Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition
Established in 1989, Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition is a private, non-profit organization working on the development of the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway.
The Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway provides many recreational opportunities including bicycling, hiking, birding, horseback riding, fishing and canoeing to the five million people living within a 50 mile radius. From the urban centers to the rural countrysides, there are remnants of locks and structures associated with the development and growth of the Ohio & Erie Canal, the nation's first inland waterway link between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico.
The Ohio & Erie Canal opened up the frontier settlement of Ohio and provided settlers with a reliable form of transportation to ship products. This unique waterway is being rediscovered as communities seek to celebrate their heritage while stimulating community & economic development. Today, there is renewed interest in the preservation, development and interpretation along the resources of the Ohio & Erie Canal as it extends from New Philadelphia to Cleveland. The Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway represents a biological mosaic with natural systems of forests, bogs, marshes, streams and lakes that are interspersed with cities, towns and villages, orchards, and croplands.
