Christy Noll and the Boone Conservancy want to safeguard over 350 acres of the Ohio River shoreline in Boone County.
The Boone Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that acts as a caretaker, landowner, and conservation entity to preserve natural areas and increase recreational opportunities. Located at the intersection of Interstate 275 and Petersburg in northwestern Boone County, the acreage is home to several endangered animal species, wetlands and a large canopy forest. In addition, it boasts a number of Native American tribal sites and Underground Railroad crossings.
“It’s got these amazing cultural/ historical resources, and it would be great for hiking trails and fishing,” Noll told LINK nky. “It just has so many things. It’s just very unique.”
The Boone Conservancy wants to preserve the land to create the Ohio River Conservation Corridor at the Northern Kentucky Shore, an ambitious project to protect and restore its natural and historical resources. The organization also wants to use the land to install hiking and walking trails, provide access to kayaking, canoeing, and paddleboarding launches, and increase overall opportunities for outdoor recreation in Northern Kentucky.
The land is located directly across the Ohio River from the Oxbow Nature Conservancy in Dearborn County, Indiana and Shawnee Lookout in Hamilton County, Ohio. If all goes to plan, Noll and the Boone Conservancy hope to create a regional Ohio River Conservation Area by connecting the ecological corridors of all three aforementioned areas under one umbrella.
To pull off the project, the Boone Conservancy is looking to raise $4 million in funds. So far, the organization has $1.4 million in committed funds. The money will go toward purchasing the property from private landowners, historical preservation, trail creation and land stewardship costs.
“It’s by far the largest undertaking we’ve ever done,” Noll said.
The fundraising deadline is the end of 2024, and Noll is looking to ramp up publicity efforts to help the cause. From her perspective, the project would provide Greater Cincinnati with a natural asset to help draw people into the region through recreational and ecological tourism.
“I think all the economic development is fantastic, and it does so much for our community, but I think it’s nice to have these projects to give everybody coming here for their jobs a great place to be outside,” Noll said. “There’s just nothing like just being on a natural part of the river and just enjoying the views down there – it’s lovely.”
The project features a number of notable corporate, governmental and nonprofit partners, including the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service, Bosch, Toyota Boshoku America, Northern Kentucky University, Boone County Conservation District and Ohio River Way, among others.
Brewster Rhoads, chair of the Ohio River Way’s board of directors, told LINK nky that the project is vital for protecting the local ecosystem.
“Boone County has one of the longest stretches of Ohio Riverfront county in the state of Kentucky,” Rhoads said. “A great deal of it is undeveloped, which, from our point of view, is wonderful. It’s to the benefit of every resident in this region that we preserve land from development that can be then used to protect the viewshed.”
Like Noll, Rhoads also believes the project can be used to recruit people into the region by increasing access to outdoor recreation and tourism.
“As companies in the region are working hard to attract talent into the region, these outdoor recreational amenities are an absolute key,” he said.
To donate, people can visit the project’s donation page or email info@thebooneconservancy.org to connect.
