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

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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)

Blazing Paddles Paddlefest thoughts at Brite Winter 2023

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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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Slow River Episode 10: The Frieghter Alpena Returns to Cleveland's Cuyahoga River for Winter Layup

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Slow River Episode 10: The Frieghter Alpena Returns to Cleveland's Cuyahoga River for Winter Layup

Local Great Lakes freighter fans were abuzz on a balmy first day of February when the classic freighter Alpena made its way from Lake Erie to its winter layup on the Cuyahoga River.

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25th Annual Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta Photo Galleries

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25th Annual Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta Photo Galleries

Cleveland Rowing Foundation’s 25th Annual Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta’s return on a splendid September day in Cleveland where over 1400 rowers in 441 shells from 50 clubs and 12 states competed on a 4,900-meter course on the Cuyahoga River!.

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Kids That Tri Cleveland Gets Kids Out for Open Water Swimming in Lake Erie Before Tri CLE Rock Roll Run Triathlon

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Kids That Tri Cleveland Gets Kids Out for Open Water Swimming in Lake Erie Before Tri CLE Rock Roll Run Triathlon

On a beautiful Sunday morning at Cleveland Metroparks Edgewater Beach, youngsters from the Kids That Tri Cleveland program took their first open water strokes in Lake Erie after a winter and spring of pool-only training. The swim was part of the broader Kids That Tri program, in partnership with the Parker Hannafin Downtown YMCA, that was created to provide a pathway for children of the Greater Cleveland area to learn how to swim, bike, and run and participate in a competitive triathlon.

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Ohio River Paddlefest Celebrates 20 Years of Paddling the Ohio

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Ohio River Paddlefest Celebrates 20 Years of Paddling the Ohio

Saturday’s 20th Annual Ohio River Paddlefest in Cincinnati, OH was a return to normalcy for almost 2,000 paddlers hungry for the opportunity to reconnect with each other and the Ohio River.

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3rd Annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest from Ground Level

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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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Slow River Episode 8: Sculler Shimmer on the Old Cuyahoga River Channel

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Slow River Episode 8: Sculler Shimmer on the Old Cuyahoga River Channel

This week’s Slow River episode is a short one. In September 2015 we had the pleasure of collaborating on an amazing project with visual storytellers Ben Harper and Christopher Cymbalak at Breakwall Media. The sunrise shimmer of the Cleveland skyline as the launch’s gentle wake made its way across the Cuyahoga’s old river channel was a thing of beauty.

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New York City's Shade Throw Shines a Light on Cleveland's H20 History

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New York City's Shade Throw Shines a Light on Cleveland's H20 History

It was the tweet that launched 4,100 replies and counting. We surmise on a late Friday afternoon heading into the Fourth of July weekend a young staffer was flipped the keys to the City of New York’s Twitter account and in a misguided attempt to throw literal shade at the City of Cleveland, they sparked a flurry of responses from proud Clevelanders and others.

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Electric Hydrofoil Surfboard is the Latest Narrative Changer for the Cuyahoga River

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Electric Hydrofoil Surfboard is the Latest Narrative Changer for the Cuyahoga River

On a breezy Tuesday afternoon we caught this gent having a great time on his electric hydrofoil surfboard. A quick check of the web show these boards can run upwards of $12k. Fliteboard out of Australia (go figure) seems to be a market leader. What will be the next thing?

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Day Three of Industrial Heartland & Cleveland Trails Summit: Euclid Waterfront Walkshop

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Day Three of Industrial Heartland & Cleveland Trails Summit: Euclid Waterfront Walkshop

Day three of the week-long Industrial Heartland & Cleveland Trails Summit featured an in-person tour of the Euclid Waterfront Improvement Project led by City of Euclid’s Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail, and Planning and Development Director Allison Lukacsy-Love.

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2019 Head of the Cuyahoga Photo Gallery

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2019 Head of the Cuyahoga Photo Gallery

The Cuyahoga River’s hard-working waterfront provided a great backdrop for Cleveland Rowing Foundation’s annual Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta, a 3.1 mile rowing race that drew close to 2,000 athletes to Cleveland on Saturday.

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A BIG Weekend for Cleveland's Waterfront (photos and video).

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A BIG Weekend for Cleveland's Waterfront (photos and video).

It seemed there was something going on along every piece of Cleveland’s waterfront this past weekend with:

  • The Tall Ships Festival Parade of Sail kicking off affairs on Thursday afternoon.

  • An open water swim at Edgewater Park hosted by North Coast Multisports that served as a tune-up for the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships returning to Cleveland August 9-10.

  • An SUP Yoga session with SUP CLE at Wendy Park.

  • A birds-eye view of recreational kayaks interacting with the freighter Sam Laud as it transited the lower Cuyahoga River (more on that in a future post).

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The 2019 Blazing Paddles Paddlefest Blazes a New Cuyahoga River Narrative

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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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Here Comes the Ramble and Blazing Paddles, Celebrating How Far the Cuyahoga River Has Come Since 1969

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Here Comes the Ramble and Blazing Paddles, Celebrating How Far the Cuyahoga River Has Come Since 1969

s there a better way to celebrate how far the Cuyahoga River (and Cleveland) has come since the June 22, 1969 fire than a run/walk of the Cuyahoga River trails followed by GREAT music and Fat Head's Brewery beer?

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The Faces and Voices of RiverSweep

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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

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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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St. Patrick's Day along the Cuyahoga River Waterfront

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St. Patrick's Day along the Cuyahoga River Waterfront

After the Cleveland St. Patrick's Day Parade we took a quick swing along the Cuyahoga River to see what the post-parade scene was like.

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What We're Listening for During Tonight's State of the Union (hint: H2O Infrastructure)

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What We're Listening for During Tonight's State of the Union (hint: H2O Infrastructure)

One of our favorite sub-topics of interest falls under the relatively wonky heading "infrastructure", with a specific focus on: 1) public water/wastewater infrastructure and 2) waterfront infrastructure related to commercial port operations.

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