Kara Lapso
Aug 28, 2024
AKRON, Ohio -- While Cleveland is known for the river that caught fire, Northeast Ohio’s outdoor industry has flourished in so many ways. When the Cuyahoga River went ablaze in 1969 and was listed as a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “Area of Concern” in 1987, no one would have guessed that our region would grow into a poster child for environmentalism and have the potential to be a leader in the outdoor recreation industry.
Over 136,000 acres of park systems weave their way through the unique mix of urban, industrial, agricultural, and rural parks of Northeast Ohio’s 16 counties. These park systems, many of which have won national-level awards, boast hundreds of miles of hiking trails, navigable creeks and rivers, Lake Erie coastline, and towering rock walls. With such abundant natural resources and tireless efforts to preserve land for recreational purposes — such as the conservation of Akron-owned Theiss Woods, removal of the Gorge Dam within the Summit Metro Parks, and the continuing work to improve the Cuyahoga River — it’s crucial to ensure that these natural treasures are accessible to everyone.
Furthermore, Northeast Ohio is home to a vibrant and active community of outdoor recreation affinity groups, clubs, retailers, outdoor guiding services, outfitters, and outdoor-inspired businesses of all kinds. These different groups and businesses all work hard to bring community members together to enjoy adventure in award-winning backyard parks.
Despite the abundant parks and outdoor recreation stakeholders, there is still a blaring gap in the industry. There is a strong lack of coordination and collaboration between these groups, with many stuck in their sport-specific or geographic silos. These challenges force everyone to reinvent their own proverbial wheel, grind hard to build and maintain their community, and scrape together minimal funding. These gaps also increase hurdles for communities already underrepresented in the outdoor industry.
And, while competition is healthy and can certainly coexist with collaboration, it should be common knowledge that, if we all work together, the whole outdoor recreational industry will be stronger. Whether it’s through shared resources, shared communication networks, increased skill or safety training, or more environmental advocacy and preservation efforts, we can transform our region into one that’s built on collaboration, inclusion, and accessibility, helping us to be known for our recreation potential and not our rusty history.
With these challenges and goals in mind, Open Trail Collective is eager to increase connections between outdoor recreation stakeholders in Northeast Ohio. Later this year, the Collective plans to bring together Northeast Ohio’s outdoor stakeholders by launching the NEO Outdoor Adventure Festival and the NEO Outdoor Adventure Directory.
The festival will be a Northeast Ohio version of Utah’s Outdoor Retailer, with 30 to 50 outdoor stakeholders, skill sessions, presentations, gear demos, music, food trucks, and more. The directory will keep the adventure going beyond the festival by housing the information from all of the outdoor movers and shakers in a digital directory, highlighting organizational programming dedicated to beginners and people of diverse abilities. The directory will also highlight Black, LGBTQIA2+, and women-owned/operated organizations to ensure welcoming spaces for Every Body.
These initiatives will encourage collaboration and spark innovation to reinforce Northeast Ohio’s place as an outdoor leader. These efforts will help businesses grow, allow all residents to spend more time outdoors, increase accessibility in the outdoors, and encourage more environmental stewardship.
Join us for Autumn Antics, a party on Oct. 5 at Falls Outdoor Co. in Cuyahoga Falls, to pave the way for the Collective’s upcoming initiatives. We hope that we can transform our region that is known for its rust belt towns and the river that burned into the Emerald Necklace of the entire nation, an outdoor hub that is built upon the principles of collaboration, innovation, and inclusion.
Kara Lapso is a native of Northeast Ohio, where she was born, raised, and eventually returned, drawn back by the region’s robust park systems. She is the founder of Open Trail Collective, an organization dedicated to connecting Every Body and the outdoors.