Full interview text

The following interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

Stacy: You’re listening to the VMO Show. I’m your host, Stacy Harbaugh, and here in the studio with me today is my friend Darren Bush. Now we know Darren most from his leadership in the local paddling shop, Rutabaga Paddlesports, but his life is evolving, and he’s taking his paddling mission to a new level and going into a new chapter. So, we’re going to talk a little bit about that today. Welcome to the WVMO Studio, Darren.

Darren: Well, thanks for having me. It’s great to be here.

Stacy: It’s good to see you. Now, there was quite a flurry of activity on social media. What at the end of 2025 when it was announced that you’re going to be kind of in a different chapter, and closing the paddle shop. And of course, it’s since sent shock waves across the paddling community and all of the water loving folks here. And so a lot has happened since then. So I’m hoping you give us an update on the shop and your role and what’s new over there? What’s going on?

Darren: Well, the timeline is in September, like mid-September, I said, You know what? I need to close. I just need to be done. We’re gonna shut her down, and I’m gonna go do my next thing. And I got hundreds, literally hundreds of emails and texts and social media messages and cards, letters, phone calls just saying, Would you please reconsider this? We can’t, we can’t lose Rutabaga. And after about six weeks, a friend called me and said, hey, you know we could probably sell this if you want to. And I said, I don’t want to just sell it to some private equity bros. They’re going to screw it up. Or, you know what happens a lot of times when you sell a business. He’s like, no we can vet people, and we can choose people that are going to take the shop in the direction you want to go. I said, Okay, so I unannounced it. I just said, You know what? We’re going to try and keep this thing going, because it’s important to the community. It’s not changing my future plans. It’s just changing when they’re going to happen.

Stacy: Wow, that’s great. And it was even more of a surprise too, since, you know, Rutabaga had moved, built a whole new custom facility, and you just put so much sweat equity into that new location as well. And so what do you think the new owners will be doing with that shop? And how would you like to see that work carried on.

Darren: Well, Rutabaga is always a bit about relationships and community, not about transactions. And one of the pain points that I had was like, I can’t sell it to someone who’s going to turn it into a store, which is where you give me money and I give you stuff. That’s not very exciting. It’s not very – it’s just not right? It’s not a good thing. So I want people that are going to keep doing it the way we’re doing it, which is to have a community that surrounds paddle sports and nature in general, and just create a gathering place for people that want to get out on the water.

Stacy: And you’ve been doing a lot of educational work too. Can you tell me a little bit more about some of the paddling instruction, the safety instruction, like all the kinds of things that happen there.

Darren: Yeah, we have a program Outdoor Adventures that we teach adults, we teach kids, we teach everybody in between. We do wilderness first aid courses through Knowles. So because of that, you know that’s important to know if you’re gonna go out in the wilderness, you should know how to take care of yourself. Work with school districts. We work with rec departments, just trying to get people on the water. That’s it.

Stacy: Yeah, and you’ve built so much around the shop, but like, what got you to this to begin with? Because you were a part of the establishment of the store a long time ago, like, what brought you to paddling? What role does that serve in your life?

Darren: Well, this is a short show.

Stacy: We’ve got other time to talk about this. But, like, Why? Why were you? Why were you called to establish Rutabaga? How did you get started?

Darren: Well, I started there, working part time for the former owner, when I had a real job. I worked for the State of Wisconsin, and I was doing statistics and stuff like that. So that was my computer… sit in front of the computer and do nerd stuff job, and then I’d go on the weekends and do non-nerd stuff, except different nerd stuff, right, just helping people find the right stuff. And then I just love paddling, and I had loved it before. I paddled during grad school to keep myself sane, and just decided at some point this is what I needed to do. And I always look two steps ahead, but never 10. So I know where I’m going, mostly, but I’m also flexible enough to know where I’m supposed to be, and that’s what happened recently.

Stacy: So tell us too about what was going on in your life right at that time when you announced that you wanted to close the shop?

