The
Ohio River is a major
part
of many of our daily lives. Maybe
you cross the river to get to work each day, perhaps your house boasts a view of the river, you might meet up with friends at Newport on the
Levee or The Banks, or you could enjoy boating along the river during a sunny day. While
many of us may look
to the Ohio River for recreational purposes,
the Ohio River Foundation is working to ensure that the river itself
is
taken
care of properly.
The
Ohio River Foundation (ORF),
a non-profit organization, was formed in 2000 to protect and restore
the river's water quality, and to also offer education programs. I
recently spoke with Fort Thomas native and
Highlands High School alum
Sara Luse about her involvement with ORF. Luse
serves as a River Explorer Educator and is also responsible for the
group's Social Engagement. “My
biology advisor and professor from NKU, Dr. Miriam Kannan, told me
about the Ohio River Foundation. She was one of the board members for
the organization. The River Explorer educator position was very
appealing to me since my area of concentration in college was in
aquatic biology and I always had the desire to teach,” said Luse.
According
to ORF's website, the organization focuses on these main goals:
- Promotes equal consideration of environmental protection and economic factors in watershed management
- Fosters river stewardship through education and collaboration
- Works with scientists and governmental agencies to protect and improve water quality
- Provides access to resources to support citizen involvement in Ohio River development activities and governmental initiatives
- Promotes increased opportunities for river restoration
- Encourages environmentally friendly alternatives to polluting businesses and business practices
ORF relies on six board members, approximately 14 staff members, and a large collection of members and volunteers to help work to accomplish the organization's main objectives.
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Sara Luse (left) with members of the Ohio River Foundation |
The
Ohio River is more than just a dividing line between Kentucky and
Ohio, but
also serves many purposes for the area as a whole. “Not
only is the river our source of drinking water, it is a place for
recreation, wildlife habitat, and commerce,” said Luse. “The
ORF’s main goal is 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 health of the river
and its tributaries directly affects the quality of life for everyone
living in that watershed.” With approximately 25 million people
live in the Ohio River Basin, in which 5 million of those people rely
on the Ohio River for their main source of drinking water, it's easy
to see why the members of the ORF take their jobs seriously.
The
River Explorer program was created to help educate local school
children about the river, and how it impacts the area as a whole. The
program has grown in popularity since it was first offered. “More
than 20,000 students from over 40 different schools have participated
in the River Explorer program since it began in 2005,” said
Luse. “Also,
ORF is growing! We just had our first River Explorer up in Columbus,
which is very exciting for us!”
The
River Explorer program is an all-day event, which allows students to
get hands-on experience in the water. A
typical day for students participating in the River Explorer program
begins with the ORF leader discussing the plans for the day and
briefing the students on safety information. The students are then
broken up into small groups in order to rotate through different
learning stations. The learning stations include River Chemistry,
Fishing and Seining, Freshwater Macrovertebrates, and Water Cycle and
Conservation.
![]() |
Local students participate in the River Explorer program. |
In
addition to ORF's educational programming, the organization boasts
important
restoration
and advocacy programs. The Dam/Barrier Removal & Habitat
Restoration program works to clear
out any obstructions in the area that could cause issues with the
water flow, which
could lead to problems within the ecosystem. “Dams
have greatly changed the flow of the river, creating a series of very
slow moving pools rather than a free flowing river. They have also
altered the habitat for many river organisms, preventing fish and
other organisms from moving up and down the river in the natural
cycles,” said
Luse. Additionally, the Youth Conservation Team (YCT) was developed
to provide an opportunity for high school students to gain experience
with restoration
and
conservation work. “This
is a stewardship program that employs high school students to do
on-the-ground conservation work during the summer. The overall goal
of these projects are to reduce erosion and run-off in the targeted
sub-watershed,” said
Luse.
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ORF members work to remove parts of West Milton Dam |
According
to ORF's website, “The
Ohio River is now the worst toxic water dump in the U.S.” Remember
that
fact stated earlier about how 5 million people in the Greater
Cincinnati area get their drinking water from the Ohio River? Well,
there's a good chance that the glass of water you just drank came
from the Ohio River. The same Ohio River that has been labeled as a
toxic water dump. Luckily for us, ORF is actively working to make
changes that will have a positive impact on your daily life. The
group's Protect the Water campaign is
focused on improving our water quality. ORF's website states that
“under the auspices of the Protect Our Water campaign ORF is now
conducting an independent investigation to identify polluters
threatening our waterways and drinking water supplies, and force
compliance with the law.”
Not
only has ORF provided educational outlets for our area's youth, but
it has also become the leading force in the
Ohio River's conservation
and restoration. The
group has
no plans of slowing down in the near future, and are celebrating their 15th anniversary. They are currently
expanding the River Explorer programs to include the Columbus, Ohio
area, and preparing for the 2015 Youth Conservation Team to kick off
this summer. In
addition to their education programs, ORF
is continually working on their restoration and conservation
projects. They will soon
be
finishing
their work
on Stillwater River, and continuing to
work on Beaver Creek in Kentucky.
According to Luse, ORF will also be
“applying for grants to help restore
our rivers back to their original free-flowing form.”
If
you are interested in becoming involved in ORF, there are a couple of
options for you.
You can sign up on their website to become a member and receive their
newsletter, you can like them on Facebook in order to catch up on
upcoming events and up-to-the-minute news regarding restoration
projects, and you can follow the group on Instagram. ORF has lots of
opportunities for volunteers, so be sure to check out their list of
upcoming events and fundraisers if you're interested in being
involved with the organization.
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