Ohio River Foundation

ORF would like to thank the volunteers who make this event possible!

The expedition leading the way for the expedition

from the Ledger Independent Online

By Marla Toncray, Staff Writer

As the 2003 Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Expedition continues to make its way down the Ohio River, another group of river pioneers moves ahead of the re-enactors in sea-kayaks rather than canoes.

Beginning Saturday, September 20 five members of the Ohio River Foundation will travel ahead of the Lewis and Clark expedition, making stops in each of the designated towns, conducting educational workshops on the ecology of the Ohio River.

Their expedition, the Great Ohio River Paddle, is a recreational and educational event intended to raise awareness about the importance of the Ohio River ecology.

The eight days of Great Ohio River Program will begin in Portsmouth, Ohio and end in Rising Sun, Indiana on September 27.

Since this is the first year for the GORP, organizers kept the event to eight days, as a "dry run" so to speak. Eventually the foundation plans to travel all 981 miles of the Ohio River, which would take approximately 60 days.

The core group of five paddlers, called through-paddlers, is a mix of university professors and college students specializing in the ecology field.

The through-paddlers will stop each day at pre-arranged sites along the way.

Groups of day paddlers (limited to 50 per day) will join the group at some of these sites and continue down-river with the through paddlers for the day. Day paddlers can expect five to six hours of paddling each day, with an average of 17 miles per day traveled.

Day paddlers must provide their own kayak or canoe, gear and transportation between the launch site and stopping point.

On Saturday September 20, the paddlers will stop in Vanceburg, after traveling 22 miles from Portsmouth, Ohio.

After dinner, which is being hosted by the Vanceburg Volunteer Fire Department, the group will present a workshop on Ohio River Ecology at the Veteran's Memorial Park in downtown Vanceburg around 7:00 p.m.

The group will camp on the bank of the river at each designated stop.

"Each paddler is required to provide their own transportation and camping equipment for the event," said Ohio River Foundation Executive Director Rich Cogen.

From Vanceburg, the group will make stops at Manchester, Ohio, Maysville and Ripley, Ohio.

On Monday, GORP members will conduct two educational workshops with students from Manchester High School and Woolard Elementary School.

Each workshop will last one hour and 45 minutes, giving students the chance to "get their hands wet" and take a closer look at life in the waters of the river.

"We will cast nets into the water, hopefully bringing up specimens for the students to get a look at. We will also look at tissues under the microscope and dissect some specimens," Cogen said.

Topics of discussion with students will be the river's food chain; how plankton provides a food source, bottom dwellers and surface feeders of the river.

Students will also get a quick course in water quality testing.

If time permits, riverbank erosion, plant life and how water levels impact the riverbank will also be discussed.

Cogan said the foundation also provides educational and scientific resources to support citizen and community involvement in Ohio River development activities and governmental issues.

"So many of our river towns are dependent upon recreational and tourism activities for community growth, improving the health of the river is becoming more important," said Cogan.

Cogan, who is a former environmental attorney for the City of Cincinnati, along with several others founded the Ohio River Foundation in April 2000.

Since it's start in 2000, the foundation has grown considerably, expanding into education and recreational projects, with a mission to protect and restore the water quality and ecology of the Ohio River and its tributaries for the health and enjoyment of present and future generations.

The Ohio River watershed waterways are sources of drinking water, places of recreation and commerce, and centers of wildlife habitat.

Approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population lives in the Ohio River watershed area.

For more information about the Great Ohio River Paddle or Ohio River Foundation, go to www.ohioriverfdn.org.

Contact Marla Toncray at marla.toncray@lee.net

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