Free the Snake Floatilla

JOIN THE FLOTILLA

Note new launch site and destination!
We have reserved more than 60 campsites at Chief Timothy Park for the evening of Saturday September 17. Camp sites are first-come, first-served, and because we hope to accommodate all who wish to camp we may ask people to share sites. If you would like to arrive early and camp on Friday night, you need to contact the park and make arrangements. Park prices apply for Friday night. We are asking all those that camp on Saturday night to make a donation of $10 per tent and $20 per RV to help cover costs of reserving the park. There will be a volunteer greeting people at their campsites to answer any questions. The park is reserved until noon on Sunday.
CAMPING
If you need to rent a watercraft, these places may be of help. It is your responsibility to contact, rent, pick up and return all equipment. All boaters must wear a personal floatation device. Please arrange watercraft rental before Saturday, September 17.

Whitman College Outdoor Program,
Walla Walla Washington 509-527-5965

Washington State University Recreation,
Pullman, Washington 509-335-1892

University of Idaho Outdoor Program
Moscow, Idaho 208-885-6170

Lewis-Clark State College Campus Recreation
Lewiston, Idaho 208-792-2664

Tri-State Outfitters
Moscow, Idaho 208-882-4555
(store locations in Lewiston, Coeur d’Alene, Moses Lake)
BOATING

DIRECTIONS
To the putin at Swallows Park:

From Moscow, Idaho and Pullman, Wash.:
Take Highway 195 south from Pullman or 95 south from Moscow. Turn onto Highway 12 west and cross the Clearwater River. Stay on Highway 12 through Lewiston (it will arc around the city and pass the Clearwater-Snake confluence). Turn right on Snake River Avenue. Go 1.75 miles and turn right to cross the Snake River via Southway Bridge. On the west side of the bridge, take the second right, which will circle and then head south via an underpass on 5th Street. Go a half mile to Swallows Park, where there’s a large parking lot and boat ramp.

From South or Central Idaho:
Take Highway 95 north. After descending from the Camas Praire and passing through Lapwai, you’ll cross the Clearwater River and turn west onto Highway 12, which will cross the Clearwater river again and enter Lewiston. Stay on Highway 12 through Lewiston (it will arc around the city and pass the Clearwater-Snake confluence). Turn right on Snake River Avenue. Go 1.75 miles and turn right to cross the Snake River via Southway Bridge. On the west side of the bridge, take the second right, which will circle and then head south via an underpass on 5th Street. Go a half mile to Swallows Park, where there’s a large parking lot and boat ramp.

To Chief Timothy from Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington:
Take Highway 12 west for 8.2 miles from downtown Clarkston. Turn right at Silcot Grade Road and cross a short bridge to Silcot Island and Chief Timothy Park.
Saturday, September 17, 2016

8 a.m.
Meet at Swallows Park boat launch parking lot in Clarkston, Washington to register, sign waivers and paticipate in an important pre-float meeting and safety talk. Coffee and breakfast foods will be available. Parking is first-come, first-served, so the earlier you arrive the better.

10 a.m.
Group launch from Swallows Park in Clarkston and safely paddle 2.9 miles to the Snake-Clearwater confluence. There will be a water safety team accompanying the flotilla. You are responsible for your own water or drink, lunch and snacks. (See Flotilla Essentials (above) for more info about what to bring.

2 p.m.
Return to Swallows Park. Round-trip paddle will be under 6 miles. After the flotilla, please join your fellow paddlers at Chief Timothy Park, 6 miles west of Clarkston on Highway 12, for food and drink.

5 p.m.
Festivities and ceremony unfold at Chief Timothy Park. Guest speakers will talk about the importance of breaching the four lower Snake River dams. Live music will follow. Please consider camping at Chief Timothy Park that evening. Tents will be $10 and RVs will be $20. Fees will be collected by volunteers at the park.

SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Last year more than 300 people from throughout the Pacific Northwest came together for a river recreation day to combine their voices in support of lower Snake River restoration. This year, the Free the Snake Floitilla is back and will paddle through the heart of Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington to the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers. (Scroll down for more specific details and to register.)

Wild salmon, steelhead, and pacific lamprey are dying by the thousands due to the dams on the lower Snake River: Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite. These four unnecessary dams are costing taxpayers millions to maintain and repair. Meanwhile, energy produced by these dams is being replaced by clean energy alternatives. The dams’ primary purpose, barge transportation, has declined nearly 70 percent. It’s time to remove these outdated, low-value, deadbeat dams.

Join us September 17, 2016 to tell our elected leaders it’s time to remove the four lower Snake River dams, begin the largest wild salmon recovery effort in the world, and revitalize economies, communities, and cultures throughout the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies. It’s time to free the Snake!