KAYAK CHALLENGE
What is the value of the Ohio River? Historically, the river was heavily used for transportation and recreation. How can we stretch this value? Can we incorporate community, education, and health in its worth? Can we design destinations along the river that enrich this overlooked waterway and attract not only locals but countless tourists? This topic of sustainable tourism along the Ohio River- a 981 mile stretch from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Paducah, Kentucky- is our objective this semester.
A group currently addressing this topic is The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Foundation- established in 1990 to protect wildlife native to the river. Their aim to increase interaction and tourism along the river led to the creation of The Kayak Challenge, a recreation trail covering 362 miles and 22 refuge islands along the Ohio. The challenge is to visit 20 of the Refuge Islands and take a selfie with the posted island sign near each landing point. Given the extent of the river, this c