New Deep River kayak access becoming a reality

Jun. 14—In a few weeks, several groups will partner together to help bring better kayak access to the Deep River near Sanford.

The Armed Forces Initiative of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, in partnership with the Deep River Park Association, will be installing a new kayak access on June 24.

According to Hunter Owen of AFI the Armed Forces Initiative is a public lands advocacy organization dedicated to giving Veterans a new mission in conservation. They do this through educational seminars, mentored trips, creating a community and conservation projects. The organization took over 1,700 Veterans into the backcountry in 2022 and are on track to double that number at least for 2023. The trips range from simple hikes to multi-day canoe fishing trips in the boundary waters to massive cleanups and water guzzlers in the desert.

Owen said the groups will come together about 7:30 a.m. on the installation day and do a lot of work, though some preliminary steps have already begun.

"About a year and a half ago, we (the Armed Forces Initiative of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers) conducted an event on the Deep River, where we put in and floated for about 6-7 miles and then we pulled out," he said. "But the area we put in at — it wasn't at this park — was a little treacherous. It was a little further upriver. I had my 12-year-old with me, and it wasn't something I was conformable with doing again. So, what we did as an organization, was say, 'Hey, we need to improve access because we've got to make it easier for guys and gals to get in and out of that river. How do we do that?' "

Owen said two put ins had already been improved by a private organization that runs a tubing company in the area.

"The area at the Camelback Bridge did not have a decent access," Owen said. "They had a bunch of dead, fallen trees from a big storm surge a couple of years ago that stacked up on the bank. They currently have what looks like some concrete stairs that are sitting on the shore that at one point was used. We're going to clear all of that out."

Team Rubicon and FOR Outdoors will assist the group in the cleaning up the area, according to Owen.

"We're also going to remove the concrete," he said. "The Deep River Parks Association will be out there with a tractor helping us move this concrete because we've got an agreement with DOT to pick up everything. Again, the whole point of this is just to make it easier for people to get on the river."

Owen said when the access is completed, it will be possible to start at the Camelback Bridge and float to U.S. 15-501 or even further to the next pullout, making for a total of nine miles that will be open, accessible and floatable for everyone.

"We're also going to be rebuilding the sign there," Owen said. "The hope is to put up a map to show the pullouts and historical sites. We're going to put up information about the nonprofits and also some information about the Cape Fear Shiner, which is a federally endangered fish that calls that stretch of the river home. The only place in the world where it lives is that stretch of the river."

The kayak dock will be dedicated to Capt. Cooper Aiken one of the Armed Forces Initiative of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers members.

"He was a Special Forces captain who recently passed away from cancer," Owen said. "It's still very fresh for us. He was an active-duty Special Forces officer on Fort Bragg before moving to Virginia. He was a very active member of BHAAFI. We found out recently that he lost his battle with cancer."

Owen said BHA has spent nearly $10,000 on what he calls a "custom easy kayak dock."

"It will be chained there and floating — available for everybody," he said. "What's great about this kind of dock is if another storm surge comes, with the way we're are anchoring it and how it floats, that dock will be there for a very long time."

For more on the project, visit https://www.backcountryhunters.org/deep_river_access_project