Welcome to the official web site of the  Northwest Chapter of the Arkansas Canoe Club!  Our humble chapter covers the geographic region known as Northwest Arkansas.  Our corner of the state feautres some excellent paddling opportunities for whitewater and lake recreation.  In the spring and fall seasons, the Ozark Mountains provide some of the most reliable and exciting whitewater in the Midwest, with something for every paddler from novice to expert.  And that's what our club is all about - getting together with great people of all skill levels and interests who love to paddle the streams and lakes of the Ozarks!  There are currently about 95 members in our area affiliated with the Northwest Chapter, and our monthy meetings and regularly scheduled events, such as pool practice sessions and Boatball, provide an opportunity to get to know and hang out with local paddlers.   You don't have to be a member to hang out with us (we're pretty easy going so meetings and events are open to everyone who wants to come), but we think it's a great idea to support the ACC by officially signing up.  Plus you get a sticker and some other cool stuff!  Signing up is easy - just print out the online application on the ACC web site and send it in to the address at the bottom of the form (and be sure to circle "Northwest" for your chapter!).  We sincerely hope you enjoy our little corner of the web!  Thanks for comming!

See you in the eddy,
The Management

The Northwest Chapter meets the last Monday of every month at 6:30 PM at Picasso's Pizza on Hwy 16 West in Fayetteville about one mile west of the I-540 bypass (click here for map).  The purspose of these meetings is to get together, shoot the bull, eat pizza and pasta, tell stories, give trip reports, watch videos, and just generally have fun.  It's also a chance for everyone to stay up to date on all club goings on.  If the meeting day falls on a holiday or a major ACC event (such as Rendezvous or Canoe School), we may reschedule, so contact your friendly neighborhood chapter representatives if you want to be sure we're meeting.  Worst case scenario is you show up when we're not meeting and you have to settle for just eating some of the world's finest lasagna and creme brule'!

If I remembered to update this page in the last month, we will not have a meeting at Picassos in December due to the Christmas Holiday.  Our next meeting will be on January 29, 2007. have a great Christmas and New Year!)

If you have ideas for a program we can do at a future monthly meeting, please contact us and let us know and we'll put it on the agenda.  Videos, slideshows, guest speakers, mini-clinics, trip reports, etc. - we'd love to have your ideas and we'd be happy to let you plan and run the show if you want to.

A roll session at the Jones Center

Roll Sessions
Date/Time:  Dec. 9th and 30th, Jan. 20th, Feb. 10th and 17th. All sessions are from 8:00am-11:00am.
 Where: Jones Center For Families in Springdale or University of Arkansas HPER Building (through the Outdoor Connection Center)
What's up: The Northwest Chapter works with the Jones Center and the University of Arkansas to schedule winter roll sessions, where boaters can come and practice when it's cold outside.  Bring your boats in from the South Entrance - the door closest to the Airport. Rinse off your boat before putting it in the pool.

Additionally, some roll sessions and clinics are typically scheduled at U of A's HPER Building pool.  This Spring's schedule is:

Practice Sessions: Feb 6, Feb 20, March 6, April 3, and April 17. All of
these will be from 7-9 pm.

Kayak Roll Clinics will be 2 day sessions from 7-9 pm each day:
First Session: Feb 13 and 15
Second Session: Feb 27 and March 1
Third Session: March 13 and 15
Fourth Session: April 10 and 12

Call 575-2267 or check the Outdoor Connection Center's schedule for more details. Or contact your friendly neighborhood chapter leaders for more info.

Playing Boatball at the lake!

Boatball 2007
WINTER SCHEDULE: NO regularly scheduled boatball during the winter, but we may have occasional games on weekends.  We will anounce these on the NW Chapter email list - contact the chapter president to join the list.
Date/Time: During the season, we meet every Wednesday evening at 6:00 PM during the summer (roughly from May - September)
Where: The Lake Fayetteville boat ramp in Lake Faeyetteville Park; take Hwy 71/College Ave. north Fayetteville past the Northwest Arkansas Mall and turn on Lake Fayetteville Rd. on your right near Lewis and Clark Outfitters store.  The boat ramp and marina are through the park gates straight ahead past the softball fields parking lot.
What's up: Boatball is a great paddling game that greatly improves fitness and paddling skills and is a lot of fun too!  It's a little bit like a cross between soccer and basketball played with kayaks.  For more information on the game, you can read this article that comes to us from Memphis where the game of Boatball was born.  Check with the chapter organizers to make sure the game is going this week!

NW Chapter group on a trip on a recent trip to the Chatooga R. in Georgia

Paddling Trips
Date/Time: Whenever it rains!
Where: Wherever there's water!
What's up: The Northwest Chapter announces paddling trips that members are planning, both in and out of the state.  If you have a trip planned and you'd like to invite club members along, contact the chapter powers that be and we'll announce it here and at the next meeting!

Annual Club-wide Events to Remember:

May 5-7: Canoe School
July 29: Surf and Turf (Central Chapter Picnic)
September 16-18: ACC Rendezvous
Be sure to check the ACC Annual Calendar and the Club Message Board for upcomming events!

Last Meeting Minutes:
6:31, 6:36, 6:52, 7:02, 7:23, 7:24, 8:01

Pizza Party a Success!
The NW Chapter 2006 winter pizza party was a hit!  More than 40 people showed up to eat pizza, watch the new DVD Wet House, and swap stories.  Amazingly, no mention was made of boatball.  In an exclusive interview, Vice President for Life, David Dinan said, "I think the problem is the big screen TV, not the remote control."  In response, El Presidente, Fish, said, "I have something else to say!  Everyone stop eating and listen to me!"  Authur Bowie could not be reached for comment.

Smith Creek Access Secured!
The Nature Conservancy recently acquired more than 1000 acres of land on Smith Creek, a beautiful tributary to the Buffalo River near Boxley. The hiking is spectacular, and when it rains hard the creek is a class III to V thrll ride!  Wal Mart funded the majority of this land purchase, so hats off to everyone who helped protect this great little creek! 

It's been a slow news year so far.  If you have some news send it to us...

Articles of Interest

How Not to Freeze your Tail Off

Trip report for Icicles, Eagles and Champagne on the Kings River, Feb 21, 2004 

Trip report for Icicles and Eagles on the Kings River, Feb 2002

Class Report for Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Workshop, April 2002