Florida Paddling Trails Association: Why join?

A few days ago I realized that we had inadvertently let our Burnham Guides membership with the Florida Paddling Trails Association (FPTA) lapse. I quickly and easily renewed online and was soon enjoying the benefits once again!

As a kayak guide business we get great exposure on their website, which is visited by thousands of paddlers on a regular basis. Individual or family memberships have many benefits as well (including 10% off or our Florida Keys trips!), and help the greater Florida paddling community.

Bill and I are most familiar with the Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail, which we've been working with since 2003. It's now part of a network of water trails around the entire state known as the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. Then there are all the river trails, like the Suwannee. FPTA is the official steward of ALL paddling trails in Florida. It takes a huge network of volunteers to make this work.

So take a look at their website, consider joining and maybe even becoming a Trailkeeper in your region. Anyone who goes on our trips is encouraged to do a beach clean-up along the way, making you an automatic volunteer!

The major missions of the FPTA are:

• Develop water trails

• Protect the environment along the trails

• A resource and voice for paddlers

Florida Keys VolunTourism

Mary after an island clean-up

Kayaking across warm tropical waters by day and setting up camp on island beaches at night is a privilege we don’t take lightly. That’s why we try to incorporate at least one beach clean-up on our multi-day kayak trips in the Florida Keys.

If you choose to participate in a clean-up, we’ll log your volunteer hours with the Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail. This makes you trail volunteers and VolunTourists!

Trash is not only unsightly, it can be hazardous to marine life. While paddling through the mangroves, you may see Bill or I pull over to the side, flip open a jackknife and cut away some fishing line hanging from the branches. Birds can become entangled in the line, and animals may choke on hooks. The line can be deposited in monofilament recycling containers located at many of the public boat ramps in the Keys.

If you want to volunteer further, consider joining the Florida Paddling Trails Association, which covers all the water trails throughout the state. 

Visit www.BurnhamGuides.com to see our 2011 trip details.