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Kalamazoo Downstreamers Canoe Club (Mich.)

 Organization

Biography

The Kalamazoo Downstreamers Canoe Club was founded in 1967 by Bill Carnes and Carl Bennett. The club was formed to encourage family fun on area waterways, participate in local river cleanups, and promote water sport safety. The Downstreamers took part in two or more river runs every month. The group offered canoe rentals and low dues-rates to encourage participation. The Kalamazoo Downstreamers regularly trekked to rivers across the Midwest where they canoed, camped, and participated in river cleanups.

In 1976 the Kalamazoo Downstreamers Club lobbied for the passage of the Michigan Bottle Bill, which raises money for community cleanups and pollution prevention by creating a bottle deposit. The deposit encourages consumers to recycle their products. The passage of the Bottle Bill was a victory for the Downstreamers and environmentalists across Michigan.

The Downstreamers Club remained active into the 2000s. The club held public canoe clinics and an annual Club Picnic. In 1967, there were fifty families actively involved with the Downstreamers Club.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Kalamazoo Downstreamers Collection

 Collection
Identifier: RH-A-4384
Scope and Contents The collection is composed of one scrapbook, two DVDs, and one folder of documents relating to the Kalamazoo Downstreamers Canoe Club, 1973-2008.The scrapbook is filled with photos, handwritten descriptions, newspaper clippings, a poem, and a brochure. The photos are mostly glossy and taped to the pages of the scrapbook. There are both black & white photos and color photos. Most photos are paired with a description handwritten in blue or black ink. The scrapbook features...
Dates: 1973-2008