VIDALIA — The Vidalia Conference and Convention Center will host a paddling and canoeing workshop June 9 and 10 conducted by the LSU AgCenter.

LSU AgCenter agritourism coordinator Anna Hatch said in a press release that participants in the workshop will learn about the possible diversifying farming operations available through using waterways and federal and state recreation areas to include paddling.

The press release also stated the workshop will teach participants many aspects of water recreation, including how to manage land resources, liability and legal considerations and marketing and business management.

“Communities throughout the United States that have developed paddling trails have witnessed economic and social impacts,” Hatch said. “Economically, paddling trails help diversify the economy by offering landowners more options for their land use.”

The workshop will include morning classroom sessions and an afternoon trip on the first day to Monterey Delta, a 4,000-acre farm with Bayou Cocodrie running through it. Participants will learn about plant life, waterfowl, crawfishing, birding and pond management.

The second afternoon at the workshop wil include an optional field trip on the Mississippi River with Quapaw Canoe Co. river guide and canoe builder John Ruskey.

“We are going to start at Old River above Vidalia and come out in the main channel and float past the Natchez Bluff until we wind up under the bridge on the Vidalia side,” Ruskey said.

Ruskey founded Quapaw in 1998, and said his paddling business has seen steady success over the years.

“We have had our good years and bad years, but the last five years we have seen pretty consistent growth,” he said. “We have as many bookings this summer and spring than we ever have.”

Ruskey said areas like the Miss-Lou need to take advantage of their resources as much as they can, and water recreation is one area that tends to get overlooked.

“Nature tourism is a very viable business,” he said. “More people want to get out and know their bodies of water, and more people are staying closer to home to do it.”

Ruskey also said paddling is an important tool for helping people understand the future of area bodies of water.

“If no one paddles on the rivers, it will become more and more of an industrial corridor,” he said. “If we don’t recognize their value for a place of outdoor recreation, we will lose it completely.”

Registration for the workshop has already begun, and anyone wanting to attend can do so by going to www.lsuagcenter.com

The workshop is $50 for one day and $75 for both. The optional canoe trip with Ruskey is an additional $25.