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An international organization of builders, paddlers, and admirers of wooden and bark canoes.
Members Area...
Now OPEN!
The President's Deck
Photo Credit: Betsy Wilson
preserving, studying, building, restoring and using wooden and birchbark canoes, and disseminating information about canoeing heritage. As I mentioned in the last issue of the Journal, a board committee is in the process of developing our strategic plan for the next five years. A solid financial foundation is vital to execute an expansion of member benefits and forging connections with other organizations/institutions with similar values and interests. ​
This year’s Assembly is shaping up to be quite exciting. With the theme "Motorized Canoes," we will explore another type of canoe use and configuration. Each year, we review past Assemblies and consider feedback to make adjustments for the next year. This year’s program includes a Paddler’s Farewell on Saturday night to bookend the Welcome event at the start of Assembly, as well as an impressive array of how-to discussions, history presentations and a talk on 100 years of canoe building presented by Jerry Stelmok and Rollin Thurlow. It will be an exciting week and I’m looking forward to connecting with many of you at Paul Smith’s College July 15 to 20. Many thanks to Rob Stevens and Annie Burke whose time and leadership efforts make this event happen, as well as to the WCHA Assembly Committee members including Deborah Gardner, Nick Dennis, Benson Gray, Colleen Delisle, and Michael Grace.
The WCHA has exciting times ahead. Our financial stability enables execution of our mission and our dedicated team is the driving heartbeat behind the events and opportunities the WCHA offers. I’m proud to be part of this energy. Let’s enjoy the start of the paddling season as the flora and fauna create new beginnings and we explore what our favorite waterways reveal.
See you out there!
Nick Dombrowski, WCHA President
Spring is upon us and the excitement of getting back out on the water is building! Paddling prior to the spring foliage budding and blooming out can be fascinating, as so much more of your surroundings is visible before becoming a hidden world behind all those leaves and greenery. This edition of the Journal is similar. We offer a once-a-year highlight of our organization’s financial stability, as well as offer some exciting glimpses into the plans for this year’s 45th annual Assembly.
Financial stability is very important for the WCHA. In a world of uncertainty, the ability to address unexpected issues or opportunities is vital for the organization’s continuity. The WCHA has come a long way over the years in making adjustments to how we operate, soliciting donations and enhancing our member benefits. The financial reserve we are growing will ensure operations continuity in tough times. We continue to pursue opportunities to execute our mission:
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