Carrying the Torch - One year as Cuyahoga River AOC's Champion of the River

This Thursday our “reign” as Cuyahoga River AOC’s champion of the river comes to an end as a new champion will be recognized. We were honored to be recognized last November and we’re proud to have carried the river champion baton from 2023 champion Argonaut and hand it off to 2025 Champion the City of Cuyahoga Falls.

Yesterday’s Bedrock & Cleveland Cavaliers Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center ground-breaking event gave Share the River executive director Jim Ridge a moment to reflect. “It’s wonderful how a natural resource a city turned its back on is now being considered as a place people want to use as its front porch.'“ “Bedrock and the Cavs embrace of a revitalized natural resource like the Cuyahoga River is heartening and it’s sobering to consider some of us may be gone before the 15-20 years it will take to complete the $3.5 billion, 35-acre riverfront development project”.

Bedrock Riverfront Development Promotional Video (click image to play)

2024 proved challenging for Share the River as our original plans to schedule Blazing Paddles Paddlefest in June to avoid conflicting with the July Pan American Masters Games were thwarted when a heat dome descended upon northeast Ohio. The resulting blazing temperatures forced us to postpone our June 22 paddle. We were reminded of the wisdom of Rham Emmanuel’s quote. “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that [is] it’s an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.” In the wake of a thinly sourced article many stakeholders and event partners expressed confidence in Share the River’s vision and mission and we eventually charted a course that provided a make-up date for Blazing Paddles Paddlefest on the final weekend of summer. Our loyal paddlers were rewarded with a picture-perfect sunny day.

That image reminds us of another small win this summer when, ahead of his The City Club of Cleveland State of the Great Lakes Forum, Jeff Opperman, World Wildlife Fund’s Global Freshwater Lead Scientist, reached out to us, asking if we could provide Jeff an image he had seen of Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River. We like Jeff’s taste as Ken Busch’s capture of the 2019 Blazing Paddles Paddlefest preserved a narrative-changing moment of Cleveland’s hard-working river. We smiled when a room full of City Club forum attendees saw Cleveland’s waterfront brand reframed in one image.

We’ve always appreciated the duality of homonyms and the word recreate strikes us. When folks recreate on the Cuyahoga River they also recreate a narrative from the literal ashes of history. National Public Radio’s recent story on the Cuyahoga River’s comeback was a pep-talk for that evolution.

Which brings us to Cuyahoga River AOC’s beach clean-up and BUI removal celebration tomorrow (Thursday, October 17) at the Edgewater Beach House. Established in 1987, Cuyahoga River AOC’s restoration plan and actions are geared toward removal or remediation of Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) that either restrict uses of the waterways and Lake Erie (like not being able to swim at beaches) or present obstacles to healthy fish populations (like dams or lack of habitat) or degrade water quality. Tomorrow, a BUI comes off (Beach Closings / Recreational Contact The ability to safely use the beaches or have intimate contact with the water in the Area of Concern is primarily a matter of the levels of bacteria in the water) leaving four BUIs to be removed).

The actions of Cuyahoga River AOC provide organizations like Share the River the opportunity to promote the social, recreational and economic vibrancy of the comeback Cuyahoga River and we are grateful for their 2024 Champion of the River recognition. 2024 has been a great reminder that Share the River still has more work to do and that great opportunity awaits.

We’re pleased to pass the AOC’s Champion of the River torch to the City of Cuyahoga Falls. We smile at the talk we had at the Cuyahoga Falls Fest back in 2019 with Mayor Don Walters. Our interview has relevance today as Mayor Walters describes the potential removal of the 420-foot-wide, 60-foot-tall Gorge Dam. The removal process is now underway and scheduled to be completed in 2026. Mayor Walters is a tirelessly enthusiastic proponent of the Cuyahoga River’s importance to his community and the revitalized downtown Cuyahoga Falls.

We encourage you to be part of tomorrow’s Cuyahoga River AOC’s beach cleanup, BUI celebration and Champion of the River award. Registration is requested.

Earth Day - this is Cleveland's Cuyahoga River NOW!

Earth Day - this is Cleveland's Cuyahoga River NOW!

We do wish more journalists (and their editors) would flip the script and instead of looking back on the bad old days, they take a look at the ONE river in the world that can elegantly and directly speak to how far the ecological movement has come for a variety of reasons.

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Remembering Tommy Piros - by Edie Call

Remembering Tommy Piros - by Edie Call

For those who didn’t know him, Tommy was a kayaker. Not just any kayaker; an exceptionally talented whitewater kayaker, sponsored by Jackson Kayak. He loved running wild rivers and stout waterfalls, and he did it with his own unique style and grace. His whole family kayaks, and they’re all really, REALLY good. Tommy started paddling before he was out of diapers. The guy basically grew up on the water and he was always up for an adventure.

