Kent Ford

My wife thinks 17 boats is too many to keep around the house. So I have narrowed the fleet down to 15, simply by purging those without annual use and yet keeping the ones she enjoys. The wooden dory and the Stand-up board are currently my favorite craft. From any boat, I feel lucky to enjoy the incredible diversity of rivers around the world (330 in 27 countries at last back of the napkin count). Our sport has an incredible history that I have enjoyed documenting in my recent film, “The Call of the River”. From that project, I learned to appreciate the timeless work that has been done to preserve opportunities for future paddlers to enjoy the river. In DC, paddlers took then Secretary of the Interior Steward Udall exploring the Potomac. In Georgia, they took President Carter on the river. Walt Blackadar helped advocate for Salmon Wilderness.

The level of AW members involvement in important access and flow issues around the country is truly outstanding. AW staff is highly regarded as pre-eminent experts in establishing recreational opportunities, and carefully advocating for those with other environmental and flow constituents. With more support, we can accomplish more to protect and enhance the outstanding rivers we enjoy. I look forward to doing my part.