Nature-Based Recreation
The Nature-Based Recreation working group is dedicated to showcasing the Ohio River Basin's opportunities for world-class outdoor recreation and bolstering the region's economy by supporting these activities.
Basin-Wide Recreational Maps
In collaboration with the College of William and Mary, the Recreation Workgroup developed a Basin-wide map (coming soon) plus individual maps of rivers and streams for each congressional district in the ORB! These can serve as awareness tools that will allow volunteers to educate fellow constituents and inform and encourage representatives to acknowledge and attend district-specific events easily.
2026 ORB Awareness Campaign
#OhioRiverBasinProud
A paddler, birder or hiker on Tellico Creek in Eastern Tennessee, the ‘Allegany’ in Southwestern New York or the Flint River in northern Alabama really enjoy recreating in the Ohio River Basin … and probably don’t know it! The Recreation Workgroup has developed a simple, yet exciting plan to raise awareness in the Basin that citizens and visitors live, work and play in the Ohio River Basin! Visit the OhioRiverBasinProud webpage (coming soon) to learn how we will showcase recreation events across the basin with organizers who co-brand one or more events #OhioRiverBasinProud, and how to get involved. Contact Risa Shimoda, Recreation Workgroup Chair (executivedirector@river-management.net) for additional information regarding this uniquely strategic, fun campaign that will also make a difference!
Recreation in the Basin Provides
$83.4 billion
in annual consumer spending on outdoor recreation
757,000+
jobs in the Ohio River Basin directly provided by the outdoor recreation economy
$5.4 billion
in state and local tax revenue from the outdoor recreation sector
Recreation Workgroup Highlighted Strategic Actions
Workgroup Objectives
1) Grow the basin's outdoor recreation economy at a rate that exceeds the national average;
2) create a Basin-wide communication plan for recreation that encompasses recreation safety as well as the benefits to public health and quality of life.
Workgroup Leadership
If you'd like to join the Recreation workgroup, email the Chair.
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