Darren: Well, I had a heart attack a couple years ago, actually, three years ago, two days before I opened the new shop. I, yeah, so I think maybe building the shop had something to do with it. But that was the start of the, okay, that was a shot across the bow, not really a broadside, right? So it was a pretty bad heart attack. It’s one that people don’t usually survive. It’s called a widow maker, for a reason, but I was, I’m healthy otherwise, and now my heart’s better than it was and all that so but it’s like, I’m turning 64 this year. I’m like, you know, I just need to kind of wind it down a little bit. But I’m not ready to retire. I just don’t want to… I mean, retail is hard work. It’s really hard. And I want to do something that’s a little bit different.

Stacy: Well, I know you’re going to start a new chapter, and we’re going to get to that in just a moment, right after we take a quick musical break. [song break]

Stacy: Oh yeah, I love that song. All right. Welcome back. You’re listening to the VMO Show. I’m your host, Stacy Harbaugh, here in the studio with Darren Bush, and he is still the owner at this moment…

Darren: I am

Stacy: … of rutabaga paddle sports and is in the midst of a big life change and starting a new chapter. So, Darren, you’re exploring chaplaincy. Tell me more about that.

Darren: So about five years ago, my next door neighbor, who is a dear friend, got melanoma, and he was, you know, just, you know, slowly declining. And I just went over and sat with him every night. His spouse didn’t really know how to deal with it. I mean, clearly, I mean, it’s hard, and I can ask hard questions, because I love him, but I have no dog in this fight, right? So I would just sit with him and we just watch hockey, and then we’d talk, and then watch hockey again, and then it’s like, I don’t know about this, and then we’d get together with his spouse and go, Okay, so what’s next? And I just kind of helped them through that. Called the hospice agency, had them come in do an eval, just kind of held their hands through it, right? And I don’t say this very often about myself, but I’m really good at it, right? So I just learned how to deal with people that are in that situation. And I really love it.

And since then, I’ve been doing it, volunteer, doing volunteer work with it, and I’m also kind of doing some freelance stuff, which is people find out about they’re like, could you help us out? I’m like, Sure. So it’s not necessarily religious, it’s more spiritual. And I’ve worked with people that are very, very religious, and people that aren’t at all, and everything in between. And, you know, my mentor is an Orthodox rabbi and a Unitarian. So we have… we cover the gamut. And my Orthodox rabbi friend, he walks into a room and he’s wearing, you know, like, prayer shawl and a yarmulke, and I’m like oh yeah, I’m not religious. He’s like, okay, well, I’m here for your spiritual care, not your religious care. And okay, it’s just, you need someone to talk to sometimes, and just someone to help you process things. And, you know that’s, that’s it, and it’s, it’s very engaging.

Stacy: Now, you sat with your neighbor, but then you also had a heart attack, and that probably had an impact on the way you see life and health and how we walk through this world, right?

Darren: Yeah, I guess it was more just, how do I say this… yeah, I guess so, mostly that the heart attack just got me to stop, start thinking about not working as much. But it was separate from the hospice chaplaincy, that was very, very different. That was just, you know, I why I put it? Is it the shop? You know, everybody needs … let me back up here. Everybody needs three things: they need to be seen and heard and loved. And you can do that in the retail store. You can do that on the board of directors of a nonprofit. You can do it as a hospice chaplain. You can do it as a gas station attendant, you can do it any way you want, and the people that do that are the ones that are really happy. So when my banker, she’s absolutely lovely. And so we don’t have… we have a business relationship, obviously, but I will make sure that she feels seen, heard and loved, and so do I. And that sort of thing just makes the world … it’s the grease that makes the world work, right?

When you just see, you know, drive past a homeless person… There’s a guy on the corner today with a sign, and I don’t have any cash, because no one carries cash but I’ll roll down the window say, hey, no cash today. Sorry. He’s like, it’s okay. Have a blessed day, you know. And if I have 10 bucks, I’ll give him 10 bucks. But I don’t usually, right? And one time the red light came, and like, I said you should get a card dipper, right? Because it’s like, no one has money anymore. He’s like, yeah, that’s what people say, I don’t have any cash. Sorry, but he was seen, heard and loved. Yeah, he didn’t get any money because I didn’t have any but at least I saw him. And I think people in all situations need that. And when you’re dying, you need it even more.

