Register for the 2021 Virtual Assembly

The 2021 WCHA Annual Assembly will be a Virtual Event this year with a series of  sequential presentation of pre-recorded video session, some with optional live Question & Answer / Discussion. The dates have been confirmed as Monday, July 12 to Thursday, July 15, 2021, from 7-10 PM (Eastern Standard Time). Participation is FREE (donations welcome) & OPEN (members + non-members), but preregistration is required to receive the presentation links. Here is the link to preregister for the entire event:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3084612115851540496

Assembly Coordinator, Rob Stevens, has prepared a Preliminary Program Schedule as of April, 2021: 

PRELIMINARY OVERVIEW
Topics and Presenters for 2021 Virtual Assembly

An Introduction to the WCHA (15 minutes)

by Paul Klonowski

My River; The Little Ouse  (45 minutes + Live Q&A)
A personal tour of the history, geography and ecology of the Little Ouse river, including a visit to a historic pub.

by Nick Dennis (UK Chapter Head)

Cooking demonstration  (20 minutes + Live Q&A)

1. Use of a BakePacker to cook your food
2. Simple Dehydration Food Process
3. Beef Jerky Preparation.
by Pete Shea 

How to keep your all wood canoe from leaking  (45 minutes + Live Q&A)

by Geoffrey Burke 

 “The Bucktail in Florida”   (55 minutes)

Famous authors including George Washington Sears in the late 1800s made J Henry Rushton famous. One celebrated excursion involving a delicate Rushton lapstrake canoe was read widely as a series called “The Bucktail in Florida”. After finding an extraordinarily well preserved Bucktail (possibly that very Bucktail) near the sight of this 19th-century excursion, I restored it and took it back to the places celebrated in that famous journey. This will be a photographic tale of then and now in a delicate wooden canoe that survived more than 130 years of change.
byMichael Grace 

Paddling the Erie Canal (25 minutes)
by Laird Smith

History of Urban Canoeing in Toronto    (25 minutes)
A thriving wooden canoe industry once existed in the city of Toronto. At its peak, thousands of wooden canoes once graced the shoreline and harbor of the city with over a dozen builders, multiple social clubs and many liveries providing watercraft to the masses. This presentation will showcase the old paddling hot-spots of the area, discuss various successful builders and illustrate the urban changes of the region that unfortunately contributed to the end of this once thriving past-time. 
by Murat Vardar

Tour of Professional Builders: Island Falls Canoe Company (Jerry Stelmok) & 

Northwoods Canoe (Rollin Thurlow)  45 minutes + Q&A
by Deborah Gardner

Panel Discussion with Women Canoe Builders  (45 minutes + Live Q&A)
Moderator: Pam Wedd (Bearwood Canoe Company) 

Photographing Canoe Experiences  (45 minutes + Live Q&A)
Wonderful canoe experiences can be preserved and shared when captured with a camera. Jim and Betsy will present tips and some basic techniques to help you take memorable photographs with whatever kind of camera you have - even your cell phone. They will share images of canoes, friends, nature, and small details that all come together to relive those special paddling experiences.
by Jim & Betsy Wilson

Tour of Canoe Collection (45 min + Live Q&A)
by Jim Clearwater

The Birch Bark Canoe (Wiigwaasi Jiimaan): Its Importance In Anishinaabe Culture and Traditions. (22 minutes + Live Q&A) 

 An illustrated video describing the significance of the birch bark canoe (wiigwaas jiimaan) to the Anishinaabe people of the Great Lakes....its place in Anishinaabe culture and traditions....in art....including the building of birch bark canoes as well as materials and tools used....various styles of Anishinaabe canoes....providing an overview of this important vessel to Anishinaabe people, complete with a list of Anishinaabemowin terms.

by Mike Ormsby / W’ dae b’wae

There are still a few time slots available for anyone who wants to contribute to the program. For anyone interest, get in touch with Rob Stevens for programming requirements