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Opening day of The White Salmon Boat Library, Oct. 22, 2022. Pictured left to right: Geoffrey Calhoun, Greta “Shredda” Durbin, Mary Morgan Morrissey, Andrew Morrissey, Galen Volckhausen, Natalie Anderson, Connor Gagliano, Marcus Amaru, Rye Hester, Joe “Toad” Todd, Nels Darling, Frances “Franny” Melby and Owen “Oats” Doyle.
Opening day of The White Salmon Boat Library, Oct. 22, 2022. Pictured left to right: Geoffrey Calhoun, Greta “Shredda” Durbin, Mary Morgan Morrissey, Andrew Morrissey, Galen Volckhausen, Natalie Anderson, Connor Gagliano, Marcus Amaru, Rye Hester, Joe “Toad” Todd, Nels Darling, Frances “Franny” Melby and Owen “Oats” Doyle.
In the small Washington town of BZ Corner, a unique library is building a community around whitewater kayaking. The White Salmon Boat Library breaks the traditional mold of lending out books and instead offers members access to high-quality paddling gear, essential to recreate on the river.
The thought of creating the library initially came from Galen Volckhausen and Drew Swisher, two passionate whitewater kayakers in Husum who found themselves surrounded by a few too many skittle-colored kayaks.
“There were tons of kayaks laying around the house and people would show up and borrow them. Sometimes they’d take the right stuff, sometimes they’d take the wrong stuff,” Volckhausen said. “We talked about building a shed with the equipment that people could take and solving that problem.”
That idea shifted into a reality with a grant from Northwest Rafting Supply (NRS). In April 2021, the company opened up submissions to their LEAD Program (Leaders in Environment, Access and Diversity), which aims to fund river outreach and conservation initiatives within the river community.
Volckhausen applied for funding with the mission to increase paddlesports access for all ability levels in the Gorge. After receiving a successful LEAD grant, he secured a shed behind The Missing Corner in spring of 2022, the community center in BZ Corner for a location.
That following summer, volunteers rebuilt the shed into a dry space capable of storing gear. Advice on running the library was also given from Andrew “Gonzo” Gonzales, the owner and operator of The Love Boat Library in Missoula, Mont.
Old boats, new boats, full slices, half slices, creekers and inflatable kayaks are all available to borrow at The White Salmon Boat Library.
Photo by Emma Renly
On Oct. 22, 2022, the White Salmon Boat Library officially opened to the public with a fleet of donated kayaks and gear. Membership’s free and requires filling out a waiver and sign-up sheet.
“Overall, there’s been a large amount of positive feedback from the community,” Volckhausen said, now the program director of the White Salmon Boat Library. “We have over 30 members right now, a handful of those members are very frequent users who borrow boats multiple times a week, as well as gear.”
The list of gear available to borrow includes a wide range of whitewater kayaks, personal flotation devices (PFDs), drytops, throwbags, helmets, paddles, spray skirts and more.
After a slow winter start, Volckhausen wants to see the facility grow as a place that people feel welcome to join, especially for those brand new to whitewater kayaking.
“One of our goals is to create a larger demographic of people that are using the library as a resource who don’t already have a foot in the kayaking door,” Volckhausen said, noting that there are also two inflatable kayaks available to use, which are more forgiving for beginners to use on a river compared to a hardshell kayak.
Over time, Volckhausen also hopes to see the space become a community resource that’s volunteer-run and self-sustainable.
Drytops, helmets, personal flotation devices (PFDs) spray skirts and more are inside the shed.
Photo by Emma Renly
“Whitewater kayaking is an amazing sport that’s changed my life,” Volckhausen said. “The White Salmon Boat Library is a way to give back to something that’s given me so much.”
On the board includes fellow whitewater kayakers Natalie Anderson, Chris Barker, Kyle Hull and Todd Wells.
“Opening up the opportunity to access paddlesports with something that I believe in and think is important,” Wells said, team manager of Dagger Kayaks, a sponsor of the library. “My most amazing life experiences involve kayaking and it’s awesome when you can share that with other people.”
Wells grew up in Trout Lake during a time that lacked a paddlesports community. After discussing a possible boat library with Volckhausen, he knew it was a project he wanted to become involved in.
“My brother and I were the only kids in Trout Lake that went kayaking, since we had the support of friends and parents,” Wells said. “I think that with more resources like the boat library available, a lot more people will participate and get joy out of kayaking.”
BZ Corner resident Camille McGinnis noted the library was the only way she’d be able to get into boating due to finances.
“I’ve been interested in kayaking since I’ve met so many people who are so passionate about it,” said McGinnis. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit to buying the gear, so the boat library is a great way to know if I like boating and find out what kind of gear I like.”
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