Environmental Information
Paddling allows intimate contact with nature - an afternoon escape from urban cares, an exploration of lands and waters few have visited, and unlimited opportunity for physical challenge, human fellowship, and spiritual reawakening. ORCKA believes that paddlers have acquired — through intimate contact over countless years — a unique knowledge of the water resources of Ontario. Few people get to experience the natural environment as closely as paddlers do.
Not only do we have a deep connection with nature, but we also rely on it to pursue our craft. For this reason, it is particularly important that work to ensure that the paddling environment remains pristine. While we should feel good about the fact that paddling is generally non-consumptive and does not pollute, desecrate, nor use up the resource base, we must also remain vigilant that our rivers, lakes and forests remain intact for future generations of users.
In an era of climate change, de-forestation and bio-diversity loss, it is the responsibility of paddlers to ensure that the areas we rely on are managed and used responsibly. Because so many of us seek out natural and wilderness experiences, we have acquired an exceptional understanding of the natural world. ORCKA, as an organization that represents paddlers in Ontario, is morally obligated to share this understanding with other stakeholders, including government, industry and the public. It is also morally obligated to advocate for the conservation, and responsible use, of paddling environments and their associated ecosystems.
ORCKA advocates for the preservation of safe unobstructed waterways; the elimination of human-made pollutants in water; unrestricted public access to waterways (where ecologically feasible); the preservation of naturally occurring ecological systems surrounding waterways; the protection from development and preservation of historically significant water routes; the preservation of wilderness areas for research and low-impact recreation purposes.