America's Great Outdoors

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works joins locals at Dismal Swamp event

Posted April 28, 2011
By Pamela Spaugy
Norfolk District Public Affairs

04/28/2011 – NORFOLK, Va. — When President Barack Obama launched America's Great Outdoors initiative he cited the nation's legacy of conservation and its passion for protecting its "most precious national treasures."

So, what better place to celebrate the spirit of America's Great Outdoors then at the nation's oldest continually operating canal?

That's exactly what Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy will do when she joins more than 300 people to participate in the City of Chesapeake's 8th Annual Paddle for the Border on the Dismal Swamp Canal Saturday.

Paddlers will launch from the Dismal Swamp State Park in South Mills, N.C., paddle 7.5 miles and end with a picnic at the Dismal Swamp boat ramp on Ballahack Road.

Though the canal will be full of canoes and kayakers, motorized boaters will still be able to access the waterway, but they may experience some delays while navigating the canal from 8:00 a.m. until approximately 1:00 p.m.

Law enforcement and public safety officials from North Carolina and Virginia will be on site during the event—both on the water and observing from the shore— to assist with any emergency situations that may arise.

Paddle for the Border is sponsored by the Dismal Swamp State Park, Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, and City of Chesapeake Parks and Recreation Department.

President Obama's AGO initiative seeks to reinvigorate the nation's approach to reconnect Americans, especially young people, with the lands and waters that are used for farming, hunting, fishing and other recreational activities. It spreads the messages of conservation, protection, reconnection and stewardship of the outdoors.