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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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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The 2019 Blazing Paddles Paddlefest Blazes a New Cuyahoga River Narrative

The 2019 Blazing Paddles Paddlefest Blazes a New Cuyahoga River Narrative

A new narrative for Cleveland was blazed as 250 paddlers on kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes took part in a historic celebration on the Cuyahoga River, 50 years to the day since the 1969 fire ignited the environmental movement.

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Our Look at the Epic Ohio River Paddlefest as We Plan for an Expanded Blazing Paddles on the Cuyahoga River

Our Look at the Epic Ohio River Paddlefest as We Plan for an Expanded Blazing Paddles on the Cuyahoga River

Last September we headed to the Sustainable Cleveland Summit where we shared with attendees our experience of hosting Blazing Paddles on June 23, 2018, one year before the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire. If you’re not familiar with the fun that happened at Blazing Paddles this year, check out our blog post Blazing Paddles Paddleboard Race Stokes the Cuyahoga River.

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Here comes the Cuyahoga River Water Trail Open House at Merwin's Wharf!

Here comes the Cuyahoga River Water Trail Open House at Merwin's Wharf!

After a recent Open House, ODNR’s Tom Arbour reflected on the unique nature of the Cuyahoga River. “What’s amazing about the Cuyahoga River are the diverse paddling experiences it offers. From the calm, forested headwaters, to the raging rapids in the gorge and ending at its mouth at Lake Erie with amazing views of the Cleveland skyline, the Cuyahoga River has something to offer for every recreational paddler.”

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The Faces and Voices of RiverSweep

The Faces and Voices of RiverSweep

Saturday's RiverSweep saw over 700 volunteers fan out across the Cuyahoga River corridor to be part of what Canalway Partners calls "Ohio's largest done-in-a day clean-up". Individuals, students, and organizations descended upon 9 clean-up sites in the Cuyahoga River watershed and after three hours of effort, headed to Hart Crane Park for Sainato's pizza and music. 

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Martin Luther King Jr.'s Impact on the Cuyahoga River

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Impact on the Cuyahoga River

Today our nation remembers, commemorates, and celebrates the birth of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and we're reminded of King's impact on something he may not be widely recognized for: the rebirth of the Cuyahoga River.

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Things We're Thankful For

Things We're Thankful For

Thanksgiving provides a wonderful time for family and friends to gather and celebrate a modern "harvest" together. It's also a time that allows people the opportunity to consider the many things we have to be thankful for. In that spirit, we wanted to reflect on the many things (in no particular order) we're thankful for with regards to Cleveland's waterfront.

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Critical YAK on the Cuyahoga River

Critical YAK on the Cuyahoga River

Last Friday we caught up with the inaugural Critical YAK, an informal aquatic gathering where kayakers put in at Cleveland Metroparks' Merwin's Wharf dock, paddled 1.7 miles down the Cuyahoga River out to Lake Erie, hung a left and beached at Wendy Park for some fun at Whiskey Island Still and Eatery before returning to Merwin's Wharf.

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Burning River Ramble Wrap and Thank You

Burning River Ramble Wrap and Thank You

One week ago today something magical happened along the banks of the Cuyahoga River and we feel compelled to provide a wrap that's one part thank you and one part Greater Cleveland pep-talk

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Today is River Day!

Today is River Day!

Today is Cuyahoga River Restoration's River Day, where 29 different events and activities give you an opportunity to spend some time along the Cuyahoga River and its system of wetlands, tributaries and, of course, Lake Erie, where the river flows into

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