Volunteers rally to keep Kokosing River clean, protect habitat

Watching the Kokosing River meander its way through Knox County on a warm, lazy afternoon, one doesn’t always appreciate the foundational role it has played in making this region an attractive place to live for centuries. For Knox County Recycling & Litter Prevention Program Manager Matt Baugher, keeping the Kokosing River clean is a vital, year-round task. Judging from the turnout of volunteers for the Knox County River Rally 2025 Kokosing River cleanup, on Saturday, Sept. 13, Baugher has plenty of support.

“This year was overwhelmingly positive,” said Baugher. “I estimate that we had over a hundred to 120 total volunteers. We wound up with 107 tires, counting the tires, perhaps 30 of them, from our spring clean-up. We have those stashed away, waiting to be hauled. So, in our fall clean up, we pulled out 70 which is close to last year. Overall, it was a very smooth year. The river was very low and we had great support.” 

Another big plus for River Rally 2025 is that the trash disposal from the cleanup was free of charge from Republic Services. There were volunteers from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Jeld-Wen, Owl Creek Conservancy, Mount Vernon High School Key Club, and the city of Mount Vernon. Also on hand were multiple Kenyon College groups, along with some scout troops, Paddle for Heroes, and Friends of the Kokosing. 

“Basically, I think new volunteers are learning that we have set our culture around keeping our scenic river one of the best in the state,” Baugher said. “We don't experience as much tourism as, say, the Mohican River, but the Kokosing is up there as one of the most valuable assets in Knox County. The Kokosing River is one of my favorite parts of living here. People realize there's always work to be done. Some people think you're going to get a ton of trash or tires, but generally, our group leaders report less and less trash every year.” 

“This was my first River Rally,” said Mount Vernon’s Corby Wise. “I wanted to see what was going on. I work in environmental health and safety at Jeld-Wen. We went to get involved, get in the water and do some cleanup. The Kokosing is important. As one, who lives here and grew up here, It’s really beautiful and we want to keep it nice. It’s a wonderful part of living here. It’s really the centerpiece of town.”

With the September cleanup complete, Baugher looks forward to spring cleanup, which comes just in time for the recreation season.

“It's like I tell people that, if you clean your house once a month, it's going to be harder than if you just pick up around the house, periodically throughout the week,” Baugher said. “That's why we have our spring river clean up. In the springtime, we don't get in the river because it's freezing cold, but we will go to Riverside Park and pick up around the river and the parallel roads. That way, instead of just going out once a year in September, we're also going out in the springtime and we're keeping trash from getting in the river in the first place.” 

Former Knox County resident Heather Doherty who works at ODNR in the scenic river program was also on hand. 

“We’re in the area of natural areas and preserves,” said Doherty. “We support local efforts in stewardship. The Kokosing is a high-quality river, and we like to support efforts to keep it that way. This river is a key part of the community.”

The Kokosing River supports a rich habitat in its waters, around its banks and surrounding areas. That includes the Eastern Hellbender, the salamander that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has already listed as endangered in Missouri in 2021. In December of 2024, U.S. Fish and Wildlife proposed to list the Eastern Hellbender as endangered throughout its entire U.S. range. Habitat destruction and pollution are among the biggest threats to Hellbenders in other parts of the country.

“There has been a rise of people talking about the Hellbenders that live in our river,” said Baugher. “We did a release of Hellbenders into the Kokosing in 2018 and we did another release this year. There are a lot of biologists and others who really rely on a clean river when they do these releases.” 

Members of the Owl Creek Conservancy helped at the clean-up, including Marci Steen.

“We think of ourselves as protectors of our watershed and our scenic river,” Steen said. “Having this asset for Knox County not only ensures that we have clean water, but it’s also beautiful and recreational. There’s many benefits to the community in keeping this river clean.”

People outside of Knox County are noticing the impact of the Kokosing River clean-up.

“People from ODNR and people from the EPA know about this,” said Baugher. “I just got back from a state conference. Here in Knox County, we have a pretty good reputation for taking care of the Kokosing. It's just one of the rivers around the state that has a good reputation.”

A clean river and thriving natural habitat are important in attracting new people and new business to the community.

“Really, (community growth) will happen when you have an attractive place to live,” said Baugher. “That's why I'm very interested in our natural resources and parks — things that I'm so thankful that we have here. All the money in the world is great, but I went on a night hike recently and we were able to hear a great horned owl in the distance. It's stuff like that that you can't put a price tag on. We had a full moon and it was very bright. I just got back from a state recycling conference and something that's very clear to me is that on average, I'm getting more help than other people in my position in other parts of the state. Our volunteer base here in Knox County, is fantastic and we're really proud of what we do.”

Alex Hall is a junior at Mount Vernon High School and one of a group of Key Club members to volunteer in the clean up. This was her first River Rally. 

“Originally, I was just going to do this with my friends,” said Hall. “Ever since I started going to the career center and taking photos that focus on the environment, I’ve learned that most people don’t realize how important the environment is for us to live and how beautiful it is. People throw their trash and waste into it and that isn’t good for us.”

Keeping our river in good shape keeps it sustainable, not only for the humans who enjoy it for recreation, but also for the animals that live around it. 

“The creatures that share the river with us are timeless,” said Baugher. “They've been here long before us and are going to be here long after. So, I think it's our greatest responsibility to take care of the river. Places like Wolf Run and Honey Run show that we really value what we have here in Knox County. What we have here is fantastic and often overlooked.”

Knox County Recycling & Litter Prevention will be holding their second annual Pumpkin Smash composting event on Nov. 14 from 1-4 p.m.

“Basically, we just encourage people to bring their Jack-O'-Lanterns that they would let rot on their porch and throw away,” said Baugher. “This will take place at Community Roots, which is where the former Glass Gardens Greenhouse used to be on the edge of Gambier Street over on the west end of town. We did it and people brought their pumpkins out. We had baseball bats, all sorts of shovels and weapons to smash pumpkins.”

To find out more about Knox County Recycling and Litter Prevention call (740) 393-6704.