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Happy 53rd Anniversary Earth Day! Blazing Paddles Paddlefest is the photo-op for the comeback Cuyahoga River

Happy 53rd Anniversary Earth Day! Blazing Paddles Paddlefest is the photo-op for the comeback Cuyahoga River

For several years we used to recognize Earth Day by prowling the Cuyahoga River shoreline, in an effort to show still images and video of how the comeback Cuyahoga River looked and felt now - as opposed to pulling up five decade-old images from the bad ol’ days at the dawn of Earth Day.

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Blazing Paddles Paddlefest thoughts at Brite Winter 2023

Blazing Paddles Paddlefest thoughts at Brite Winter 2023

As we finalize planning for our Fifth Annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest on July 21-22, 2023 we’re VERY curious about what you’d like us to provide (remember, “a vision without resources is a hallucination” and YES, sponsorship and organization partner opportunities are available) so our rapidly growing Cleveland waterfront event sustainably and properly represents Cleveland’s cool summer vibe that Brite Winter does so well in winter.

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Register for Blazing Paddles Paddlefest for a chance at winning two free tickets for “The Erie Situation” at Cleveland International Film Festival

Register for Blazing Paddles Paddlefest for a chance at winning two free tickets for “The Erie Situation” at Cleveland International Film Festival

Share the River will select two Blazing Paddles Paddlefest registrants at 9 am on Saturday morning, April 2, 2022 to receive two sets of tickets to “The Erie Situation”. at the Cleveland International Film Festival. at Playhouse Square. Winners can choose to attend either the world debut of “The Erie Situation” on Sunday, April 3, 2022 at 7:25 p.m. or the second showing on Monday, April 4, 2022 at 4:50 p.m. Tickets will be e-mailed to the winners.

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On a cold and blustery spring day, you sure could use a Blazing Paddles stoke vid, right?!

On a cold and blustery spring day, you sure could use a Blazing Paddles stoke vid, right?!

Dunno ‘bout where you live but here on the north coast of Ohio we were treated to freezing temperatures, snow flurries, and big gusty winds today. In other words, it’s spring in name only! But calmer days and warmer temps are not far away! We figured today was a good day to drop the 2022 Blazing Paddles Paddlfest stoke video to boost your paddling spirits!

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One Week After the 3rd Annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest

One Week After the 3rd Annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest

One week ago on what some are calling a history-making day on Cleveland’s hard-working, scenic, and historic Cuyahoga River, many of you were part of the 3rd Annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest. During a short vacation (and an exhilarating whitewater rafting trip down the Cheat Narrows) in Dryfork, WV we’ve had a chance to reflect on what transpired on that amazing Saturday morning and we wanted to share a few thoughts. And some background.

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3rd Annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest from Ground Level

3rd Annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest from Ground Level

Today is a variation on our weekly "Slow River" where we share ground level video with natural sound from yesterday’s AMAZING Blazing Paddles Paddlefest on Cleveland’s hard-working, historic, and scenic Cuyahoga River. Many thanks to our tireless volunteers, sponsors, Cuyahoga River industrial stakeholders, partner organizations, kayak rental livery partners, and yes, you, our Blazing Paddles paddlers!

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Ralph the Rooster Rescued by Cuyahoga River Kayaker

Ralph the Rooster Rescued by Cuyahoga River Kayaker

Hannah Ross Smith was kayaking on the Cuyahoga River near the Carter Rd. Bridge last night when she came across some exotic wildlife. No it wasn’t a Blue Heron, peregrine falcon, or a beaver. It was a rooster. A salmon faverolle rooster to be exact. One can easily imagine the rooster channeling Talking Heads’ Once in a Lifetime’s classic lyric “Well, how did I get here?!”.

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Slow River: Blazing Paddles Paddlefest Sights on the Cuyahoga River

Slow River: Blazing Paddles Paddlefest Sights on the Cuyahoga River

This week’s Slow River is a journey up a glassy Cuyahoga River on a brilliant morning in Cleveland. In addition to the tour of bridges that any trip up the river provides, it’s a reminder of the scenic beauty of Cleveland’s hard-working river.

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Front Porch Lights at Cuyahoga River Rally at Hart Crane Park

Front Porch Lights at Cuyahoga River Rally at Hart Crane Park

Cleveland’s Front Porch Lights wrapped a day of activities at Hart Crane Park and on the Cuyahoga River during Canalway Partners’ Cuyahoga River Rally. After a cloudy day interspersed with rain, figured the sun would finally pop out toward the end of the day…

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Announcement on Blazing Paddles Return to the Comeback Cuyahoga River on July 24

Announcement on Blazing Paddles Return to the Comeback Cuyahoga River on July 24

Share the River’s founder, Jim Ridge, announces the 3rd Annual Blazing Paddles will return to Cleveland’s comeback Cuyahoga River on Saturday, July 24, 2021! Registration opens at 6 p.m. tonight!

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