Far Flung Adventures Hosts Community Paddle Event
PILAR, New Mexico—Summer fun has officially begun at Far Flung Adventures Rafting Company!
On Saturday, June 8th, New Mexico River Rafting company Far Flung Adventures hosted a partially grant-funded community float through the Orilla Verde section of the Rio Grande del Norte national monument. The float also served as the capstone day for the first cohort of Far Flung Outdoor Academy graduates, a program funded by the Outdoor Equity Grant and Friends of Rio Grande del Norte.
The goal of the event was to provide an opportunity for local youth to experience the monument through a guided experience and to also showcase the skills of our recent Outdoor Academy graduates. Helping to ensure access to the experiences that tourists take part in every year moving forward is an initiative to encourage local involvement in the growing outdoor recreation economy.
The Outdoor Academy program by Friends of Rio Grande del Norte provides raft and fly fishing programs aiming to connect the local youth with the cherished land in their backyard and cultural heritage of New Mexico. This event commemorated the program graduation and gave the students a chance to showcase their skills on the river as guides to family and friends.
Founder of Friends Group, Nick Streit, added, “We’re looking to move our industry and tourism industry forward while including the local communities. Not only to expose youth to the outdoors but also to create pathways for which they can participate in the outdoor recreation economy.”
Rio Grande Friends del Norte is a conservation and community based non-profit founded by Nick Streit, dedicated to outreach, education, and protection of over 200,000 acres of surrounding land designated as the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument by President Obama in 2013. They recently received the NM Outdoor Equity Fund Grant, so pairing the graduation with the celebration of the monument felt natural.
The day of free community activities was sponsored by Diversify Whitewater and catering from Toribio’s Restaurant and outreach to Santa Fe and Albuquerque communities was provided by Latino Outdoors. Far Flung staff helped to make sure the check in, river event and food service went off as smoothly as possible.
Far Flung Adventures aims to make rafting down the Rio not only fun, but an inspiring experience inviting those who are from the area to feel proud to share the beauty of their native roots with those who travel to Taos.