Introduction to Paddling Our Backyard River
Published: September 13, 2022
Presentation by Linda Coffman
Link to view the presentation on YouTube coming soon.
Hosted by Missouri River Relief
We joined avid paddler Linda Coffman on September 13th for a Missouri River paddling introduction. Her goal throughout this presentation was to make our shared backyard river more welcoming for recreation enthusiasts. This presentation covered appropriate watercraft and gear, safety precautions, ideas for planning trips, tips on reading the water features, and a brief discussion on appreciating the river’s beauty, wildlife, history and lore.
Linda shared with the audience her experiences on the Missouri River and the knowledge she has gained through the years on how to paddle it.

Linda Coffman is a retired Early Childhood Educator with a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Anthropology. She is the former director of Walnut Creek Day School and taught CORE Competency for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Linda has a love for the outdoors and has competed in various sports throughout her adult life including running, bicycling, canoe/kayak racing, weightlifting and holds records in power lifting. She began paddling later in life but is now an avid paddler of the Missouri River and has participated in the MR340 13 times.

Warning: Use of undefined constant php - assumed 'php' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/customer/www/bigmuddyspeakers.org/public_html/wp-content/themes/big-muddy-speakers/content-single.php on line 28
Resources and Links:
- MR340 Website
- Missouri River Water Trail Website
- MR340 Race Library
- Missouri River Levels and Conditions –a bunch of resources for tracking river levels, projections, weather and water quality.
- Rivergator – Your guide to paddling the middle and lower Mississippi River.
- Big Muddy Adventures – St. Louis based big river guide service.
- Paddle Stop New Haven and Brewery – Guided trips, rentals and shuttles. And a paddling themed local brewery!
- Kansas City Kayak and Canoe –Boat rentals and shuttles in downtown Kansas City.
The Big Muddy Speaker Series in Rocheport
is hosted by these wonderful partners.
Click here for a list of upcoming presentations»
Special thanks to Les Bourgeois Vineyards for giving us the opportunity to use their beautiful space overlooking the Missouri River. All speakers are presenting for free! Thank you all for sharing your knowledge with us!
The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place in St. Charles where it is hosted by Greenway Network.
The views and opinions expressed by our presenters do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of Missouri River Relief, the Big Muddy Speaker Series or any of the partners that support this public forum. The Big Muddy Speaker Series believes that hearing diverse perspectives is a crucial building block for an informed public.