John Ruskey and Quapaw Canoe Company of Clarksdale to be featured in Canoe and Kayak March issue

November morning on Buck Island; Ruskey soaking in the sun.
 P: Rob Zaleski 

Canoe & Kayak managing editor Dave Shively and art director Robert Zaleski paddled over 100 miles down the Mississippi River’s wildest lower-river reaches with Quapaw Canoe Company owner-guide John Ruskey in his handcrafted 30-foot voyager-style canoe. In the March 2011 issue of C&K, on newsstands now, the pair goes deep into Ruskey’s big-water world of desolate bends and uninhabited mid-river islands, illustrating the on-river experience and detailing the conservation battle to preserve the crucial public-use pockets along this apparent, yet overlooked expedition destination.

In late October, the American Land Conservancy and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service penned an agreement to permanently conserve the 880 timbered acres on Buck Island, solidifying the long-awaited, crucial first step in its permanent protection. Buck Island lies a short paddle north of Helena, Arkansas, and provides the crucial launching point into the fledgling Lower Mississippi River Water Trail—the route highlighted and paddled in the story, which runs to Choctaw Island, an 8,000-acre island near Arkansas City, Ark.

Check out interviews below with Kevin Smith and Tim Richardson, two keys conservation players speaking about the Lower Mississippi River restoration stakes from the water, as well as a few more, unseen shots from Zaleski of sunrise on the big river, capturing the same scene Mark Twain described over a century ago in Life on the Mississippi: “… when the sun gets well up, and distributes a pink flush here and a powder of gold yonder and a purple haze where it will yield the best effect, you grant that you have seen something that is worth remembering.”




And below you'll find more video from Canoe and Kayak on Mississippi's John Ruskey.



Be sure and pick up a copy of the March issue of Canoe and Kayak for the entire story and go to the website to view more pictures HERE.

Welcome to Mississippi Paddler!

Sharon Plunkett paddles through the fog after breaking
camp on the Chickasawhay River in September of 2010.

BY: B. Keith Plunkett

Over the past 2 years, I, my wife and our kayaks have come across some pretty interesting people. Many are just as passionate about Mississippi's waters as we have become. I've had the priviledge of meeting people from across the state who love the outdoors, and the beauty of exploring it from the water. What I haven't found is a single place online that all gather to trade stories, pictures and video about the experiences.

Sure, there are plenty of websites out there, and plenty of paddlers that share their own little corner of the state. There's Keith Benoist and Melissa Morrison in Natchez with Kayak Mississippi, there's Paul Nettles and Melissa Johson at South Coast Paddling in Ocean Springs, John Ruskey in the Delta with Quapaw, and plenty more. Some are just everyday paddlers that love what we do, and are willing to call up a group of friends met over a few excursions and plan another trip. But I haven't found one place on the web that puts all of those interest together under one banner.

So, here it is. I'm inviting you to email me at keith.plunkett@ymail.com and share your information. We'll announce upcoming paddling events, share pictures and stories from trips past, and invite water lovers from across the state to write guest columns. Facebook is a grand way to stay in touch. But, the hope is this will be more inclusive and interactive.

And, don't let the title fool you. We'll delve across state lines, too.

Outfitters and Purveyors of Gear, we'll start by posting your ads on a first come, first serve basis. If response is what I hope it to be it may be necessary to begin selling ads at some point in the near future. This isn't likely to be a huge money maker. But who knows, we may can help fund some cleanups and get the attention of the powers that be over preservation and conservation issues.

I want to hear from you. Comments, questions, whatever.