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 How many of you remember going on one of those canoe trips, sponsored by the Boy/Girl Scouts, when you were a kid? We were more daring to jump into a canoe and expected to meet at the end of a run without getting soaked.
At Legacy of Leesburg, canoeing and kayaking is an activity that involves more than 50 residents. On any one of the monthly trips, there are 20 or 25 members who have much more experience than when they were kids years ago.
In addition to having a lot of fun, the group also shows their concern for the county waters by maintaining the Dora Canal and its tributaries. Once a month, they collect the waterborne trash and litter. Recently, they removed about 200 pounds of trash by kayak from Little Lake Harris by Hickory Point.
 The members also perform regular water quality checks of the canal. These checks include measuring the O2 percent, coliform, PH, chemicals, clarity, temperature and depth of the water. This information is then sent to Lake County, and consolidated with other information to maintain an on-going record of the waterway’s condition.
A few of the club members are certified by the EPA after completing a water monitoring seminar sponsored by Lake County and the St. Johns Water Management. These members and other boating groups are the only volunteer members nationwide that have this certification from the EPA.
This is one example of a Pringle community club activity that is helping to preserve the environment while enjoying a popular sport.
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