Stacy: So as you’re putting yourself out there as someone who’s who’s curious about… who’s exploring, who’s pursuing chaplaincy, how are you connecting with other people in the community? Are you finding mentors? Are you deepening your relationships? Like, what is that like in this moment of transition for you, your career, your life? Like, how’s that going?

Darren: Yeah, it’s all of the above. There’s a formal training that you go through. I was going to start it in March, but with the shop not closing and being in transition and being sold. I put that off until the fall, which actually turned out to be a good thing because of some of the programmatic stuff I wanted to do. So right now, I’m I’m volunteering and freelancing, but I got a lot of work to do at the shop, so I’m doing that. But still, people are seen, heard and loved.

Stacy: And you’re writing too. Can you tell me more about that because I follow you on Substack, so I read your articles and your reflections, and I find them really rewarding personally. So writing is clearly a part of this outreach work, and this thought leadership that you’re doing,

Darren: Yeah, I don’t like the term thought leadership.

Stacy: Okay, you don’t have to (use it).

Darren: I was on a board of directors once, and they said, Yeah, these are thought leaders. And like you put “thought leader” in your resume on LinkedIn, you’re immediately blocked. Anyway. What were you saying? My writing, so I’ve always loved writing, and I’m writing for the Isthmus now. I kind of do their outdoor stuff, and that’s fun. And a couple other magazines, just fun. But then I started a Substack, because I realized that some of the stuff I was writing was just sort of disappearing into the ether, and I wanted to have a place where I could just put it and have it stay there. And so I did, and I put it up, and I just started writing. And then some people started giving me money. I mean, I didn’t even set it up to ask for donations. People just did it. And so, you know, you can have two Substacks, one where you’re paid, one where you’re not paid, and if you get paid, you get more stuff. Everybody gets the same thing. I don’t have paid/non-paid posts. I just put it up there, and I was someone’s to pay me five bucks a month so I can buy a croissant the next time I go to Paris, awesome, right? And it’s not even about the money, and it’s not a lot, but it’s like, I’m seen, heard and loved, right? So, yeah, it’s “canoe lover” and the Substack, it’s just canoelover dot substack dot com, and like 1500 people are following me now, and I’ve only been doing it for, I don’t know, four or five months.

Stacy: That’s awesome.

Darren: It’s just fun to have people to interact with in that way.

Stacy: For sure. And when I read your articles, they’re about, you know, a spectrum of things, but a lot of it has to do with just, you know, connection with nature, connection with other people. And we’re going to talk about your mission in life. I’m sure it’s multifaceted, but particularly getting people out on the water and paddling. We’ll talk about that when we take a quick break and listen to a little music in the VMO Show. [song break]

Stacy: Welcome back to the VMO Show. I’m your host, Stacy Harbaugh, here in the studio with Darren Bush, and we’re talking about the future of Rutabaga Paddlesports and Darren’s future as a chaplain, as a writer and as a person who is the the lead evangelist for the power of paddling and getting out on the water in canoes, kayaks and anything that gets you out to experience our lakes, our rivers, our beautiful natural resources. So Darren, let’s talk a little bit about what you have planned for this year and in the near future. So, you’re talking to folks about selling the shop, that’s number one, and you talked about looking forward to chaplaincy training in the fall. So I’m sure the store is keeping you busy, but what… how else are you fulfilling your life mission out in our community?

Darren: I’ll just keep repeating the same thing I always say, is people need to be seen, heard and loved, right? So if I continue to do that in any way, that’s my mission, right? So right now I’m doing it through getting people outside through canoes and kayaks and getting people in the water and just getting outside in general. But I also do it during chaplaincy, and I also do it just going in the grocery store. It doesn’t take much just to see someone and acknowledge them.

Stacy: Yeah, and I think, you know, I think that your connection to nature probably has taught you about being present and being present with other people. And I’m sure that that’s a theme through everything that you’re doing, through all the outdoor education, and through that chaplaincy work and your writing, and everything… I’ve learned a lot from, you know, the things that I’ve experienced with Rutabaga. I’ve been going to Canoecopia for the past several years, and there’s amazing speakers, so many activities through there. And I heard that that’s one of the things you’re going to continue. I mean, that’s a huge expo, so even if you sell the shop, I understand you want to continue to lead the expo.

