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The river has more to offer students than a place to drink and float.
The Sacramento River Preservation Trust tried to show the river's alternative attractions Sunday. Adventure Outings helped lead the trip, which began at the Irvine Finch boat launch and ended six miles downriver at Chico Creek.
The 23-person group spent seven hours floating and learning about the wildlife that inhabits the river and about the foliage on its shores, said Tiffany Yost, the trust's office manager.
"This is such a great way to get the public out on the river and increase their knowledge of the area," Yost said.
The trust and Adventure Outings have held the trip for the last two or three years, said senior Sean Corbett, an Adventure Outings member.
Before the float began, California Parks Ranger Susan Hearne told the group about the launch's origin.
Irvine Finch was a farmer who donated the boat launch because students had been trespassing through his orchard to get to the river for years, Hearne said.
The donation came out of concern for the students' safety, she said. Finch worried students were in danger of being hit and killed by passing cars as they crossed Highway 32 with their tubes.
"It was a great donation," Hearne said. "This is the same boat launch that students use every year for their river floats."
Adventure Outings student Rex Righetti said the trip was a great idea.
"There's not a much better way to spend a Sunday than on the river," Righetti said.
Five students attended the float, but only one was not part of Adventure Outings, Corbett said. The average age of people in attendance was around 45 to 50 years old.
Despite the lack of student involvement, the trip was "pretty cool," he said.
"I think that it was a perfect trip," Corbett said. "It went really smooth and was nice and relaxing for all."
Charles Urbanowicz, an anthropology professor, and his wife took the opportunity to go on the river for the first time because they thought it would be a nice way to see the wildlife, he said.
Graduate student Dawn Garcia attended the trip because she is working on her thesis for her degree in geological and environmental sciences and some of her work has to do with that area, she said.
The trust also invited her because of her skill of bird identification, Garcia said. Before the trip, she was looking forward to helping the other rivergoers.
"I am excited to see the river and help with any bird-related questions that people might have," she said.
Nicholas Jester can be reached at njester@theorion.com
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