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COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer free kayaking lessons in central Missouri this summer. Essentials of River Kayaking will teach basic skills on flat water, followed by a river float to focus on maneuvering in moving water. A separate Beginner Kayaking clinic will focus solely on flatwater paddling skills.
Essentials of River Kayaking
Flatwater class at Phillips Park Lake, 5050 Bristol Lake Parkway, in Columbia.
Thursday, July 15, 6:30–8 p.m.
River trip on the Big Piney River in Pulaski County
Saturday, July 17, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
*Participants must attend the flatwater class to attend the river trip.
Register at mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/178081.
Beginner Kayaking
Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area, Peabody Road, north of Columbia
Wednesday, July 28, 6:30–8 p.m.
Register at mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/178073.
Participants will learn basic kayaking safety, techniques, and terminology from trained MDC staff, and the training will include plenty of time on the water to get comfortable with kayaking. Kayaks, paddles, and personal floatation devices (PFDs) will be provided. Participants should dress for the weather and plan to get wet; bring sunscreen, drinking water, and closed-toe shoes.
To help ensure public health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, MDC asks all participants to observe current, local guidelines regarding physical distancing and masking. MDC encourages participants to bring and wear face coverings when appropriate.
Both programs are free and open to registrants age 13-years and older. Children younger than 18-years must be accompanied by a registered adult.
Families now have the option to link their children’s accounts to their own accounts which will streamline the program registration process. Once a group account is setup parents will be able to register their children to an event without having to logoff and login for each individual. This functionality will allow parents to register their entire family or select family members to an event at the same time. First, users will log into their account and click “My Group Profile,” then add family members to their account. Setting up a group account today will make program registration quicker and easier for all MDC programs.
For more information contact MDC Conservation Educator Sam Stewart at (573) 815-7900, ext. 2926, or Sam.Stewart@mdc.mo.gov.
