Illinois Paddling Council

Illinois Paddling Council - Board Bios

Gary Mechanic, President

Gary learned to paddle as a Boy Scout. He’s since enjoyed getting out on any kind of water that's deep enough to float any kind of boat.

In 1994 Gary began an on-going effort to create safe, legal and adequate access for paddlers by proposing the "Chicago Paddler's Trail". The idea of a local watertrail was expanded to become the "Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Trails Plan". Adopted by the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission in 1999, it is now the official plan for developing watertrails in the seven county region of Northeastern Illinois.

Gary is currently the Treasurer of the Chicago Area Sea Kayakers Association and has been on the board of the IPC as director of “The Access Project” since 1995. When he's not paddling or talking about paddling, he promotes the Chicago Portage National Historic Site...see www.chicagoportage.org

During his tenure as IPC President Gary has been working to create a new program called "Illinois Water TrailKeepers" that is creating a corps of stewards for designated watertrails.

Tom Lindblade, Vice President & Safety Chair

Tom Lindblade has been a Counselor and Experiential Educator for over forty years. For twenty five of those years he taught in and coordinated a community college Experiential Learning Program. He has led field studies which has taken students to fifty countries and many wilderness areas of North America.

Since retirement Tom continues to teach and lead field studies. He is active on several boards, and trains Canoe Instructors for The American Canoe Association

Tom has a life long love for waters and for paddling. He spends as much time as possible in one of his five boats and in recent years has become intrigued with combining paddling and digital video recording.

Lee Butler, Secretary

Lee was introduced to paddling at the age of 61. He was invited to go on a paddling trip with a few local paddlers on the Pecatonica River. The view of the river from a canoe was breath-taking. Lee says: "I was HOOKED on paddling! You are never too old to start."

Most people never get the opportunity to view the creeks and rivers from a canoe or kayak, even in their own community. Lee captures a lot of those views with his 'water-repellent' digital camera.

Retirement has afforded him the opportunity to enjoy paddling on weekdays as well as weekends. “Paddling is great exercise and helps clear your mind”. Lee likes to help others experience the joys of paddling.

Lee joined the Illinois Paddling Council for help and guidance as he created The Pecatonica River Water Trail in Stephenson County. More info can be found at his website: www.paddlethepec.com

Jack Snarr, Treasurer/Membership

Preceded some 35 years by his wife Lynn as chair of the Des Plaines Canoe Marathon (Jack was something of a slow learner), he mistakenly thought that retirement from shepherding 6,000 young docs through Northwestern’s medical school meant trading work for play. Instead, drawing on experience acquired while doing time as president of IPC and USCA a long, long time ago, together with a lifetime hobby of juggling, he has returned to service as IPC treasurer and membership chair, leadership of the Des Plaines River Marathon through its 50th anniversary and beyond, and advancing the causes of the Evanston United Way and his fellow NU retired faculty.

Although of late his son Brian has taken to jumping from planes, Jack restricts his jumping to canoes, often landing in the serene waters of the BWCA. That's Jasper Lake in the photo. That exercise may not be so compatible with the kayaking that he anticipates in the Antarctic Peninsula next winter….unless he's a bit more heavily attired!

Joe Ginger, Director

I bought my canoe in 1973 and my first kayak in 1987. I became involved with the IPC in 1998 after contacting ACA about an access issue. They put me in touch the IPC and Sigrid Pilgrim. The IPC and Illinois paddlers’ letters helped resolved the access issue. That experience resulted in several contacts with Gary Mechanic who gave me information on the Northeastern Illinois Water Trails.

The Northeastern Illinois Water Trails Plan provided me with a template for working to develop a water trail in northwestern Illinois. I joined the IPC as part of The Access Project in 2003 and was elected to the IPC board in 2005. The IPC works to help individuals and paddling groups promote access, safety and conservation.

Currently I’m president of the Yellow Creek Watershed Partnership and on the board of the Sugar-Pecatonica Rivers Ecosystem Partnership. I believe paddlers should be concerned with the environment.

Paul Klonowski, Director

I first paddled a canoe when I was around 10 years old. It was a rental from a place called the Chicagoland Canoebase. My father helped organize trips for his co-workers, and we'd run the Lower Fox, Mazon, Vermillion, Current and local rivers. This went on for several years and was coupled with canoeing with my scout troop.

Fast forward to 1992. When I began working for my current employer I heard of a canoe club being formed by the company. I started paddling again with that club and then started volunteering with the Lake County Forest Preserve District's paddlesports program. Those activities, and my interests in river stewardship and access issues, led to my commitment to be on the IPC Board. Now, as the first Trail Steward for the Des Plaines River, I'm helping to get the Lake County branch of the Illinois Water TrailKeepers program organized, which is poised for a great start this year!

