To talk much and arrive nowhere is the same as climbing a tree to catch a fish – Chinese Proverb Kenwood Park boat ramp Our fearless guide Lars Anderson Two pontoon boats were also on tour River resident Oklawaha/Orange Springs Its not what you look at that matters, its what you see – Henry David Thoreau
Maybe it’s time for the dam to be gone! There’s an interesting article at: Government interference has kept this from happening over the past several years. They have since determined there is no purpose for the dam and it should be removed, returning the Oklawaha River and basin area. NOTE: The Army Corps of Engineers built the Rodman Dam creating the Rodman Reservoir in 1968 as part of the failed Cross Florida Barge Canal. It’s not the prettiest sight, but it’s important to see for yourself what our government policies are doing to our river. Grab your kayak, canoe, boat or whatever floats and head out to the reservoir. With the weather turning cooler, this is a good time to see an event that only happens every few years. The draw-down will continue to early March, 2016. From what I understand, there will be three tours over three days. There were also two pontoon boats with a dozen folks on each. There were several kayaks, a couple of canoes, and one SUP (stand up paddleboard). With the draw-down in progress, there were many wading birds using the now exposed lake bottom as a feeding ground. The trunks below the water level have been preserved. The cypress trunks above the water line decayed and washed away. Apparently, the trees weren’t cut this high but were left to die when the reservoir was first filled in the late 1960’s. You could get a sense of the twists and turns the river made while observing the thousands of tree stumps. After following it west for about a mile, we made our way through shallow water into the original Oklawaha River. We launched out from the ramp into the dredged channel. The wind was out of the east at 10 to 20 mph which affected the kayaks’ steering at times but also kept the temperatures down. Well, it was cloudy but not a single drop of rain. The weather was supposed to be cloudy with a high chance of rain.
#Rodman reservoir drawdown schedule 2015 portable
On the plus side, there are a couple of portable restrooms here. It rained the night before our tour so some of the parking area was muddy. As with the Orange Springs temporary ramp, the Kenwood ramp is out in the middle of the reservoir. On our last trip to the reservoir a couple of weeks ago, the temporary Kenwood ramp was not open as the water level was still too high. Our trip started at the temporary boat ramp at Kenwood Park, on the north side of the Rodman Reservoir. During the draw-down, the bones of the old cypress forest on either side of the Oklawaha are exposed. The purpose of the tour was to let people see what the Rodman Reservoir has done to the Oklawaha River and surrounding land. This event was hosted by the Florida Defenders of the Environment and was led by Lars Anderson of Adventure Outpost. In the fog, it had a surreal feeling with all these long dead stumps giving testimony about what used to be here.ĭo not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail – Ralph Waldo Emerson Folks touring the riverįor a slightly different approach, I decided to take a guided tour of the Rodman Reservoir draw-down. About a mile upstream is the beginning of an old forest with thousands of stumps. I even walked around on a couple of islands formed by the low water levels. I paddled upstream for about 3 miles stopping several times to take photographs. The current was noticeably stronger compared to previous trips. If you use a Hobie peddle drive kayak, be careful of hidden stumps and limbs. During the rest of the trip, I hit a couple of hidden stumps but no damage. I limped back to the launch, repaired the flipper, and headed out again. Less than a minute out, I hit a snag underwater and tore the rubber flipper on the kayak’s drive. I launched the kayak around 9:00 AM and headed out to the main channel. I’m glad I didn’t try for sunrise photos as the sun was barely noticeable. On this morning, the fog was so thick I could barely see across the river, about 75 yards. As in the earlier trip from here, you have to drive beyond the normal boat ramp/park area on a dirt road out into the Rodman Reservoir. My journey started at the confluence of Orange Springs run and the Oklawaha River. I know I wrote earlier posts about the Oklawaha River, but I want to get as many photographs of the draw down before the river is flooded by the closing of Rodman Dam. When scientifically investigating the natural world, the only thing worse than a blind believer is a seeing denier – Neil deGrasse Tyson
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