Preserving our History on the Towpath Trail with Canalway Partners

ECO SPEAKS CLE

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Mera Cardenas is a historic preservationist working to connect people to place as the Executive Director of Canalway Partners. We are the people, and the place is the historic Towpath Trail, located within the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area. The 100-mile Towpath Trail from Cleveland to New Philadelphia follows what once was a significant transportation artery from the mid-1800s until the railroads came. The trail was completed in 2021 when the final section was constructed in Cleveland, ending at Canal Basin Park following 40 years of planning and $54 million. For Mera, preserving this connection between past and present is her passion and mission as she honors the legacy of her predecessors who envisioned and transformed Cleveland's industrial corridor into its recreational backbone.
Mera's background as a CNN producer and cultural historian brings a unique storytelling perspective to her role. Under her leadership, Canalway Partners has expanded its community engagement through signature events like the Lantern Parade, environmental stewardship through River Sweep, the Towpath Trilogy, and Cleveland History Days, featuring over 70 events highlighting the region's heritage.

Canalway Partners started with a meeting of like-minded people 40 years ago who never lost sight of their vision to reclaim Cleveland's industrial valley and bring us a unique, world-class recreational space. Today, Mera Cardenas is its new Executive Director, following the retirement of Tim Donovan, who led the trail's development. The work ahead will bring us new opportunities to experience the trail and the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage area through expanded public spaces like Canal Basin Park in Cleveland and the many trails linking east and west with the Towpath as the spine and the Cuyahoga River as the source.
As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the canal's construction this year, Mera reminds us that our waterways fundamentally shaped our communities: "We're here in Cleveland and Akron because of the construction of that canal. Everything that came after came from what the canal brought to this region."
Learn more at canalwaypartners.com or follow their social media for upcoming events.

Learn More:

Our Guest, Mera Cardenas, Executive Director, Canalway Partners

Canalway Events

Discover the Towpath Trail

Volunteer with Canalway

History and Legacy of the Towpath Trail

Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area

Ohio

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Chapters

1. Preserving our History on the Towpath Trail with Canalway Partners (00:00:00)

2. Guest Introduction, Mera Cardenas (00:00:21)

3. Origins of the Towpath Trail and Canalway Partners (00:01:58)

4. Canalway Partners Today (00:13:00)

5. Connecting People to Place (00:17:05)

6. Events and Volunteering (00:27:40)

7. Reflections and Looking Forward (00:35:28)

80 episodes

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