The Wawayanda Creek is open for kayaking

After months of clearing by teams working from kayaks and row boats and others working from the creek’s banks, the Wawayanda Creek is open and kayakable from Wickham Lake (on the former prison grounds) to Memorial Park in the Village of Warwick, a distance of about five miles.
The creek’s “disrepair,” said Geoff Howard of Community2gether, "was simply a case of time, Mother Nature and lack of attention. Trees fell, either into the creek or across it such that the branches acted as a screen that caught debris as it floated past. Also, things like railroad ties or other stuff either got tossed in or washed in by heavy rains.
"Part of our effort to clear it up," Howard added, "involves the formation of a Creek Brigade that will do Creek maintenance in much the same way that trail maintenance gets done.
On Sunday, May 19, one day after the final clearing session, a group of the clearing crew members treated themselves to a start-to-finish test run and the reactions, even from experienced kayakers, were overwhelmingly positive.
“The trip is certainly beautiful, but it’s also magical, almost spiritual, as you glide silently along this peaceful waterway,” said crew member Jerry Ruebenstahl.
“And the wildlife!” added crew chief Marty Hayes. “We saw turtles sunning themselves on logs, beavers thumping their tails, big carp swimming among the grasses, and lots of birds — red-winged blackbirds, herons, graceful swans and much more.”
The Great Wawayanda Kayak PaddleTo mark the official reopening of the Wawayanda, Community2gether, the project organizer, is inviting all Warwick kayakers to get their boats to Wickham Lake in Wickham Woodlands Park on Sunday, June 2, for a terrific morning of kayaking on the newly-navigable Creek.
Official start time is 10 a.m., but kayakers are asked to arrive by 9:30 so that all boats can be launched and in the lake by 10 a.m. In case of serious rain, the event will take place on June 9.
Kayakers are reminded that state law requires life preservers.
Also, while some “ferry service” will be available to get kayakers back to their cars, those who can make their own arrangements will make things move faster and more smoothly for all.
First Visioning project to be completedIt was a year ago that the Warwick Visioning project was handed off to the town supervisor and the mayors of the villages of Florida, Greenwood Lake and Warwick.
That same evening, May 18 2018, two of the projects were launched, selected from the hundreds of ideas that more than 4,000 Warwick residents had suggested during the two-year Visioning process.
“That’s the way the Visioning works,” Howard said. “An idea bubbles up from the community and then volunteers work together to get it done. And now Warwick has one more wonderful asset to go with all the others.”