Flint Riverkeeper helps Albany State University students connect with nature

ALBANY – Twelve Albany State University students shuffled nervously along the edge of a Flint River boat ramp Saturday, as they fastened life jackets and assessed the 20 kayaks that lay before them. 

Most had never been on a river or lake, much less trusted their safe passage to a narrow boat and paddle they’d have to maneuver themselves. 

Henry Jackson, the Flint Riverkeeper’s outreach and development director, gave the students a brief “Intro to Kayaking” class, teaching them the proper paddle movements, upstream vs. downstream and how to approach rapids in the water. 

“Part of the Flint Riverkeeper’s mission is to introduce people to the Flint River’s conservation through recreation and education,” Jackson said. “ASU is an entity we’ve always wanted to work with to get college students on the river.” 

The students were about to embark on a 6-mile kayaking journey along with staff from the Flint Riverkeeper. They were set to travel from Albany’s Georgia Power Dam all the way to Radium Springs landing. This trip marked the first official partner trip between the Flint Riverkeeper’s office, a group dedicated to the preservation of Georgia’s Flint River, and ASU’s Active Minds student organization, which is dedicated to wellness and elevating conversations about mental health and suicide. 

A month earlier, around eight ASU students attended the annual Lower Flint Paddle as a pilot trip for the partnership.

“Everybody had a great time,” Jackson said. “I don’t know how many people were asking us afterward, ‘Where do I get a kayak? Can I put a kayak on top of my car? How do I do this more often?’”

At about 10:30 a.m. the students took a seat in their kayaks as Flint Riverkeeper staff helped push them into the water. After a few shrieks and surprised laughter, they began paddling, surging forward as Jackson led the way. 

They marveled at the nature in front of them. 

“Look at that bird!” one shouted. 

“Man, look at the water sparkling,” another said. 

They broke out into a rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” singing “I was bo-o-o-o-rn by the river.” 

Jackson pointed to large pipes along the bank of the river and taught the students about Albany’s Combined Sewer Separation project, which will separate the sewer system into separate sanitary and stormwater systems, lessening the pollution that ends up in the Flint River.

“It’s a huge step forward in the city of Albany taking care of the river,” he said to the students. 

Jackson also gave them a brief lesson on the Floridan Aquifer, which sits below the Flint River and supplies water to the springs that pop up alongside its channels – the most well-known being Radium Springs. 

The students settled peacefully into the ebb and flow of paddling along the river’s smooth surface until they began approaching Riverfront Park, where they’d be breaking for lunch. Up ahead, rocks broke the water’s surface, creating fast-flowing rapids. 

“River left!” Jackson shouted. “And then a sharp river right!” 

The students tried to follow these directions. Their paddle movements sped up and became harsher, trying to beat the quick flow of the river’s rapids. A brief chaos ensued as attempts to veer kayaks left and right resulted in a jumbled mess along the rocky passageway. The kayaks tipped and spun. The students screamed and slammed their paddles into the surface. 

The ruckus was over in about five minutes as the students secured their kayaks and flopped down onto the boat ramp, emptying their shoes of water and calling family and friends to share that they’d made it out of the kayak alive. 

Although, there was one victim of the Flint’s waters: 20-year-old Sheldon Williams’ cellphone. 

“It was either me or the phone.” Williams said. “I stopped my boat from flipping over, but it came at a price.” 

Williams, an ASU junior, was in good spirits despite losing his phone. 

“Me a couple of months ago would’ve crashed out over that,” he said. “But you can’t let stuff bring you down like that. You’ve got to stay positive no matter what God throws at you. I’ve had fun the whole day, and I’m not going to let it ruin my day.” 

Perry Ford, a city of Albany engineer who was instrumental in getting the ASU students on board with the kayak trip, gathered the students in a circle after they’d made it ashore. 

“That was the hardest part of the river,” he said to them. “I’m glad you got to experience that. Not everything is smooth sailing. That’s a lesson you can carry into your classes.” 

Simone Bradley, ASU’s director of counseling and student accessibility services, said the kayaking adventure allowed students to get involved with nature and work together as a team. 

“It taught them to keep going through challenges – that they are stronger than they think they are … physically and mentally,” she said. 

The Active Minds organization hosts a slew of mental health-focused events throughout the school year, but Sophia Johnson, the school counselor for the Commodore Conyers College & Career Academy, said the group is working to incorporate more outdoor and physical activities into their mission. 

Johnson is working alongside Ford to promote mental and emotional resilience among local college students. 

“College students’depression and anxiety just keeps increasing and becoming more prevalent,” she said. “With kayaking, it promotes both the mental and physical piece – just being able to release things into nature. Whatever’s been draining … this week, just give it back to the river and let it go.” 

Tre Thomas, a 21-year-old ASU senior, said Saturday’s kayak trip was the first time he’d spent any time in water outside of a pool. But after the 6-mile trip, he said he felt empowered to do it again

“Our generation is all about the phone … and a lot of people don’t really go outside,” Thomas said. “This gave us time to just embrace being outside, being with each other and connecting with people. To keep your mental health in the right space, this is one of the ways you can do that, being around nature, not worrying about social media.”

Jackson said bringing the students onto the river is beneficial not only for their mental and physical health but for the development of the community as a whole.

“The Flint River is one of Albany’s greatest — if not its greatest — natural resources,” he said. “Building these connections, it’s good for the river, and it’s good for the people, good for the school. They’re learning a new skill … learning about being safe in the natural environment.” 

After lunch, the students got back into their kayaks, with more confidence this time, ready to navigate around the rocky waters for a tranquil rest of the trip ahead. 

“The Flint Riverkeeper would love to do more,” Jackson said. “We’re always looking for people who want to go on the river with us. We’re here with canoes, kayaks, paddles and life jackets for whenever ASU wants to join us.”