Annual Cruise Celebrates Ohio River Watershed
by Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator
The Ohio River Watershed. It’s a place of beauty and a place of connections. With over three and a half million people residing in the Ohio River Watershed in Pennsylvania, our society, our history, and indeed our very existence, has become intimately entwined with the watershed. Like arteries reaching out to the furthest reaches of the body, the Ohio River Watershed continues to nuture and feed us…providing fuel for a nation.
The Ohio River is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From Pittsburgh, it flows northwest through Allegheny and Beaver Counties, before making an abrupt turn to the south-southwest at the West Virginia-Ohio-Pennsylvania triple state line. Thomas Jefferson once wrote about the river, “The Ohio is the most beautiful river on earth. Its current gentle, waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids…” But there’s more to the story than just a single body of water. It’s about the people and places that make up the watershed, our connections to it, and the efforts to restore it to a place of grandeur. It’s about celebrating our past and our future. It’s about the watershed.
On October 1st, you will have an opportunity to celebrate the grandeur, the beauty, and the importance of the Ohio River Watershed and the successes of those whose tireless efforts continue to bring life back to the rivers at The 2009 Port of Pittsburgh - Ohio River Watershed Celebration.
The Port of Pittsburgh - Ohio River Watershed Celebration’s annual cruise will cast off Thursday, October 1st from the Gateway Clipper docks at Station Square in downtown Pittsburgh. This year, the cruise will take place on the Monongahela River and with its theme, “The Ohio River Watershed - Fuel for a Nation” will focus on topics relating to energy efficiency and state-of-the-art innovations.
The cruise provides a forum for government, academia, and grassroots groups to discuss watershed priorities and water quality issues while offering cruise-goers a chance to learn more about the important role that our waterways continue to play in our daily lives. It’s an opportunity for guests to learn about river history, aquatic life, energy leadership, river recovery, river resources and improvements in the Ohio River Watershed. For anyone involved in watershed restoration or just curious about the watershed and watershed groups, this is a “must attend” event.
As was the case last year, two cruises will occur simultaneously, one for children on the Gateway Clipper’s Empress labeled, “The Imagination Cruise” and one for adults aboard the Majestic named, “The Networker Cruise”. Due to overwhelming popularity among school children, the “Imagination Cruise” is full. However, there is still room on the adults-only “Networker Cruise”. The cruise is free, however each passenger must register. You can register for the “Networker Cruise” at: http://www.streamrestorationinc.org/rsvp/