Darren: Well, the shop and Canoecopia are tied together, so I fully intend to make sure the person who purchased the shop pushes Canoecopia at the same intensity that I do, but also at the same mission. It’s not a sale, right? It’s a community event where sales happen tangentially. It’s mostly about getting together and learning and growing, and then people buy stuff from us because they’re grateful for that, and I’m really grateful for that too.

Stacy: Yeah, so Canoecopia is happening this year. Tell us a little about the dates and what people could expect if they go Darren: March 13 to 15. I actually started at 7am today, and I’ll finish at 11 tonight, editing the Canoecopia show guide that’s going to get mailed out in a couple of weeks.

Stacy: Yeah, it’s a huge, thick pamphlet with like, all of these different workshop descriptions, lots of speakers, lots of education.

Darren: Yeah, the two biggest chunks, well, there’s three big chunks, so there’s the speaker profiles and schedule, so you can see, and there’s like, 90 speakers this year, right? And then there’s the What’s New, which people love, because all of our manufacturers send us, okay, what’s the newest, coolest thing you got? And people get to see them for the first time in Canoecopia. So that’s neat. And then the last is reflection. And so we have our friends. You know, I write one, my daughter wrote one last year, just about reflections on paddling. And it’s not, again, necessarily about “we went out and paddled, and it was cool.” Those stories are so old. There’s a famous writer, Gordon MacQuarrie, famous to me anyway, who was a sports writer in Milwaukee in the 50s. He was the first guy to write stories that weren’t we went out and killed something, and it was cool. It was about relationships with his father in law, and they’re beautiful stories. So it’s about the story, not about the thing, right?

Stacy: Well, I think, I’m personally looking forward to what’s next. I’m going to keep reading your writing, and, you know, everything that you put out there. And I’d say, if we were to have one, one final thought, What is your wish for people for 2026 as they get out, whether it’s on Lake Monona that we could probably just see outside of our studios here, or any of the beautiful water bodies that we have in the state of Wisconsin, What’s your wish for for paddlers this year?

Darren: Go paddling with someone you don’t agree with politically. Because we all have those people. Take someone who… it’s amazing. You take someone who has no… I don’t know how to say this. You’re gonna cut it out anyway. It doesn’t matter. I think paddling is a common denominator for a lot of people. And I have friends who are very, very conservative. I have friends that are very, very liberal, and I have customers that are very conservative and customers that are very liberal, but I love them all you know. And you know the guy that pulls up in the van in my parking lot with the NRA stickers and the sidearm. I’m like, welcome, you know.

And I wrote a story about that guy. I don’t know if you read it, about the guy who came in who was a new widower, and he was buying a couple boats so we can go travel around the country. And so what does your wife think? He’s like, Well, she told me to do this right before she died, and I just tugged him. And so we’re two human beings that disagree a little bit. I don’t think it’s cool to carry around a 44, that’s what he does, and that’s fine, but he doesn’t think that I don’t think… it’s that I don’t get he doesn’t think that I think it’s not cool. He doesn’t care, right? Does that make sense? At that point, we’re just human beings. He was hurting, and I comforted him. So if you take someone paddling that you have disagreements with, you’ll probably come out of that loving the human being and not hating the rhetoric.

Stacy: Yeah, paddling can bring us all together, right?

Darren: Absolutely, absolutely.

Stacy: Well. Thank you so much for your leadership in that, for your evangelism on all things water and paddling. And I look forward to reading more from you in the future.

Darren: Thanks.

Stacy: Thanks for coming in. Darren, appreciate it.

Darren: Absolutely.

– Stacy Harbaugh, Communications Director

This message is made possible by generous donors who believe people have the power to protect and restore water. Subscribe to our Word on the Stream email newsletter to receive stories, action alerts and event invitations in your inbox.  Support our work with your contribution today.

The advice of “Clean-Drain-Dry” isn’t just for BIG boats. Paddlers should clean their canoes and kayaks to prevent the spread of invasive plants and critters too!

