A Request

Canadian Canoe Routes provides, at no cost, a unique service of high quality to its members and to the paddling public in general. Since September 2007, the operation of CCR has been financed by the Wilderness Canoe Association; although most WCA members are not also CCR members, nevertheless they have been supporting CCR through their dues.

Many CCR members will recall that the site was on the verge of collapse when the WCA acquired it; in fact, posts from that time regret its demise. In the first few days, we removed 12,000 spammers and over 200,000 of their droppings, well over half the database. Our measures to defeat spammers have been so successful that months now go by between spam posts. The paddling community has responded to our efforts both by joining CCR (membership is up by 23%) and by contributing to it (the number of entries in Routes has grown by 8%, and so on).

We have worked hard to improve the site in other ways; for example, we installed a major upgrade to the forum software and we added 1,000 links to trip reports at other sites. Planned improvements include revamping the site layout and completely reworking Routes.

To help finance these initiatives, we shall increase ad revenue, tastefully. But ads alone cannot recoup the purchase price, nor pay the operating costs, nor finance past and planned initiatives.

I request (I emphasize that it is only a request) that all who read this, CCR members and the general public alike, demonstrate their appreciation of CCR by joining the WCA, a reputable, non-profit organization that has been serving its members and the paddling community for over 35 years. Your membership will help preserve not only the valuable information posted on CCR’s pages but indeed also the routes themselves.

Additionally, membership in the Wilderness Canoe Association is a desirable end in itself. The WCA is a widely based organization, with one in six of its 548 members living outside Ontario (20 in other parts of Canada, 69 in the US and 3 outside North America). As a member, you have access to a varied program of outings, meetings and social events (where you can meet tripping partners for example), you are able to post at the club’s Bulletin Board (e.g. buy and sell notices), you receive our quarterly journal Nastawgan and you support a conservation and environment program. Your support will help us to continue to provide this service to yourself and to the others within our communities.

You may now register online or with a cheque here at our new interactive website.

WCA Board
Aleks Gusev, Chair