Cooperative Living July 2021 - 25

Co-opPrinciples | by Andrew Vehorn, Contributing Columnist
Members
control their
ReSURGEnce!
Coming out of the pandemic, your vote, in
campaigns or cooperatives, remains essential
H
enry Ford once said, " What is right about America is
that although we have a mess of problems, we have
a great capacity - intellect and resources - to do
something about them. " This will be witnessed firsthand
when states of emergency, mask orders and capacity
restrictions are lifted. With the proliferation of
vaccines to address the COVID-19 pandemic, we have
seen America begin to reemerge from the lost year of
2020. Schools are preparing to open to students,
hotels and restaurants are welcoming customers and
a chorus of joyful noises can again be heard in houses
of worship across Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
So much changed in 2020 - from how we shop for
groceries to how we vote. Regardless of whether you voted,
or if you voted in person or remotely, you'll have that
opportunity again in 2021. As a member of a cooperative,
you have the opportunity to vote every year for the directors
of your cooperative. In Virginia you'll have another
opportunity to vote because it's also an election year. We
Windsor Castle Park in Smithfield
offers 3.8 miles of trails where you and
your dogs can walk prior to launching
your SUP on the Cypress Creek and
Pagan River. There is also a dog park
where your dogs can run, play and
socialize. As you paddle along the creek
and river, enjoy the antics of fiddler
crabs scuttling along the muddy flats,
and the calls of osprey nesting along
your route. Advisories posted at the
launch warn against swimming, as
the tidal waters remain fairly cold.
Don't have your own SUP yet? Not
a problem; rent one by the hour
right at the launch.
Tredegar, Brown's Island and
Belle Isle in Richmond offer flatwater
paddling on the James River, as well
as SUP rentals. While the river current
can't be discounted, after roaring over
rapids at Belle Isle, the water flattens
out in a wide, calm pool perfect for
paddling and swimming. This small
area offers various places to park your
SUP and explore by foot, including a
co-opliving.com
business by deciding
how it's run and
who leads it.
will be electing a governor, lieutenant governor and attorney
general, as well as the entire 100-seat House of Delegates.
Because of the Second Cooperative Principle, Democratic
Member Control, cooperatives take very seriously our
members' right to participate in their cooperative
and their government. As we emerge from our homes
this summer, we will do so at the height of annual
meeting season and campaign season. So, while you
begin to contemplate how you will exercise your
democratic member control, it is important to always
remember that participation in your co-op and your
democracy is a right, a privilege and a responsibility.
As we put this pandemic behind us, we will begin to meet
the new challenges of a changing world. And just as we have
throughout our history, cooperative members will pool our
intellect and resources to solve them. 
Andrew Vehorn is vice president ofmember and public affairsfor the
Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives.
small island with a rope swing; several
small, sandy beaches along Belle Isle;
and the historic island of Belle Isle
itself. When you finish paddling,
swimming and hiking, grab a bite
f the many nearby restaurants in
While no SUP ent
swimming and hiking, grab
eeat on the dog-friendly pati
Shockoe Bottom.
While no SUP rentals are available
aat Robious Landing in
t Robious Landing in Midlothian,
tthis park along the Jame
his park along the James River is a
dog-lover' (and dog's) pa
ooffering good swimming co
beaches along the river to stop and
p
dog-lover's (and dog's) paradise,
ffering good swimming conditions,
beaches along the river to st
play, and trails to walk before
lay, and trails to walk before or after
or after
your paddle. There is also a dock where
your dogs can enjoy dock jumping.
Conveniences nearby include
veterinary clinics, pet stores,
restaurants and gas stations. The area's
proximity to a boat club increases the
likelihood that you will encounter fastmoving,
motorized watercraft, but the
width of the river here allows it to
remain popular with rowers, kayakers
and stand-up paddleboarders alike.
July 2021 | Cooperative Living | 23
bite to
at on the dog-friendly patio of one
oof the many nearby
Shell Landing in Reedville provides
Shell Landing
a no-frills
Padd
no-frills launch along Cockrell Creek.
Paddlers can admire herons, egrets,
cormorants, gulls and ospreys, but
should beware of water moccasins.
The more adventurous can paddle
out into Ingram Bay and the Great
Wicomico River, while the hungry
can paddle roughly 2 miles on the
gry
les
ckrell'
nic
on the
and enjoy locally caught fare on the
picnic tables that line the dog-friendly
quiet creek to Cockrell's Creek Seafood
Creek Seafood
locally caught fare on the
tables that line the dog-friendly
waterfront lawn. 
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living July 2021

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