State makes it official, designates Portage River Water Trail
OAK HARBOR — Whether it's exploring Oak Harbor's shoreline, paddling through Woodville or wandering all the way to downtown Port Clinton, the new Portage River Water Trail offers plenty of opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore the river at a casual pace.
State and local officials converged at Oak Harbor's Interurban Overlook Tuesday to celebrate the trail's official designation as one of the state's 17 water trails.
Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, delivered the official designation, with spectators at the event also encouraged to grab a paddle and float down the river on a kayak.
"The beauty of the water trail is it lays out the route for you," Mertz said at the Oak Harbor site, one of the trail's access points.
Water trail will help boost local economies
Mertz said the trail will also help promote the economy of all the cities and villages along the Portage River route, a 36-mile stretch that goes through Wood, Ottawa, and Sandusky counties.
She said since the water trail system started in Ohio in 2006, the number of canoe and kayak registrations has grown substantially, with more than 300,000 registered canoes and kayaks statewide.
Ottawa County Commissioner Mark Coppeler said the state was supposed to launch the trail, which includes 12 public access points in Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood counties, in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the launch, Coppeler said.
Oak Harbor Mayor Quinton Babcock said the trail plays into the village's waterfront improvements, as well as ODNR's emphasis on individual boating safety along waterways.
More than 1,000 miles in Ohio designated as water trails
"So they're not getting off at someone's backyard. They're accessing the river somewhere safe," Babcock said.
According to ODNR, this brings the total number of miles of designated water trails to more than 1,000.
Efforts to obtain a “state water trail” designation for the Portage River began in 2019.
With assistance from the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, stakeholders in the Portage River Watershed formed a partnership to work collaboratively on the project.
The partnership included the City of Port Clinton, the Friends of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, the Oak Harbor Development Group, ODNR, Ohio’s Lake Erie Shores and Islands, the Ohio Sea Grant, the Ottawa County Commissioners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Village of Elmore, Village of Oak Harbor, Village of Pemberville,Village of Woodville, and the Wood County Park District.
Ottawa County Commissioner Mark Stahl said everyone came together on the water trail project and did what was right for the region.
Trail may help attract more workers to area
Stahl said the trail offers additional recreational activities and helps promote the region, a key when all companies are looking for workers.
"We try to attract people to come work here," Stahl said.
Aimee Arent, executive director of Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, said there are two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service access points along the Portage River trail at the agency's Little Portage and Marinewood units.
Other access points in Sandusky and Ottawa counties include Woodville-Trail Marker Park, Harry Witty Memorial Park and Elmore-Riverbend Park in Elmore, the Ottawa County Fairgrounds, the state's Little Portage and Portage River State Wildlife Areas and Port Clinton's Lake Erie Beach Access.
dacarson@gannett.com
419-334-1046
Twitter: @DanielCarson7
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: ODNR designates Portage River Water Trail one of state's water trails
