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Old 08-18-2012, 06:14 PM   #1
rayn
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Default Water-trail ceremony makes a splash on Mahoning

http://www.vindy.com/news/2012/aug/1...n-m/?newswatch

Water-trail ceremony makes a splash on Mahoning

Published: Sat, August 18, 2012 @ 12:10 a.m.

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

BRACEVILLE

In Ohio, hand-powered watercraft such as canoes and kayaks are the fastest-growing segment of the boating industry, in part because they are so affordable, Ohio Division of Watercraft officials said Friday.

?From 2001 through 2011, we?ve had about a 110 percent increase in the number of registrations,? said Rodger M. Norcross, chief of the Division of Watercraft, Ohio Department of Natural Resources. ?They make up 23 percent of all boating registrations.?

Norcross was a speaker during the dedication ceremony at Thomas A. Swift MetroPark on Benedict Leavittsburg Road for the Mahoning River Water Trail ? a 23-mile section of the river from Newton Township to Packard Park in Warren.

ODNR?s designating the area a water trail ? Ohio?s ninth ? makes the river more accessible to canoeing and kayaking enthusiasts through signs, a river-trail map and promotion in statewide publications, Norcross said.

The designation will increase the number of visitors to the community, which can give a boost to local commerce such as hotels and companies selling supplies, Norcross noted.

Zach Svette, projects coordinator for the Trumbull County MetroParks, which received a $16,300 ODNR grant in February to produce the maps and signs and applied for the water-trail designation, said Friday?s ceremony was a milestone in a more than 30-year process.

Trumbull County officials first promoted the water-trail concept in about 1980, but the county?s planning commission gave the idea a further boost in 2009 when it included the idea in its master plan, Svette said.

As early as 1975, a group called Trumbull Canoe Trails was advocating use of the Mahoning River and other waters for canoeing.

The water-trail designation has helped inject additional interest into the idea, said Mike Danko, the group?s president.

Danko said he and many of 70 members of Trumbull Canoe Trails use the Mahoning River Water Trail and have helped remove trees and other debris to make it navigable. The club plans to continue to keep debris out of the river in the future, Danko said.

When asked whether the Mahoning River Water Trail has started to catch on, Danko said word ?has started to get out, but people are having a tough time getting past the perception that the river is dirty.?

Danko said he frequently travels down the river in groups of 20 to 30 people.

?We?ll jump out and swim and play around and have not had any problems,? he said. ?It?s a lot cleaner than people think. The fact that you can find bald eagles on the Mahoning speaks volumes how clean the river is.?

The most recent Mahoning River study done by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency gives mixed results regarding water quality in the part of the river trail from Foster Park near the Mahoning County line to Canoe City MetroPark in Leavittsburg.

The areas tested closest to Warren show noncompliance with EPA goals for water quality in relation to its ability to sustain aquatic life. It showed similar problems in and near Newton Falls but better results ? some full and partial compliance ? between Newton Falls and Warren.

The study showed that a testing area in the southernmost part of the water trail close to Lake Milton met full recreational water-quality goals, but testing locations near Warren and Newton Falls did not meet recreational water-quality goals.

A water-quality study for Warren and downstream is planned for 2013.

Danko said it appears many people want to get into kayaking but aren?t sure where to enjoy the sport.

When he sees people kayaking at Mosquito Lake, he tells them to try the 3.1-mile part of the water trail between Thomas A Swift MetroPark, which is near the LaBrae Athletic Club complex on state Route 82, and Canoe City MetroPark in Leavittsburg.

Bill Staiger, Northern Region Manager of the Division of Watercraft, said he thinks canoeing and kayaking are growing in popularity because of the low cost and because of the huge interest in kayak fishing around the world.

A kayak or canoe needs to be registered through the ODNR at a cost of $20 to $25, Staiger said. It?s possible to register a boat at some kayak dealers or check the ODNR website at www.ohiodnr.com/watercraft.
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