A multijurisdictional effort is under way to designate the entire length along the Maumee River in Ohio as a state water trail to promote paddling use by kayakers and canoers.

Metroparks of the Toledo Area and the Defiance Soil and Water Conservation District are partnering in the application to get the water trail designation from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the Maumee River.

The water trail, also called a blueway, would be along the 108 miles of waterway from the Indiana line to Maumee Bay in Toledo.

The designation will make the sponsors eligible to receive state money for road signs to indicate the nearly 40 public access sites where water enthusiasts can use improved put-ins to park and launch their canoes and kayaks.

The state money also could be used for signs on the shoreline to show upcoming hazards, points of interest, and nearby amenities such as public restrooms and restaurants, as well as to pay for brochures containing detailed information about the water trail.

The first of five meetings for the public to learn about the Maumee River Water Trail project will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday in Defiance Public Library in Defiance.

Participants can offer comments and ask questions of Soil and Water Conservation District, ODNR, and Metroparks staffs.

Additional public meetings will be held Jan. 30 at Oberhaus Park in Napoleon; Feb. 6 in Way Public Library in Perrysburg; Feb. 13 at Paulding County Public Library in Paulding, and Feb. 21 at Locke Branch Library, 703 Main St. in East Toledo. 

All meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m.

“We really want public comment. We want to know what people think,” said Stephanie Singer of the Defiance Soil and Water Conservation District. “The ultimate goal is for people to be more comfortable in using the river.”

ODNR has designated 10 water trails since the program began in 2006.

Doug Leeds, Ohio Water Trails Program administrator with the ODNR, said the program began as an educational and safety information initiative to introduce new users to water and boating safety.

Mr. Leeds said the program signs alert watercraft users to public-access points, keeping them off private land, to make their recreational experience more enjoyable.

“I have heard stories about people paddling in areas with no signs. It is not uncommon for them to float back to the place where they were supposed to take out,” Mr. Leeds said.

Besides providing recreational opportunities, water trails can provide an economic boost to communities because paddlers often patronize businesses while checking out water trails.

“They are bringing money with them for local businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and sporting goods stores,” Mr. Leeds said.

In addition to the public meetings, the Metroparks and Conservation District is asking for support from the five counties, 11 municipalities, and 21 townships that maintain the public access in the five counties along the river district.

Toledo, Maumee, Rossford, Waterville, Perrysburg, Lucas County Commissioners, and Waterville and Monclova township are among the communities that have approved resolutions in support.

“There has been great excitement about the river trail from everyone we have talked to about it,” said Emily Ziegler, geographic information systems and planning coordinator for the Metroparks.

Contact Mark Reiter at: markreiter@theblade.com or 419-724-6199.

First Published January 23, 2017, 5:00 a.m.