Sigrid Pilgrim, Director/Marketing/Public Relations

An avid paddler of canoe and kayaks for three decades, Sigrid is a member of most local paddling clubs and former ACA board member. Sig organized the “Paddling in the Park” festival for 12 years. A board member of IPC for many years, she is also the immediate past President of the IPC.

Sigrid's main interest is to provide information about paddlesport to the public to participate safely and to engage paddlers in becoming stewards for the environment.

She long ago recognized that the boundary between having an enjoyable time in a canoe or kayak and the outing leading to a tragedy can be quite narrow. So her current objectives in working with organized paddlesport organization(s) are:

· to give people interested in the sport the information needed to participate in it safely

· to help people enjoy the natural environment while in a boat on a river or lake

Hopefully, by doing both, new paddlers will be able to paddle a canoe or kayak safely and will also want to help protect and improve the natural environment.

Ryan Rushton, Director

Ryan has made it a priority to spend as much time on the water as life allows. He began his paddling "career" floating in his PFD next to his parent's canoe on a trip down the Wisconsin River at the ripe old age of two.

His first paddling addiction was paddling whitewater in open canoes on wilderness rivers in Northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula and Northern Ontario before acquiring his next addiction - whitewater kayaking.

After spending a few years paddling whitewater kayaks, Ryan got "hooked" on sea kayaking during his first encounter with rough seas and open water on the coast of Virginia. His love of the water, particularly open water, has led him to take and guide many expeditions around the coastal US and recently the UK. Ryan is the owner of the Geneva Kayak Center.

Ryan joined the IPC board in the fall of 2007. He believes that access, stewardship, and all the other issues that the Council works on are extremely important to paddlers and paddling businesses alike. Ryan hopes to engage more Illinois paddlesport businesses in the activities and goals of the council, as well as improving how the IPC aids businesses in achieving their goals.

Tom Richardson, Conservation Chair

Tom Richardson is an avid canoeist and environmental advocate. Since his retirement from College of DuPage in 2000, where he was Professor of Human Services, he has concentrated his efforts on improving water quality, and developing and maintaining water trails in DuPage County. Tom also serves as a representative of Sierra Club and is on the Board of DuPage County’s “Salt Creek Workgroup” where he chairs its Watershed Committee.

Recently he has devoted more time to photography. He is President of the Mayslake Nature and Photography Club, and is working hard to improve his own photography skills.

A canoeing instructor for 30 years, Tom now instructs for Prairie State Canoeists. He mostly paddles a canoe and never has enough time for paddling in his favorite place: on the Wolf River in Northern Wisconsin.

Tom chairs the Conservation Committee for IPC and is the IPC Program Manager for Illinois Water TrailKeepers. He is the Trail Steward for Salt Creek and the DuPage River and heads the TrailKeepers In-Stream Maintenance Crew West Crew.

Kevin Bradley, Competition Chair

I first learned of the IPC when I was paddling a borrowed canoe with my kids at Busse Lake. As we were taking out another family was putting in and we talked about the canoes and the race I had just been in. They gave me a brochure describing all of the IPC races that year. I joined the IPC and a whole world of paddling opened up to me.

Then I read an article in the IPC newsletter that really made an impression on me. One of the members explained that he joined the board in order to give something back to the organization. So I decided to “step up to the plate” and volunteer as Safety Chairman. Since then, I have held many positions in the IPC including President.

Currently as Competition Chairman, I deal with one of my favorite aspects of paddling. Not only do I enjoy the competition of marathon canoe racing, but I also like the cardiovascular benefits from paddling 3-4 times a week while training for races.

Jack Bakker, Newsletter Editor

Like most people, I had paddled or rowed a boat a few times without mishap and considered myself skilled. About eight years ago my younger daughter and I enrolled in a CWA kayak class at the Oak Park YMCA. We learned the basic strokes, an Eskimo roll, and boat safety. However the most important thing we learned was wearing a helmet to go paddling wasn’t in our DNA. Sea kayaks looked like a better option for the local rivers and Lake Michigan. Two homemade kayaks later, and a significant amount of varnish left on beaches and rocks around northeastern Illinois, I am on the way to becoming a paddler.

Joining the IPC put me in touch with most types of paddle sport available in the Midwest and people passionate with their favorite version of the sport.

Dave Buckley, Webmaster

My primary focus in the paddling world has been marathon canoe and kayak paddling. I started marathon paddling with past IPC Competition Chair with Joe Kowsky as our "Coach" in high school along with three other friends. He helped me start a lifelong activity that I will be enjoying for many years to come. Also I enjoy some whitewater paddling as a change of pace when the local rivers are up.

I’m club primarily involved with is the Morris Marathon Canoe Club which focuses on marathon paddling. M2C2 currently hosts an IPC “points” race and an open pool session.

I currently maintain the IPC website. Please let me know if you have anything that might help improve our website.

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