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The Way Things Work
After several years of waiting, we finally got the area know as “The Access” back. For those of you that aren’t familiar, this is the large area just outside the County Park. It was one of our finest sites, with several stairways and half a dozen sandbagged launches. It was taken from us by the Army Corps of Engineers for a levee test section after a time consuming fight to keep it. The Department of Water Resources has agreed to lease it to us again on a trial basis. The effort to get it back was also time consuming. We wrote many letters, made calls, and sent emails. We attended several meeting at various places in the dead of winter. Many other projects that seem to “just appear” in The Delta are also the products of many hours of behind the scenes work. The County Park saw huge improvements due to many meetings in Sacramento gathering support and funding for the kiteboarder's and windsurfer's needs. The design and placement of the permanent toilets, increased launch areas, and additional parking were all a direct result of these meetings. The funding came primarily from the Department of Boating - after long discussions explaining why improvements made in areas used by windsurfers (who pay no boating fees) would actually benefit the boaters. Somehow it worked. Windy Cove was a huge political victory. The basic plan had been drawn up for years, but no funding was available. In addition, there were endangered plants, and other environmental concerns. Over the course of a couple of years, RVWA gathered support in Sacramento to allow us to build the park with resources donated by RVWA members and volunteer labor. The park was an immediate success. After a couple of years of successful operations, the State Parks further improved Windy Cove with paved parking and permanent toilets. And The Sign parking area was leased to us after many meetings and clearing user permit hurdles with the Department of Water Resources. We will have continued use of this property and it will be combined with the lease for The Access. We have been able to make all of this happen using of the combined power of the RVWA members. Your membership is important – not only for the funds necessary to maintain these sites, but for your collective political voice. Even if you kite or sail at one of the sites (such as the parks) not currently maintained by RVWA, you now know that it is there because of the RVWA membership. All of the sailing in The Delta is launched from private lands or the parks. If RVWA were to disappear most of the Delta sailing sites would disappear with it and the few remaining sites would become dangerously overcrowded. Your membership is important. Sign up today.
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Webmaster: Brian Geasa Copyright
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