The Ohio River Way

We're hiring a Social Media Intern/Fellow who's passionate about outdoor adventure and paddling! Deadline to apply: January 31st, 2025 https://lnkd.in/ghuPuhM9

We're so excited for the 2024 Ohio River Way Summit on September 11-12, hosted by the beautiful river town of Maysville, KY! Known for its rich history and scenic views, Maysville is the perfect backdrop for this year’s gathering. We have over 100 communities from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and beyond coming together to network and share ideas. We’re looking forward to working collaboratively to promote the Ohio River for recreation, tourism, and economic development. We’d love to have you join us! Sign up before ticket prices increase on September 3rd. https://lnkd.in/gCq3Jxwq

The 2024 Ohio River Way Challenge is about to kickoff! Raising awareness for adventure on the river, we'll be departing June 2 from Portsmouth, Ohio, and paddling 250 miles until we arrive in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 11. We'll also have three events open to members of the press and public. Please just RSVP to [email protected] if you plan to join. - Portsmouth, OH: At 8:30am on Sunday, June 2, as part of the inaugural P'Town Float, members of the press and the public can meet us at Portsmouth's Alexandria Point Park as we launch our paddle to Louisville. The Mayor of Portsmouth and other community leaders will be joining us for the send off. Slow Drip Coffee and Sunshine catering will offer breakfast items and coffee. - Cincinnati, OH: At 12pm on Thursday, June 6, we'll have a press conference at the Ohio River Launch Club. We will be joined by Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, City Councilmember Mark Jeffreys and representatives from a number of organizations promoting trails to celebrate National Trails Week and the Ohio River Way's work to have the National Park Service designate our stretch of the Ohio River as a National Water Trail. - Louisville, KY: At 2pm on Tuesday, June 11, we'll host a press conference and celebration of our arrival in Louisville at Goodbounce Pickleball Yard in Waterfront Park. Having spent 10 days on the water, our paddlers will have fresh insight into how the river is a national destination for outdoor adventure. We look forward to hosting elected officials here. Once we’re underway, welcome to live track our expedition here: https://lnkd.in/evVhp4WD To learn more, take a look at our release below: https://lnkd.in/ez-pyKCU

HUGE news from Ohio this week! Gov. DeWine announced investments totaling $152 million for "Ohio's Wonderful Waterfronts Initiative." This funding will bring transformative change to 17 waterfronts throughout Ohio's Appalachian "Southern Coast" with investments such as in parks, access points to the water, connections between local Main Streets and the river, and bike trails. Our team is proud to have been championing the new vision for our corridor that this funding is helping make a reality. We couldn't be more grateful to the countless individuals in communities along the Ohio who have bought into this vision, leading on making this happen. You can read more about this initiative in our press statement: https://lnkd.in/gS53BBjs

There's an inherent tension in the nature of rivers: They divide us and bring us together. Rivers form a quarter of the world's international borders, not to mention state borders like those formed by the Ohio. For efforts like ours, this impacts what funding opportunities are available. Furthermore, for some communities, there simply aren't bridges. At the same time, "Rivers are often arteries of gathering and connection, even across borders," explains Laurie Moberg in the latest issue of Open Rivers: Rethinking Water, Place & Community. Along the Ohio River Way, we see this in how folks are coming together around our shared beauty, history, and culture. Just last week, half-a-million people made their way to the river for Thunder Over Louisville. This tension is a core challenge and opportunity for our work. How do we work with varied communities, across state lines, towards a collective vision for our corridor? That starts with us being on the ground (and on the water) in river towns. This June, we'll be doing just that in the 2024 Ohio River Way Challenge, our 250-mile annual paddle. If you'd like to learn more, check out this month's newsletter from our team! ↓ https://lnkd.in/e6Yuvt87