The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly . . . 

By Scott Harvey

Greetings fellow club members,

 

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly:

Hard to believe that a two year term as your OWA President has flown bye already. A lot has happened in those two years both successful and devastating as a club and to the all the individuals in the whitewater community! Let’s start with the dark side of the last few years… Back in March of 2020, Covid-19 hit us like a freight train on the wrong set of tracks. Both society and our everyday way of life changed dramatically when the Covid-19 virus rapidly spread through our communities. Schools, businesses and social events closed down as well as our club events, planned training courses, and river trips. Things have turned around in that time, but we’re still not fully back to the pre-Covid era. Second, there are no actual words to define the aftermath of those “September 2020 Forest Fires” in the Northwest. "Destruction", "disaster", "catastrophic loss" or "tragic" only scratches the surface of what we lost as outdoor enthusiasts in our beloved Northwest forests and rivers. As the outdoor recreationalist that I’ve been most of my life, getting out hiking, backpacking, mountain climbing with the Mazama’s, x-country skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, rafting and cat-boating, the impact of those fires are seen firsthand. It will be awhile--a very long while--before our forests and rivers are ever back. Some of our rivers and streams that were impacted by the fires are: the White River east of Mt. Hood; the uppermost parts of the Clackamas (the Killer Fang section); Collawash; the Upper Molalla section (Lightning Lonnie run); Opal Creek; Little North Santiam River (Trolls Teeth Section), Breitenbush River (Barbell Section); Upper North Santiam River; Lower-mid section of the McKenzie River; South Fork McKenzie River; Quartz Creek; Steamboat Creek; and sections of the North Umpqua River. Not to mention the loss of the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival as we’ve know it for the past 30 plus years with the shrub greenery, the large Douglas Fir Trees and the four conveniently located Forest Service Campgrounds that were lost.  

On the bright side, we’ve chugged along as a club with resuming the Swiftwater Resuce Training and Wilderness First Aid Training. We added boating 101 on the Lower Clackamas to our trip event thanks to Matt Saucy. Our annual Safety Auction fundraiser is back on track thanks to Bruce Ripley and Cary Solberg. Memberships are staying steady and new inspiring speakers at our club meetings. We have a new and overhauled digital website thanks to Scott Ogren and Jason Urasky. We now have the option of Zoom for those members who can’t make the meetings. Individuals are back to leading club trips.  We have new membership discounts for those houselholds who sign up for either a two-year or three-year membership thanks to the board. This is n addition to other positive steps taken that are not specifically mentioned. 

 

Special Thanks:

I would like to thank the following individuals for their volunteered service to the OWA club. First, Scott Ogren will be stepping down as Tech Director after serving the club board for a total of 14 years: four years as a Membership Director, four years as President of the club and six years as a Tech Director for OWA. Scott has accomplished a lot of tasks and has helped keep the club moving forward in a positive way. I thank you Scott for your past leadership.  Second, Matt Saucy has competed his second term as Safety Director and I would like to personally thank him for all he has unselfishly contributed towards the club. He worked to keep the River Rescue Training and Wilderness First Aid Training moving in a forward direction. He kept the Clackamas pool sessions at the Clackamas Aquatic Center active with eager participants and volunteers. He also helped get the Boating 101 on the Lower Clackamas River going and will continue to help out for further Boating 101 trips. For all that and much more, I personally thank you Matt! Next time you cross paths with either Scott or Matt, thank them for their contributions to the club. 

For the new board members, Jason Urasky will be taking over at the helm as Tech Director following Scott Ogren’s departure. Jason has a lot of knowledge and experience as an Information Technology Specialist. Will Brezinski will be taking over as Safety Director following Matt Saucy’s departure from his position. Will brings to the table, enthusiasm and a desire to keep the club’s safety program going in a positive direction. I’m looking forward to working with both Jason and Will. Welcome aboard you two!   

 

Cheers,

Scott Harvey