Before you paddle this summer, get the decon 101 scoop from our own Climate Resilience Director Ellen Voss.

Thanks to the Rock River Coalition, Inc. for partnering with us on this video.

This message is made possible by generous donors who believe people have the power to protect and restore water. Subscribe to our Word on the Stream email newsletter to receive stories, action alerts and event invitations in your inbox.  Support our work with your contribution today.

2025 Pine River paddlers. Front row: Paul Janda, Paul Woods, Steve Corsi, Nelly the dog. Back row: Lynn and Larry Zibell, Julie Ollmann, Rich Krieg, Tom Moriearty, Katy Golden, Connie Lane, Gregg Riemer

This year, Wisconsin celebrates the 60th anniversary of our Wild Rivers law. On the Pine River, there was another noteworthy anniversary that took place this spring. For fifty years, dedicated paddlers returned to the wild Pine River to experience its wilderness.

The origins of 50 years of visiting the Pine

On May 10, 1975, the Wisconsin Sierra Club’s recreational wing, called the River Touring Section, launched its first group paddling trip on the Pine River in Northern Wisconsin. The trip was led by Bill Beverly of rural Sheboygan County, one of River Alliance’s founding members. Bill was a passionate advocate for rivers and advised Wisconsin Public Intervenor Tom Dawson on administrative rules for our wild rivers law.

In a 2012 edition of River Alliance of Wisconsin’s newsletter, Bill wrote about his recollections of the journey from State Highway 55 to Chipmunk Rapids. “The first time we tried that section, the water was so low we got only three or four miles in three quarters of a day.  After that, we learned to gauge that section of the river by a rock near the Highway 55 bridge – if there’s more than three or four inches of that rock showing, you’d better go somewhere else.  That section’s going to be too low to paddle.”

Joining Bill were Larry and Lynn Zibell among the group of about 20 paddlers that joined the outing’s maiden voyage. Since then, dedicated paddlers have returned to the Pine every spring to navigate its rapids and enjoy its pristine scenery.

Larry Zibell: a record-holding trip leader

On May 3, 2025, Larry Zibell led a dozen paddlers on the 50th voyage down the Pine River.

Larry joined the Sierra Club in 1974, and after paddling the Pine River with the River Touring Section in 1975, he knew he wanted to enjoy this river as much as he could.

Before they launched this spring, Larry reflected,  “As I drifted this first section of the Pine River in 1975, it was very narrow, very intimate and beautiful. I looked around and asked myself, ‘How am I going to ensure that I can be on this river at least once a year?’ I figured the only way to do that is to lead those trips.”

Larry has now been on this trip in this section of the Pine River 40 of the 50 times the group has paddled together. Others in the group have joined this trip between 5-20 times, and for one paddler this year, it was his very first trip with this group.

Gregg Reimer: the coincidental paddler

Gregg came across the Pine River paddlers in 1993 by accident. He was planning to paddle the Pine alone, including a bike shuttle he wasn’t looking forward to. Instead, he came upon a group of 20 paddlers about to take their 18th annual trip down the river. After vetting Gregg to make sure he was up for this trip, they welcomed him, and he has been paddling and even leading this trip ever since. Gregg joins this trip as often as he can because, “I like it’s pretty and I like the long class 1 and 2 rapids.”

Gregg Reimer has not only participated in this trip 20 times, he has kept track of all of his river days, which total about two years of his life!

Mementos of milestone trips

Milestones on the Pine have been honored with special logos. Over the years, the images on t-shirts, coffee cups, and bandanas have featured a map of the trip. These have become keepsakes for the paddlers over the years. Bringing a mug from a past milestone trip to drink from around the campfire is a sign of their dedication and commitment to returning to the river.

Hear the story behind the 30th annual trip’s bandana on the Pine, Pike and Popple Rivers Facebook page.

Why wild rivers are worth protecting

The Pine River is one of the three initial Wisconsin Wild Rivers that were designated in 1965. The Pike River and Popple River are the other two inaugural rivers. The Totogatic and Brunsweiler were added in 2010.

