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ORCA & The Baileys In the Press
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FEB 22, 2025: Your Baileys Trail System Update
Mountain biking season is just around the corner, and the Baileys Trail System continues to gain momentum, setting the standard for outdoor adventure in Southeast Ohio.
DEC. 12, 2024: New Trail construction project kicks off for Baileys
BUCHTEL, Ohio — The Baileys Trail System will reach “near-completion” over the next year with the development of new trails, including near Buchtel, according to a press release from the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia.
DECEMBER 4, 2024: Ross Asked to Become Bigger Member of Regional Outdoor Recreation Coalition
The county commissioners were invited to make Ross County a bigger participant in a regional recreational coalition.
Jessie Powers, executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA), spoke in the October 28th commissioners meeting, asking Ross County to become the second major county participant in a nonprofit that leverages funding and planning for such pursuits as mountain biking.
Jessie Powers, executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA), spoke in the October 28th commissioners meeting, asking Ross County to become the second major county participant in a nonprofit that leverages funding and planning for such pursuits as mountain biking.
OCTOBER 31, 2024: Commissioners split on outdoor rec council; city likely to renew support
A reduction in Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia membership fees has revived the question of 2024 support – but the county seems unlikely to pay amid budgetary and “personality” issues.
OCTOBER 22, 2024: Baileys Trail System works to expand trails
The Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia, or ORCA, announced a plan last year to build 88 new miles of trails in Bailey’s Trail System. As of today, 58 of the 88 miles have been completed.
OCTOBER 15, 2024: Baileys trail 'The Dirt Fondo' welcomes bikers, supports ORCA
Bailey’s Trail System hosted its second annual Dirt Fondo and Fundraiser Saturday at the Chauncey-Dover Trailhead in Millfield. The event brought in local businesses to showcase their products on and off the trails.
OCTOBER 4, 2024: ORR Hosts Forum on Rural Development Via Outdoor Rec.
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), in collaboration with the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation, hosted its inaugural National Leadership Forum on Rural Development through Outdoor Recreation.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2024: ORCA provides opportunity, access to region
While not to the scale of Bentonville, Athens and the surrounding area have also become a recreation hotspot in recent years thanks to the Baileys Trail System.
AUGUST 31, 2024: Wayne National Forest hosts Ecuadorian university students
NELSONVILLE — The Wayne National Forest hosted students and faculty from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador at the Baileys Trail System in Chauncey, Ohio, July 29 in collaboration with Ohio University (OU).
Eight students and two faculty members from OU’s Summer Training on Applied Research and Service-Learning (STARS) program conducted maintenance on the newly widened Coal Train Trail as part of a 10-day cultural exchange through the university’s Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute (ITDI).
Eight students and two faculty members from OU’s Summer Training on Applied Research and Service-Learning (STARS) program conducted maintenance on the newly widened Coal Train Trail as part of a 10-day cultural exchange through the university’s Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute (ITDI).
AUG. 28, 2024 Baileys Summer Trail Crew Provides Crucial Trail Maintenance and Jobs to Local Youth
“Circle up. Let’s go! We’ve got a big day ahead
of us.”
It’s a Monday in July and we’re standing on a
Wayne National Forest service access pull-off
just outside of Chauncey, Ohio. Chloe Partlow,
one of three Baileys Trail System summer crew
leaders, is encouraging a group of five local Athens County youth to get together for some
group stretching.
of us.”
It’s a Monday in July and we’re standing on a
Wayne National Forest service access pull-off
just outside of Chauncey, Ohio. Chloe Partlow,
one of three Baileys Trail System summer crew
leaders, is encouraging a group of five local Athens County youth to get together for some
group stretching.
JUNE 28, 2024: Grant will help improve the Baileys Trail System
The Athens-Wayne Outdoor Asset Development Corporation (AWOADC) nonprofit partner organization of the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA) received a $48,071 grant from the National Forest Foundation’s Matching Awards Program, $42,701 of which will be spent on trail improvements for the Baileys Trail System in the Wayne National Forest.
APRIL 18, 2024: The Yonder Report
Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.
APRIL 18, 2024: Athens may approve recreation council membership, but lacks funds to pay
The council saw an ordinance to authorize the mayor to pay the $90,000 membership fee — when the money is available.
APRIL 17, 2024: Blazing Trails in the Mountains
Rural communities throughout the country are developing mountain biking trail systems to immerse people in nature, boost the economy, and create a local culture of health.
APRIL 17, 2024:Blazing trails in the mountains
Mountain bikers ride for the thrill. The joy of racing downhill. The feeling of choosing the best path, hugging the ground, catching some air.
APRIL 11, 2024: The Power of Place
Research and partnership that fuels prosperity, here and beyond
APRIL 7, 2024: City of Athens urged to Support ORCA
Dear Mayor Patterson, council members and local businesses,
We are writing to you as business owners to urge you to continue to support ORCA (Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia), which operates the Baileys Trail System, and their ongoing progress in getting funding and jobs in the areas of Athens, the Athens City School District, and Athens County.
We are writing to you as business owners to urge you to continue to support ORCA (Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia), which operates the Baileys Trail System, and their ongoing progress in getting funding and jobs in the areas of Athens, the Athens City School District, and Athens County.
APRIL 5, 2024: Ohio’s premiere mountain bike trail faces funding challenge
On a spring day in the Wayne National Forest, a crew of hard-hat clad volunteers pulls weeds, trims trees and clears branches from a winding dirt trail.
MARCH 26, 2024: Ohio University Partnership Offers Discounted Bikes on Campus
Thanks to a new partnership with the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA), Ohio University students and community members now have additional access to explore the natural beauty of the outdoors through biking.
MARCH 1, 2024: ORCA and partners receive federal grant to help 30 Appalachian communities
Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA) is among several groups that will receive $387,500 to benefit 30 communities in Appalachian Pennsylvania and Ohio.
FEB. 28, 2024: Athens may adjust city code to continue funding Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia
On Monday, Mayor Steve Patterson urged Athens City Council to consider changing city code regarding the city’s payment of its $90,000 membership dues for Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA).
FEB. 8, 2024: ORCA poised to add 27 miles of trail
This year is shaping up to be an exciting, busy year of construction for the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA), made possible by various funding sources and partnerships. ORCA and its nonprofit partner, the Athens-Wayne Outdoor Asset Development Corporation (AWOADC), will be managing four different construction projects in the Wayne National Forest at both the Athens and Marietta Units, in addition to ongoing projects. Projects include additional miles of trail at the Baileys Trail System, maintenance enhancements at the Baileys Trail System, and Trail Reroutes and Trailhead construction and improvements in the Marietta Unit.
JAN. 31, 2024: PA Wilds gets grant to work on mobile tourism app
The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship has received a $387,500 grant to work with partners to research and plan a mobile app to promote tourism in the PA Wilds and in southeast Ohio.
JAN. 30, 2024: ORR Offers 2nd Edition of Rural Economic Development Toolkit
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) released the second edition of its Rural Economic Development Toolkit on a webinar with over 1,000 registrants. This essential resource, built upon three years of extensive research across the United States, is a comprehensive guide for communities looking to strengthen their economies through outdoor recreation.
JAN. 30, 2024: ORCA and Ohio University partner to offer mountain bike rentals
Ohio University now offer mountain bike rentals to students and community members.
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