In just the first couple of years of its existence, Royal Gorge River Initiative Organization already has completed a number of projects and hosted several events, and they’ve got big plans in the works for this year.
The nonprofit organization took over the work of the former Whitewater Kayak and Recreation Park group as the stewards of the whitewater park, raising money to care for it and make improvements.
“We expanded our mission when we became a 501c3 to do community outreach, community whitewater sports programs and conservation,” said Chris Moffett, who is the president of RG RIO.
In 2021, RG RIO and a host of other local groups and businesses partnered to establish a life jacket loaner program, which will begin again this year in early May, and they hosted a 35-mile river clean-up.
“We were in the river pulling stuff out,” Moffett said. “We got a camper shell last year, tires and a lot of miscellaneous garbage. We pulled over a thousand pounds of trash out of the river.”
The next clean-up will be May 1 and volunteers are always needed.
RG RIO also is a partner in the Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival. The 2022 event is slated for July 22-23 at Centennial Park. To sign up to help with the event, email the Cañon City Chamber of Commerce at chamber@canoncity.com.
New this year, RG RIO will host a community raft race series in May, June, July and August.
“It’s kind of like the community raft race in the whitewater festival, but it’s going to be just in the whitewater park,” Moffett said. “It will be the slalom event and the head-to-head event, where you will race against another boat to go around the buoys.”
It will be a cumulative event with prizes at the end.
RG RIO is continuing to work on a river surf project and adding a standup paddleboard wave near the former Skyline Steel property.
“Almost everything we do is fundraising for that, and we are going to continue our bank restoration there,” Moffett said.
None of these events would be possible without community support.
“That’s what’s great about it, getting people to engage in their river and help out,” he said. “It is everybody’s river.”
Looking toward the future, RG RIO has several goals it hopes to complete in the next 10 years.
“Ideally, in 10 years, the river surf project is complete – that’s the new feature plus some more river work – and we want to host an International Rafting Federation World Championship,” Moffett said. “That’s our dream.”
They also want to get the Royal Gorge Gargoyles Youth Rafting team for 15-19 year-olds going again.
“And we want to continue to provide an awesome Whitewater Festival year after year and continue to advocate for the river and maintain an awesome river corridor through town,” Moffett said. “Our goal is to get locals using it.”
To learn more, visit https://royalgorgerio.org/ or follow RG RIO on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/royalgorgerio. For more information, email royalgorgerio@gmail.com.
To view Moffett’s presentation on RG RIO to the Cañon City Vision Committee on Nov. 17, visit https://bit.ly/3zXmXdT.
Upcoming Events
- River clean-up day May 1
- Community raft race series in May, June, July and August
- First Friday/Sesquicentennial Celebration at Centennial Park July 1
- Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival is slated for July 22-23 at Centennial Park
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January 15, 2022 at 06:28AM
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Royal Gorge River Initiative Organization keeps rolling on with projects, plans for future - Canon City Daily Record
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