Presidents’ Corner

To say that 2020 has been an unusual year would certainly be an understatement. Who would have guessed how much our daily lives and social interactions would be affected by the current Covid 19 pandemic? As a club, the Ozark Mountain Paddlers have certainly been affected by the pandemic, but in some ways less than many other clubs and organizations across the USA. Yes, we had to cease having our monthly meetings due to the significant health risk associated with bringing groups of people together and the fact that the Springfield Nature Center ceased allowing meetings beginning in April of this year and continuing for all of 2020. In spite of this many of our members have still been able to participate in some of the club floats and cookouts that have been organized this year, as well as a multitude of smaller individually organized float trips that have taken place this year.

One of the notable things we have witnessed this year has been a major surge in the number of people getting outdoors and enjoying our beautiful Ozark streams and rivers. In fact, we have seen our membership numbers grow during this period due to many people reaching out for direction and training in the area of safely getting started in the sport of canoeing, kayaking, and stand up paddle boarding. With that said, I am looking forward to a year of growth and new opportunities as we embark on a new year with the Ozark Mountain Paddlers in 2021. I believe the surge we have seen in people seeking outdoor activities provides an excellent opportunity for OMP members to provide direction and leadership in the areas that form the foundation of our club: Recreation-Conservation-Education.

I am looking forward to our society opening back up in 2021 due to newfound solutions that are currently under development for the Covid problem. This opening up process will provide opportunities for us to bring in additional new members and reinforce the things we believe in regarding safety, conservation, and above all else having fun on our wonderful Ozark waterways. Looking forward to growth and new opportunities in 2021 and hope to see you on the water soon!

Gary Tombridge
President-Ozark Mountain Paddlers