Ithaca, NY – The Office of Assemblymember Anna Kelles helped secure a $15,000 grant in taxpayer dollars back into the district to support Paddle-N-More’s program Love Your Lake Stewart Park Community Paddle Summer Series. While Paddle-N-More has completed its 2025 season, the program hopes to continue the program in 2026 and beyond. This program was a free Tuesday night guided kayak eco-tour program at Stewart Park. The sessions offered beginner kayaking instruction, guided group paddles, and environmental education designed to help participants feel more connected to Cayuga Lake.

Designed by Jennifer Wells, owner of Paddle-N-More, the program was created to connect more people to our local waterway in unique and meaningful ways. Grounded in Place-Based Theory and Benefits-Based Programming, each session used the lake itself as a living classroom, blending paddling with storytelling and environmental education. This approach fostered personal connection, encouraged stewardship, and inspired participants to care for Cayuga Lake long after the paddle ends.

“Every time someone leaves the water feeling more connected to Cayuga Lake, we know we’re making a difference. If we can inspire even one person to care for and protect this lake, though we hope to reach many more, we’ve accomplished something meaningful,” Wells said.

Since launching in June, the weekly sessions engaged close to 350 participants this summer, many experiencing paddling or environmental learning on Cayuga Lake for the first time.

Paddle-N-More powers the program, but its heart comes from the dedication and creativity of three talented interns who worked hard to develop the core material for the program. Funded and supported by Paddle-N-More, Autumn (Binghamton University), Julian, and Maria (both from Ithaca College) completed American Canoe Association paddlesports training and guide training before taking the lead on shaping the program’s educational content. They guided paddles, taught skills, and shared stories and environmental knowledge about Cayuga Lake in an inclusive and welcoming setting, truly embodying the Love Your Lake initiative.

Love Your Lake is part of a broader Love Your Lake Initiative with Discover Cayuga Lake, which has a long history of offering free community boat tours to connect people with the water. This collaboration combined paddlesports and boat-based programming to expand public access to Cayuga Lake and deepen understanding of its ecological and cultural value.

Wells continued, “Accessibility is at the heart of Love Your Lake. Without this type of funding, programs like this simply could not be offered at no cost. From a business perspective, this grant makes it possible to keep paddlesports and environmental education truly accessible for everyone in the community.”

Paddle-N-More would also like to thank the Tompkins Chamber of Commerce, Visit Ithaca, Tompkins County Tourism, through the Community Celebrations Grant, which helped fund the creation of marketing materials to promote the program. A big thank you to Discover Cayuga Lake for serving as the Paddle-N-More fiscal sponsor and helping make the Love Your Lake Stewart Park Community Paddle Summer Series possible. And, most importantly,

Paddle-N-more thanks their interns, partners, and the 350 participants who are the ones that truly bring the program to life.

You can help keep free programs like Paddle-N-More continue in 2026, please consider supporting Love Your Lake by donating to Discover Cayuga Lake.