The birth of the Ohio River Chapter

Welcome number nine: Ohio River Chapter

In January 2022, the Miami Rivers Chapter met and discussed the proposal, at length to split the Chapter in two at. The topic was difficult as the Miami Rivers Chapter was the very first BTA Chapter created, founded in 2012 by Darryl Smith. The primary reason for splitting the Chapter was the fact that it included two major population centers—Dayton and Cincinnati—which are generally perceived as being culturally divided, two separate communities. A Miami Rivers Chapter event in Cincinnati typically would not have Dayton members attending, and an event in Dayton would typically not have Cincinnati members attending. The point where the Caesar Creek and Loveland Sections meet is equidistant between Dayton and Cincinnati, deeming it the best place to make the split. Thus, the Troy and Caesar Creek Sections would remain with the Miami Rivers Chapter, and the Loveland and Williamsburg Sections would become part of the new Ohio River Chapter.

A survey leads to a change for the Buckeye Trail Association

The proposed solution was to split the two population centers and hope that the then two separate Chapters would then gain more interest and volunteerism with their respective local area members. The proposal went to a vote in that meeting and the result was unanimous to create the split. Then after the January meeting, The Miami Rivers Chapter conducted an online survey for its members. The majority of Miami Rivers Chapter members voted in favor of the split. The proposal then went to the Chapter Leadership Committee, where it also received majority approval. On April 23rd, the BTA Board approved the measure, finally making the Ohio River Chapter official. Mark Heise has taken over as lead organizer for the Miami Rivers Chapter, while Matt Patterson is now the lead organizer for the Ohio River Chapter. In the weeks and months to come, Mark and Matt will make updates to Chapter social media venues as well as make contact with their Chapter area members. Both Chapters are seeking volunteers for various positions. If you are interested in learning how you could benefit the BTA at your local level, please contact them; Mark can be reached at miamirivers@buckeyetrail.org and Matt can be reached at ohioriver@buckeyetrail.org.

Regional highlights

One of the highlights of the Ohio River Chapter’s region is the view of the Ohio River at the southern terminus, but there are so many other locations to visit: Caesar Creek State Park, Fort Ancient Earthworks, Milford, Batavia, East Fork State Park and more. From the southern terminus, also continue across the Ohio River into Kentucky and then back again to reach Ohio’s western border via the American Discovery trail. Traveling north away from the Ohio River, the Buckeye Trail runs concurrent with the Little Miami State & National River.