Making Trouble...

OK, I've got people thinking I'm making trouble again - well, I guess I am, so I might as well just fling myself in with a will.

A lot of the train-wreck business back around Thanksgiving was partially due to the fact that in the past, the local kayaking community has had an incredibly effective grapevine, which I at least didn't realize how much I relied on until it suddenly didn't work.

If you actually slogged your way through "A Tale of Two Emails", you'll recall that I therefore attempted to figure out how to find out about these meetings, coming from the point of view of a random member of the public. Couldn't find any public notice section on the Hudson River Park website. Got in touch with Noreen Doyle at the Trust, she said she'd add me to the list, and she also said that I was welcome to send around her email, and she'd add anyone else to that list who wanted to be.

Where I'd like to be a troublemaker is - I don't know what sort of notice is considered to be sufficient, but it seems to me that it's not quite enough to give a paddler permission to circulate an email address. Fact is, if there'd been a proper, easy-to-find way of receiving notice about meetings posted on the Hudson River Park website, the people I got upset with for not spreading the word about the meeting could've taken every ounce of wind out of my sails by just saying "Look, here's the calendar, too bad you didn't know about it, next time you do".

As it is, it's just not that easy to find these things out once you've gotten out of the in crowd.

So - especially if you are an NYC-area resident who's interested in the ongoing development in the Hudson River Park - two points:

one, if you're interested in receiving notice about Park-related meetings, go ahead & email Noreen - So, again, her email is ndoyle@hrpt.state.ny.us - & ask her to add you to the meeting notice mailing list.

and two, if you also think it would be better for there to be public notice someplace on their website, by all means, tell her that too.

Right now, I think it's just me who's been saying that. If you agree, let the Trust know!

And there was an interesting idea floating around recently, too - so far, most of the focus has been on our local paddlers, and in keeping with that, I was sort of aiming this at our local paddlers (if any of them are still speaking to me, she said ruefully) - but hey, if you're not from around here, and you like the idea of being able to come to New York, hire a guide & paddle out of the Hudson River Park to the Statue of Liberty, or the George Washington Bridge, or 26 miles around Manhattan - I suppose you could say something to that effect, too...