“I admire these dedicated paddlers who return to the wild Pine River year after year,” said River Alliance Executive Director Allison Werner. “Meeting them on the shore this year reminded me that this river is truly a protected wilderness, and it takes all of us to be vigilant against efforts to encroach on these shores with development, aggressive logging, or dams. What Wisconsin has in our wild rivers is truly special.”

Wisconsin’s Wild Rivers Law anniversary celebration, Florence, Wisconsin

We will help the Wild Rivers Interpretive Center celebrate the 60th anniversary of our wild rivers law on June 28 as we gather in Florence, Wisconsin. The free event at the interpretive center will include educational talks, lunch, and guided tours of area waterfalls.

Find more information and registration on our website.

There’s more to explore. River historian and writer John Roberts created a Facebook page in honor of visiting the Pine, Pike and Popple Rivers, which is full of tributes, photos, memories and testimonials of River Touring Section trips. Peruse the page for a treasure trove of stories about these wild river trips (and some excellent, vintage 90’s fashion!).

This message is made possible by generous donors who believe people have the power to protect and restore water. Subscribe to our Word on the Stream email newsletter to receive stories, action alerts and event invitations in your inbox.  Support our work with your contribution today.

Thanks to a generous donation from Eddyline and Rutabaga Paddlesports, you can win an Eddyline Caribbean 14′ sit-on-top kayak! This boat is a comfortable and practical addition to your summer recreation plans. Proceeds from benefit River Alliance of Wisconsin.

Tickets are $15 each or five for $50. NEW: tickets can now be purchased online with a credit card. See the form below to buy raffle tickets.

The drawing will take place on April 22, 2025 at 10 a.m. at Rutabaga Paddlesports at 2620 Rimrock Road in Madison. You do not have to be present to win. 

From the Eddyline website:
The Caribbean 14FS features our redesigned removable Frame Seat (FS) that provides improved support and comfort. The frame seat is equally comfortable while paddling or as your camp chair.

The rear tankwell has been redesigned to maximize storage capacity and also has an additional stern hatch for added accessibility. The forward tankwell hatch behind the seat has been redesigned to better accommodate internal gear storage. The large front hatch allows for more storage options.

The Caribbean 14FS is highly stable and lightweight with an efficient hull that provides exceptional tracking, stability, and paddling efficiency.

The handles are balanced for easy transport and double up as one-handed paddle parks. The cockpit features adjustable foot braces and dual accessory tracks on the gunwales for mounting any type of gear that you want.

The Caribbean 14FS now comes standard with 2 flush mount rod holders positioned behind the seat and a 6″ accessory track on the center spine in the footwell area.

Length: 14′ / 427 cm Width/Beam: 29″ / 74 cm Weight: 50 lbs / 22.5 kg Weight Capacity: 350 lbs / 158 kg

Hatches: 3 Paddler Size: M/L

We would like to think that Beth Fuller returned to Wisconsin simply to be one of River Alliance’s most enthusiastic volunteers. Truthfully, it was Wisconsin’s water, the beauty of the Northwoods, and delightful change of seasons that brought her home from California.

From ice skating on Lake Winnebago as a kid, to a fateful trip down the Stanislaus River, Beth’s life became more and more entwined with water as she navigated 25 years in the outdoor recreation gear industry.

Fox Valley childhood

Beth grew up in Neenah and Menasha where paper was the beating heart of the Fox Valley.

“We were all a kind of a big community whose livelihood came from that industry,” she remembers. “From founders of large companies like Kimberly-Clark to people who worked for smaller companies like Banta Publishing.”

The paper industry anchored the community, but she remembers how the influence of those businesses echoed throughout everyone’s lives. The strong industry supported local needs like having good schools.

“I remember having great teachers for Western Civilization, to chemistry, to our Thespian advisor. Many who received state and national awards. We could attract and pay really good teachers. It was quite the opportunity.”

Lake Winnebago afforded a lot of opportunity to engage in water related activities while she was growing up, from sailing to canoeing, kayaking, and swimming. Though she most loved to ice skate on Lake Winnebago in the winter, recreation on the local water had its limits.

