CORA Community,
We need your help TODAY!
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Governor DeWine can restore it with a line-item veto, but he can sign the budget any day now, so he needs to hear from Ohioans who value the outdoors TODAY.
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That $750,000 is the matching money for a pending $2.6 million ARISE grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. Lose the match and Ohio risks handing those federal dollars back, along with the tourism and economic development they would bring to 18 of the most in-need counties in Appalachia.
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ORCA isn't just maintaining trails at the Baileys. This effects Cincinnati trails, too.
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They are building a much larger outdoor recreation corridor, the kind of region that draws people out of Cincinnati to hit the trails at East Fork, hike the Buckeye Trail, ride, watch birds, and explore destinations like the Edge of Appalachia and Shawnee State Park. Whatever way you like to get outside, this is the future of it in Southern Ohio, and ORCA is the organization stepping up to make it last.
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HOW TO HELP IN UNDER FIVE MINUTES
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Please reach Governor DeWine through BOTH channels:
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Below is a sample you're welcome to use. Please make it your own. A few honest sentences about why the outdoors, the trails, or Appalachian Ohio matter to you will land harder than any form letter, and adding your hometown helps. A note from a real Ohioan in a real place carries the most weight.
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SUBJECT: LINE ITEM VETO REQUEST to restore funding for Ohio Outdoor Recreation
Governor DeWine,
My name is ______, and I'm an outdoor enthusiast. I'm writing to respectfully request a line-item veto of lines 3575 to 3577 on page 133 of H.B. 479 (appropriation item 195455, Appalachian Assistance), restoring the remaining SFY 2026 and SFY 2027 allocation of $750,000 for the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA).
The Baileys Trail System is one of Ohio's greatest outdoor recreation success stories, a destination for hikers and bikers that drives real economic activity in Appalachian Ohio. But Baileys is only the start. ORCA is building a much larger recreation corridor that runs from Clermont County across the 18 most in-need counties of Appalachian Ohio, the kind of region that pulls visitors out of Cincinnati and CVG to hike the Buckeye Trail, visit East Fork State Park, ride, and explore places like the Edge of Appalachia and Shawnee State Park. ORCA is the organization stepping up to sustain that vision, the one your administration helped start by treating outdoor recreation as an economic engine. That engine already adds more than $20 billion a year to Ohio's economy.
The $750,000 now at risk is the required match for Ohio's pending $2.6 million ARISE grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. Without it, Ohio risks handing those federal dollars back.
These funds were also withdrawn without ORCA's knowledge, which puts the organization and the community investments it has already made at risk just as the work gains momentum.
Sincerely,
_________
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- 150+ leaders convened for Ohio’s first Outdoor Recreation Economy Conference, Driving Growth and Innovation Across Sectors.
- Southeast Ohio Takes Center Stage at National Economic Development Conference in Washington, D.C.
- ORCA and Partners Complete Major Trail Expansions and Accessibility Upgrades Across Southeast Ohio.
- Baileys Trail System has secured over $10 million in public and private investment, revitalizing struggling rural communities through tourism and outdoor recreation.
- Economic studies project a 10-year economic impact of roughly $53 million. Early estimates showed a direct and indirect impact of over $5.3 million to Athens County alone in just its first full year.
- Previously dormant neighboring municipalities—such as Chauncey—are seeing new cafes, short-term rentals, and increased state investments in local infrastructure.
- ORCA has prioritized removing financial barriers to the outdoors by partnering with bike rental programs and offering programming to help locals enjoy the trails.
- Continued Partnerships with Ohio University students in classes and clubs, Athens High School, Cougarbats Youth Mountainbike Club, Pelotonia, National Interscholastic Cycling Association, Ohio Mountain Bike Championship, and Athens Bicycle Club.
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Thank you for taking a few minutes to make your voice heard. Volume matters here. Every message helps show the broad support for ORCA, Baileys, and the future of outdoor recreation in Ohio. Then forward this to anyone who loves getting outside.
That's how we turn dollars into dirt, joy, and community.
See you on the trail,
The CORA Team
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Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance
PO Box 14587
Cincinnati, OH 45250
United States
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