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Ohio river6/27/2023 The Ohio and its islands have been identified as one of the most important ecosystems for conservation. The Ohio River and its tributaries represent one of the most diverse freshwater ecosystems on earth. Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge The great Ohio River, along with the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers, has experienced a rebirth. The foregoing is an example to illustrate the stark transformation from Rust Belt to Emerald Belt, from red to green, that has occurred in the last half-century. In addition, during the mid-20th century many birds, including Bald Eagles, showed signs of succumbing to the unintended side effects of the pesticide DDT that eventually caused chronic nesting failure for countless species. ![]() Smog hung over the Ohio River Valley from the stacks of steel plants, which belched smoke and stench along the river. Just 50 years ago, the Ohio River ran red with unregulated pollution and was quite inhospitable to aquatic life, which decimated fish populations. The water quality and ecology of the Ohio River has been influenced in the last one hundred years by industrial expansion, dam building, sand and gravel dredging, coal mining and steel manufacturing. Large rivers represent the most imperiled types of ecosystems in North America, and the Ohio River is no exception. ![]() Because of this, the Ohio River Trail Council and Friends of the Riverfront are collaborating to nominate the Ohio River for River of the Year 2014. The Three Rivers were and still are the lifeblood of southwestern Pennsylvania, having played a major part in the development of our region and country as a whole. With more than 200 river terminals, the Port of Pittsburgh is the origin of destination for more tons of raw materials than any other port in the world. Pittsburgh is renowned for its Three Rivers, and the Port of Pittsburgh moves more than 44 million tons of cargo annually along its three major waterways – the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers – making it the second largest inland port in the U.S. Despite the arrival of railroads, improved highways, and air travel, the rivers continue to serve as a major artery for transporting bulk items such as coal and grain. It brings producers and consumers together and connects much of America to the oceans and the rest of the global marketplace. This inland waterway serves as an important thoroughfare for commerce. The Ohio runs through or along the border of six states, and its drainage basin includes parts of 14 states. The Ohio River runs through largely urbanized and industrialized landscapes, brownfields, and main river channels managed largely for commercial interests. Today, the river has little in common with the wild, free-flowing river of two hundred years ago, but flows slowly through a network of dammed navigational pools. Its current gentle, waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids, a single instance only excepted." After European-American settlement, the river again served as a primary transportation route for pioneers during the westward expansion of the early U.S. Thomas Jefferson stated, "The Ohio is the most beautiful river on earth. Army expedition requested by President Jefferson, commonly known as the “Corps of Discovery.” Following the United States’ purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France, Captain Merriweather Lewis traveled to Pittsburgh and began his journey west along the Ohio River. On February 28, 1803, Congress appropriated funds for the U.S. When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, most of the United States population lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic Ocean. The dispute erupted into violence and led to the French & Indian War. In late 1753, a young George Washington, only 21 years old, visited the Native American riverside village called Logstown along the Ohio River to warn the French away from the Ohio Valley, and assert the claim of the British. La Salle named the river La Belle Rivière or The Beautiful River. In 1669, Robert de La Salle led an expedition to the Ohio River and his French party were among the first Europeans to see the river. For thousands of years, Native Americans, like the European explorers and settlers who followed them, formed numerous civilizations along its valley and used the river as a major transportation and trading route. It received its English name from the Iroquois word, Oyo, meaning The Great River. Moreover, the Ohio River had great significance in American history. The Ohio River supplies drinking water and provides recreational uses for over five million people. ![]() At this convergence, the Ohio is actually larger than the Mississippi. It ends 981 miles downstream in Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River. The Ohio River is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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