Passion about recreation under threat

I stumbled on a pretty sick kayaking video on Vimeo yesterday. It’s about a handful of guys who are unquestionably passionate about their recreation.

What struck me, aside from the talent these guys have (and the mullets), is that they are so invested in an activity that they love that they felt compelled to create the video as an advocacy tool. Why? Here’s the caption from the Vimeo page:

With the White Nile being dammed kayakers will be looking for alternative rivers for playboating. The Slave River in the NWT, Canada offers world class playspots, river running and even creeking with first descents still to be run! This video shows the 4 sets of rapids and the features each set of rapids has to offer as well as making people aware that this unique river is under threat of being dammed.

Makes sense, right? Their playground is under threat.

I’ve seen similar efforts by folks in the 4×4 community, as there are a multitude of public (need I emphasize PUBLIC, i.e. taxpayer-funded) lands that have been rapidly closed off to ORVs. While the arguments are generally preservation of natural resources (which is combatted well by organizations such as Tread Lightly) or for economic benefit, as in the case of damming the river above, actions like these limit options for recreation and leisure.

Are you passionate enough about your recreation choices to fight for the ability to continue them?