How Your Voices Saved The Baileys Trail System!
Why was Baileys Trail System funding at risk & what would that mean for the trails?
A house bill awaiting Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s signature would strip at least three quarters of a million dollars in funding from the entity that manages the Baileys Trail System, the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia.
The funding cuts to ORCA could leave the Baileys Trail System without an entity to maintain it. Long-touted as a major driver for economic development in Southeast Ohio, the 88-mile mountain biking trail system cost $9.1 million to build, according to ORCA director Jessie Powers.
House Bill 479 would strip ORCA of $750,000 earmarked for the organization in fiscal year 2027, which begins July 1 of this year. The bill could also impact funding awarded to ORCA in 2026 that hasn’t yet been spent, Melaney Carter, director of the Ohio Legislative Budget Office, told the Independent.
ORCA Director Jessie Powers said the cut to ORCA’s state funding could ultimately cause ORCA to collapse, compromising not only its work to maintain the Baileys Trail System but also planned initiatives to advance outdoor recreation opportunities elsewhere.
The change to HB 479 that would remove ORCA’s funding was one of many approved by the Ohio Senate Finance Committee June 9. The bill was approved in its final form by the Ohio House and Senate the next day.
ORCA has advocated for DeWine to issue line-items vetos on the provisions in the bill impacting ORCA, Powers said.
The governor’s office did not respond to the Independent’s requests for comment via emails sent June 15 and June 16 prior to publication.
The funding cut to ORCA is part of $1.5 million awarded last summer, which was to be split over two years. Powers said ORCA planned to leverage the second year of funding as a match needed to secure $2.6 million in federal grants through the Appalachian Regional Commission. That funding would support ORCA’s partnerships, operations and growth, she said.
“These dollars were our bridge dollars to leverage federal investment that would fund our organization for five years and help us establish earned revenue opportunities that would make ORCA self-sustaining and able to deliver on mission and vision long term for the region and the state,” Powers said.
Without the state funding, Powers said future federal funding could be in jeopardy, and she is not sure whether ORCA will be able to continue to pay staff members through the end of the year.
If ORCA goes under, Powers said there will be no organization able to provide the “constant maintenance” needed to maintain the Baileys Trail System.
Powers said ORCA’s collapse would undercut the investment in building the Baileys Trail System, which opened its complete 88 miles of trails just this spring. Multiple infrastructure projects at local trailheads remain under development, including a trailhead in Buchtel and a welcome center in Chauncey.
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the above excerpt is by Dani Kington — June 17, 2026 — source: https://athensindependent.com/orca-state-funding-cut/
RECENT UPDATE: June 26th, 2026
Today, we're celebrating a huge win for trails and outdoor recreation across Ohio.
Governor Mike DeWine issued a line-item veto restoring $750k of funding for ORCA and the Bailey's Trail System, preserving an important investment in one of Ohio's premier outdoor destinations.
As of Wednesday at noon, this funding was at risk. "The 11th hour" doesn't even do it justice...but our community showed up.
Mountain bikers, hikers, runners, families, volunteers, and outdoor advocates from across the state sent emails, made phone calls, and shared their stories. You reminded our elected leaders that trails matter.
And they listened!
This victory is about much more than one trail system. It's confirmation that we are on the right track.
It confirms that outdoor recreation is not a luxury, it's an essential part of what makes Ohio a great place to live. Trails improve our health, strengthen our communities, attract visitors, support local businesses, and create places where families and friends can connect with one another and the outdoors.
At COMBO, we see this every day.
We see it in the volunteers who spend weekends maintaining trails. We see it with Gator & NICA families discovering mountain biking together. We see it in communities embracing trails as assets that improve quality of life and economic vitality. And we see it in the partnerships that are helping us build better recreational opportunities throughout Central Ohio and beyond.
Today's win also serves as an important reminder that advocacy works. When passionate people come together around a shared vision, we can accomplish incredible things.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to speak up. Thank you to Governor DeWine and ODNR leadership for hearing the voices of Ohio's outdoor community. And thank you for continuing to believe in the power of trails to make our communities healthier, happier, and more connected.
Today, we celebrate!! Tomorrow, we keep building. Well...actually...we are still building today. We have 2 active projects going on at Alum Creek and Horns Hill ;)
Because the future of outdoor recreation in Ohio isn't something that happens to us, it's something we create together.
See you on the trails,
Ryan Hughes
Executive Director
Central Ohio Mountain Biking
