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Watershed War Canoe Project

The Watershed War Canoe Project is a collaborative effort being undertaken by a group of organizations with the goal of educating the citizens of Erie County about the importance of the water resources of the Lake Erie Watershed.

Intended Use

Thanks to a grant from the Water Resources Education Network (WREN), upon the completion of the War Canoe restoration project, the Watershed War Canoe will become a floating classroom designed to be used as an outdoor human and wind powered mobile research vessel capable of safely transporting twenty individuals. Activities planned for this project include sampling the waters of Presque Isle Bay for the presence of contaminants; identifying and mapping the spread of Aquatic Nuisance Plants in environmentally sensitive areas, and mapping the shifting east end of the Presque Isle Peninsula and Gull Point areas inaccessible to other boats.

One of the missions of the Water Resources Education Network is "to facilitate water resources education in schools." The Watershed War Canoe project is designed to promote awareness of our aquatic resources and a provide hands-on, educational resource with which local students can learn about our relationship with the water. Through hands-on programming using this War Canoe, students and the general public will become more aware of non-point source pollution issues including urban and agricultural run-off and bluff erosion. We are proud to work with WREN, the City of Erie, Sea Scout Ship #2, Pennsylvania Sea Grant and the Erie County Conservation District to make this project possible.

History

The War Canoe is a thirty-four foot war canoe built in the early 1900's by Old Town Canoe Company in Maine. This historic wooden canoe was made in traditional fashion cedar rib and plank construction with the hull covered in canvas. Originally designed for summer camps, only several hundred were ever produced and very few remain.

This canoe was originally purchased by the Nagle Family of Erie in the 1920's for use on Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie. It has several unique characteristics that were included for its use on the lake: the caned seats, spars, mast step and partners. The vessel was used for many years for family outings and explorations along Lake Erie's shoreline and was even paddled to Long Point, Ontario on several occasions!

This webpage has been partially funded by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund under a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.