Mosquito Fleet Launches Kayaktivism Training Series & ‘The River Remains’ Documentary
The Mosquito Fleet is launching two online resources as part of our work to make kayaking – and taking direct action on the water – more accessible for all:
Mosquito Fleet Kayak Training Series: This free, online series covers basic and advanced skills in kayaking and taking on-water action for the health of communities, waterways, and climate.
The River Remains: A new film from the Mosquito Fleet documenting the history of industry and colonization along the Willamette River and how communities continue to resist. The film provides grounding for why it is so important that we continue to come together to protect our waterways and each other.
Why did the Mosquito Fleet make this Kayak Training Series and The River Remains documentary?
Kayaking is an excellent way to connect with your local waterways and community, and it can be a highly effective tactic for direct action. But it can be difficult for many to access the gear and knowledge to have a safe, enjoyable time on the water. The Mosquito Fleet has been working to make kayaking more accessible by hosting in-person trainings, community kayaking events, and a Kayak Lending Library.
The Kayak Training Series is an important next step in Mosquito Fleet’s accessibility work, helping more people gain confidence on the water. Topics covered in the series: Your Boat, Your Gear, Your Paddle, Paddle Techniques & Strokes, Planning a Safe Paddle, Wet Exits & Self Rescues, Assisted Rescues & Towing, Rafted Banner Raises, and In-Line Banner Raises.
The River Remains provides historical context for why it is so important to reconnect with our waterways, focusing on the stretch of the Willamette River that runs through the lands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, Chinook, and many other tribes – colonially known as Portland, Oregon.
Before colonization, the Willamette was a healthy ecosystem of braided rivers that supported abundant wildlife and community. Then the settler state, alongside fossil fuels, timber, shipbuilding, and other industries, rendered the Portland stretch of the river a heavily-polluted superfund site. Ongoing destruction of the river goes hand-in-hand with harm done to the people, particularly to Indigenous and immigrant communities, who have long continued to resist.
The forces of industry and colonization continue to haunt the Willamette. Yet communities continue to come together to connect with the river and each other, as an act of resistance. The River Remains presents us with a choice: we could continue the old path of industrial expansion and harm, or we could work together to create a new legacy of re-connection, resilience, and healing.
Quotes from The River Remains:
“To me, the Portland Willamette River is like a living conception of history. We know how the river has changed over time, and all of the things that have been done to it. And yet still, it remains.” - Ari, Mosquito Fleet Trainer
“Ultimately, our social paddles are to get folks on the water and then really ease them into the truth of what we're seeing on the Willamette and what important work there is to be done … I'm excited as things get better, as we can make these political shifts, that also means a lot more people on the river because we are meant to be out there.” - El, Mosquito Fleet Trainer
“I’m happy that people are enjoying themselves out here, because it does make it difficult for large companies to say ‘oh, well it doesn’t matter how we dump or whatever, because people don’t use [the river].’ The water needs us as much as we need the water” - Ocean, Paddle Participant
“I feel very fortunate that we live here in Portland, because we have a river running through it. Being out on the water made me feel a little bit more connected to it.” - Isabel, Paddle Participant
“Having a Queer Paddle, having a Disabled Paddle, having a BIPOC Paddle. These are people who have been left out of conversations, pushed away from local waterways. It's also an act of resistance.” - Ari, Mosquito Fleet Trainer
“Mosquito Fleet is this really awesome, scrappy group of people who love each other, and love the river, and love kayaking. Being able to share that with the broader community is awesome. We’re all just together combatting the narrative … We’re here. The river is ours.” - Ari, Mosquito Fleet Trainer
