by David Alexander
THE WATERS WERE right for canoeing and kayaking Sunday afternoon. People from around Washtenaw County flooded Gallup Park with enthusiasm for nature during the 34th annual Huron River Day.
The de facto festival, which ran from noon to 4 p.m., is a day aimed to instill in area residents a sense of appreciation for nature. Kids’ activities included a butterfly petting zoo and turtle tanks. Near the Kids’ Corner, booths with information on organizations that focus on wildlife and environmental topics provided Huron River Day goers with educational opportunities.
Cheryl Saam, recreation manager with the City of Ann Arbor Canoe Liveries, said Huron River Day celebrates and teaches people to be good stewards of the river. When she was a kid, she remembers the river being littered with aluminum cans.
“We take our fresh water for granted,” she said. “We are all connected to keep our water clean … it’s just peaceful for people to be on the water.”
In her 13 years with the city, she has seen people’s appreciation for the river grow. Across from the livery main building, where patrons rented canoes and kayaks for $5, a discount from the normal $18 for Huron River Day, the Leslie Science & Nature Center volunteers showed off animal skulls, furs and turtle shells, providing education to children and adults alike.
Outside the livery, a child sat atop a frog statue, angling the water pouring from its mouth at other children while his mother snapped photos.
Laurie Woolley, a volunteer with the Washtenaw County Bird Center, tended to a booth late in the day, but she said interest had not waned.
“Birds are certainly part of the park and river,” she said. “I think birds always reflect the health of the environment.”
Giving people an appreciation of the wildlife on the river helps ensure that the people who enjoy such wildlife realize it is connected to the river’s vibrancy, Saam said. It helps shift awareness to environmental responsibility, she added.
Across the park, Leah Strothman, with the Huron River Watershed Council, rested under a tree, waiting for the council to present Rep. John Dingell with an award for environmental efforts.
“It all ties together because this is all about the river, and Huron River Watershed Council is all the about the river,” she said.
The event also featured a guided paddle trip from 8 to 11 a.m.
Amid a few food vendors, a folksy band filled the park with mellow notes as a tattooed woman danced with a child fastened to her chest. The scent of sunscreen hung in the air. Not far away, Eli Luckett, 22, of Bloomington, Ind., drank in the sun and music. A plethora of pamphlets from various booths he had collected throughout the day sat nearby. Although he is not from Ann Arbor, environmental issues interest him.
“Coming from Bloomington, with its Superfund Sites and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls, a chemical that frequently contaminates ground water), I tend to compare places across the county to that,” he said. “I’m concerned about it.”
New this year were stand-up paddleboard demos and demonstrations by Ann Arbor Aviary.
Anne Ryan, owner of Ann Arbor Aviary, a group that teaches circus aerial techniques, said one of her performers who is a ballet instructor suggested the group make a showing this year. Behind her, Chantal, another performer with the group wearing a black-and-white-striped leotard, seemed to defy gravity as she suspended herself from a ring mounted between two roughly 15-foot-high towers.
From atop the platforms, Ryan said her troupe members could see above the treeline into the river where kayakers and canoers frequently waved. The two sports correlate insofar as they appeal to anyone wanting to get fit, she said. They both require a good deal of upper-body strength, Ryan said.
Shirley Jones, 40, of Westland, and her husband recently discovered the park. They brought an inflatable dinghy to enjoy the water Sunday. They have been frequenting the park since summer began, but had no idea that Sunday was Huron River Day.
“We just kind of floated into it,” she quipped.
