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![]() You can print a trail map and brochure to follow along. Some sections are beginner-friendly others take a little more expertise. While the group is aiming for guided boat tours in the future, the heritage trail is self-guided. I recently took a paddle trip with Openlands to check it out. The view from a kayak on the Little Calumet River, approaching the Cal-Sag Channel bike trail bridge. "If there's meaningful history along the waterway, we thought we could use the waterway to elevate that and try to connect people to the water," said Laura Barghusen, of Openlands. The launch of the heritage trail this year fits with Openlands' goals of educating people about local waterways, encouraging them to get out in canoes or kayaks, and, hopefully, making them more interested in cleaning up rivers and creeks. The trail takes in important people, places and events in local Black history going back more than a century. Now, Openlands and regional friends are making its first attempt at creating a historical tour on a waterway: the African American Heritage Water Trail along the Little Calumet River and the Cal-Sag Channel on the Far South Side. ![]() That work includes designating more than 500 miles of "water trails" on the Calumet, Chicago, Des Plaines, Fox and other rivers, and creating an online guide to canoeing or kayaking on those waterways. Openlands and partner organizations in the Chicago region have been working for years to improve the enjoyment and quality of local rivers. Michael Taylor of the Illinois Paddling Council dons a wet cloth to keep his head cool as he kayaks on the African American Heritage Water Trail on the Little Calumet River. ![]()
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