at the gate, go here for the survey: Attendee Survey. We are also looking for enthusiastic members for the Board of Directors.
SOCIAL MEDIA
UPDATES
MSU Museum launch of
Knowing Nature: Stories of the the Boreal Forest
On April 19, 2023, the MSU Museum launched the traveling Smithsonian Exhibit: Knowing Nature: Stories of the Boreal Forest. Our QAS 2023 speakers, Joanie and Gary McGuffin were there, and a free talk on Birds and the Boreal was presented and a recording will be available soon. There will be a special Story Time at the Museum based on the Exhibit on June 14. Register to join this free event. The exhibit will be at the MSU Museum through November 12, 2023 and is presented in English and Spanish! Vamos todos para conocer nuestro bosque boreal.
The Annual Hugh Heward Challenge Event on the Grand River was a success!
Middle Grand River Organization of Watersheds (MGROW) with its partners hosted the annual Hugh Heward Challenge paddle event on the Grand River on April 29. Participants chose the full Hugh (50 miles), the Half Hugh (25 miles) or the Quarter Hugh (12.5 miles) paddling our iconic local river, ending at Thompson Field in Portland at the Hugh Heward Memorial. It was a beautiful day. The day also included laying the brick for our Verlen Kruger Award winners, Gary and Linda DeKock.
League of Michigan Bicyclists has their Riding Schedule up!
Check out all the events on the LMB website. Join the HUBFEST 2023 at Tecumseh on June 10. This is a Family Friendly Event with Pavement, Gravel and Multi Use Trail options and an afterparty in Tecumseh!
Join the Tri-County Bicycle Association (TCBA) for the annual Ride of Silence to honor those bike riders who lost their lives or were injured when struck by vehicles. In both Lansing and Traverse City, the event will held Wednesday Afternoon May 17. So many more bicycle events found at lmb.org .
With our new collaboration with the League of Michigan Bicyclists, QAS included a special session with Michigan DNR. Check out their announcement
on e-bikes on State Trails. Check out http://bit.ly/3J8JJ7r
SAVE-Background color is #2d3f51