More than 300 paddlers launched kayaks and canoes into Georgia’s rivers — touring Ellijay, Calhoun and Rome — in one of the state’s most popular water trips known as Paddle Georgia last summer.

The 2009 Paddle Georgia video has recently been released and can be viewed on www.YouTube.com and www.garivers.org, showcasing local river kayaking and off river activities in Calhoun and Gordon County.

The video features Calhoun native and archeologist Jim Langford explaining how archeologists read the dirt and decipher clues of past civilization at the Coosawatte Foundation property historic site in Gordon County.

Also included is a quick tour of Riverview Organic Farms in Ranger, located along the Coosawattee River. The farm is one of the largest certified organic farms in Georgia and is under the cultivation of the Swancy family — Carter, Beverly, Wes and Charlotte Swancy.

In addition, the video shows glimpses of New Echota Historic Site and downtown Calhoun. Dan Barfield, of Adairsville, and Katyln Reese, of Calhoun, appear as local representatives who participated in Paddle Georgia last year.

The weeklong summer canoe and kayaking trip is the annual fundraiser for Georgia River Network, and proceeds also benefit local watershed and river alliance groups involved in it.

Calhoun’s New Echota River Alliance received a $5,000 grant from Georgia River Network last year for being a part of the Paddle Georgia tour.

“This helped pay for (water) education and equipment,” said NERA (New Echota Rivers Alliance) president Dan McBee.

Georgia River Network has helped generate more than $45,000 for river protection in Georgia. More than 1,200 people have participated in the first four years of the event.

Georgia River Network is a statewide nonprofit environmental organization working to ensure a clean water legacy by engaging and empowering Georgians to protect and restore our rivers from the mountains to the coast.

Visit www.garivers.org for more information about GRN and Paddle Georgia 2010 trip.