On September 12th The Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI) is set to host a paddle trip fromUS 411 in Bartow County to Rome at Grizzard Park covering 17 miles.

The trip will include a tour of Native American fish weirs – fish traps used in North America for thousands of years, constructed with stakes and plant material or stone and located near the coastline.

The Etowah boasts at least 36 such fish weirs between Cartersville and Rome and even more upstream of Lake Allatoona. There are more of these historic sites on the Etowah than on all other rivers in Georgia combined.

The Etowah fish weirs were built between 500 and 1,000 years ago by the native people, ancestors of the Cherokee. Most exist today in much the same way as they did in Pre-Columbian days.

Today the structures create rapids that are used for recreation.

The CRBI has hosted two earlier trips and this is the third of four that will explore 48 miles of the Etowah River in total, between Rome and the Allatoona Dam.

This is a free trip for CRBI members and costs $35 per family for non-members, which includes a year’s membership in CRBI. The trip should last about 7 hours and canoe and kayak rentals can be arranged through the CRBI or Adventure Rome N’ Around. Be prepared for a small fee to shuttle back to your vehicle.

To register to participate and for further information, contact CRBI volunteer Alan Crawford at 706-291-7449 or e-mail at [email protected].

For further information, contact Joe Cook at 706-232-2724, or via e-mail at [email protected]

The final installment of the series will take place Oct. 31.