“We had parks along the lake and you could swim in the lake, but not the river,” she said. “It was pretty polluted. I remember seeing white foam on the river. It was pollution from the paper mills. The management might not have thought about it affecting the environment at the time. But I look back and have visions of that foam. It was pretty gross.”

The Fox River has always been important to the Neenah and Menasha community traditions. After significant efforts to clean up and dredge the Fox River, there is now an abundance of recreational opportunities on the Fox.

Beth remembers attending the Venetian Festival on the 4th of July where local students were dubbed queens with their courts, and big sailboats were lit up and paraded before the fireworks. The Neenah-Menasha CommunityFest and Parade of Lights continues today.

“The whole community would come out for that,” she remembers. “Returning there and seeing the river in the condition it’s in now, you can see waterfront parks, walking paths, and boat clubs. It’s gorgeous. People are coming back to the river.”

How a bandana became a business 

Except for a Girl Scout trip, Beth had never really gone camping. It wasn’t until the 80s when she literally dove in.

“I went on my first raft trip with my husband, Dale, and some people from his law firm. We did the Stanislaus River, which no longer exists because it has been dammed. But we did this river and the four of us dumped out of the boat, I swam two rapids, and we camped at night. Shortly after that, we got involved with the river protection group, Friends of the River, mainly to try to stop the dam.”

Excited to do more river trips, she and her husband bought their own rafts and explored other places. The American River became a favorite destination which sparked a creative project.

“We had the idea of making bandanas with a map of the river on them,” Beth said. “I had no art skills, but I worked with a screen printer and their art department. Using USGS information, we made and sold the bandanas. Then we made t-shirts. They caught the eye of major retailers.”

As she worked to sell bandanas and t-shirts, she came into contact with people who wrote river guide books. The small publishers asked her to help get books into the shops that sold her products.

“That’s how we became a book distributor. Eventually we would get to know manufacturers and start to rep their products. We’d rep gear, dry bags, dry boxes, wet suits, and sandals to paddlesports stores and the small places along the rivers that would sell our books and bandanas. We distributed products mostly in western states, and it just kept growing for 25 years.”

The outdoor recreation gear industry may have appeared to be male-dominated, but Beth says she didn’t think about it much at the time.

“I’m more conscious today about women in these roles, but I was raised to be whatever I wanted to be,” she said. “What I saw were paddlesports stores that were typically owned by a couple where the lead owner was recognized as the man, but truthfully the shop was run by a really smart woman.”

“In 1989 an organization called Western River Guides elected a woman president. I asked a gentleman I knew what he thought about that and he said it’s about time since women have been running this industry for so long. He was right. Canoe magazine was owned by a woman. Mad River Canoe was owned by a woman. I heard about lots of success stories of women who cracked the glass ceiling in that business.”

Returning to Wisconsin

Beth went to college at the University of Wisconsin–Madison before she moved to California. Through the years, she says she always had a nagging feeling that she wanted to come back to Wisconsin. After her husband died, that feeling got stronger. Finally her friends told her to make the move.

“What drew me back were the seasons and the snow that feeds our rivers,” she said. “I’m a big Badger fan and I love the UW athletics. But I also love fish fries, cheese, supper clubs, and all those Wisconsin traditions. I really wanted to get back to the beautiful Northwoods with their abundant lakes, streams and outdoor life.”

In 2018, she attended a film screening at Fontana Sports that was hosted by River Alliance of Wisconsin. She knew then that she wanted to get involved with the statewide group that was so passionate about restoring and protecting Wisconsin’s water.

“That’s the other thing that brought me back to Wisconsin. The people here are passionate about their state. They have a love for Wisconsin and I do too.”

Community Shares of Wisconsin recognition for Beth Fuller’s River Alliance volunteerism

In March, Beth was recognized as a Community Shares of Wisconsin Backyard Hero. She was featured on the Community Shares of Wisconsin website and newsletter, Isthmus’ website and newsletter, 105.5 Radio announcements, and Madison Commons online news. She will also be recognized at the Community Shares Change-Maker Awards Celebration this fall.

– Stacy Harbaugh, Communications Director

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