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

Ahhh it’s been 54 years since the first Earth Day. You may participate in a beach clean-up, plant a tree or flowers, or any number of infinite ways to recognize and celebrate a time when concerns about environmental pollution led to a nationwide grassroots response in 1970.

Image by bill roverts (1964)

Many think-pieces will reference the relatively minor fire on the Cuyahoga River that received national attention (along with an erroneous photo) after Time Magazine ran a short but devastating piece.

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.

  • the value of common sense environmental regulations like the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA)

  • the positive impact of large remediation investments the public has made via EPA funding (i.e. community development following delisting of the Ashtabula AOC) that turned the Cuyahoga River from a river the city turned its back on into a place people want to use as their front porch.

  • How large investments in stormwater infrastructure have improved the river’s and Lake Erie’s health (looking at you Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District!)

  • the substantial catalytic impact a revitalized natural resource has had on the regional economy and quality of life for Cleveland's citizens and Ohio’s coastal communities.

We wish more journos and editors would show the Cuyahoga as it is used TODAY (as the images below show) and yes, our 6th Annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest is the PR event and photo-op reminder of the industrial strength fun paddlers can have on a revitalized natural resource that has been transformed from a pipeline for industrial waste into a conduit for tourism and recreation! That’s a great example of how environmental stewardship is good business!

Be part of our annual celebration of the comeback Cuyahoga River by registering for our June 22, 2024 Blazing Paddles Paddlefest today. Save $10 until April 27 by using the promo code EarthDayBPP. We WILL sell out so please register soon!

Blazing Paddles Paddlefest 2019 (Ken Busch)

blazing paddles paddlefest 2021 (ron skinner)

blazing paddles paddlefest (brett fisher)

blazing paddles paddlefest 2022 (drone ohio)

blazing paddles paddlefest (Tom Hart)

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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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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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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Happy Birthday Cleveland! Share the River's Photo Album for Our Ideastream Public Media Sound of Ideas Convo with Rick Jackson

Happy Birthday Cleveland! Share the River's Photo Album for Our Ideastream Public Media Sound of Ideas Convo with Rick Jackson

As fate would have it, our founder, Jim Ridge, will be on Ideastream Public Media/WCPN/The Sound of Ideas to talk with pro’s pro Rick Jackson about the July 24 Blazing Paddles Paddlefest at Rivergate Park/Cleveland Metroparks Merwin’s Wharf/Cleveland Rowing Foundation. But the convo will also touch upon Cleveland’s (and Cleveland’s waterfront) history! Jim will open the show from appx. 9:04 to 9:25 am. You can stream this morning’s interview here. Jim starts the show at the top of the hour.

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Cuyahoga River Clean-Up Ahead of the Cuyahoga Regatta

Cuyahoga River Clean-Up Ahead of the Cuyahoga Regatta

Yesterday afternoon Surfrider Foundation Northern Ohio Chapter organized a clean-up of the Cuyahoga River ahead of tomorrow’s Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta. (HOTC). Paddleboarders assisted by The Port of Cleveland’s Flotsam pulled floating debris from the river while others gathered trash from the banks of the river.

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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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It Took the Hapless Cleveland Browns to Provide A Much Needed Perspective on Lake Erie

It Took the Hapless Cleveland Browns to Provide A Much Needed Perspective on Lake Erie

But the Lake Erie PR pulse from last week's Browns announcement made us realize Lake Erie's ongoing challenges with algae blooms has tainted the public mindset to a point where a spoiled Lake Erie has finally eclipsed the Cuyahoga River as shorthand for out-of-towners to kick Cleveland in the shins

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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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Coffee Outside on the Cuyahoga River with Joy Machines Bicycle Shop

Coffee Outside on the Cuyahoga River with Joy Machines Bicycle Shop

Joy Machine's Bicycle Shop decide to host a pop-up event called simply enough "Coffee Outside" at the "spoon", Canalway Partners' name for the Scranton Flats pier jutting out over the river.

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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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