Members of a statewide organization that focuses on aligning financial investments with climate goals will pass through Salt Fork State Park in the spring.
Third Act Ohio will host the Great Ohio Climate March from May 16-28, 2026, from Athens to Salt Fork State Park to Columbus to educate people about fossil fuel fracking and its harmful effects on the planet. At the end of the march, the group will attempt to persuade lawmakers to pass laws to mitigate the predicted worst effects of climate change.
Hikers are welcome to participate in all of the march or a part of it, Jess Grim of Cleveland, coordinating committee member of the group, said in an announcement. “This is a great opportunity to see a beautiful part of Ohio and galvanize people to pressure legislators to act now to get Ohio on a net zero energy path.”
The 13-day event begins in Athens on May 16 with a kickoff program. Hikers will travel on trails and unpaved roads for seven days to Salt Fork State Park, where companies are drilling horizontally from well pads located on private land near the park, extending their wells beneath the park’s surface. The state prohibits oil and gas well pads directly on state park land.
The march will continue over the next five days ending in Columbus. On May 28, participants will arrive at the statehouse for a celebration and Legislature Day. They will urge lawmakers to ban fracking under Ohio public lands.
For more information on the march, visit https://greatohioclimatemarch.org.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: 2026 Great Ohio Climate March will pass through Salt Fork before heading to Columbus
Reporting by Staff Reports / The Daily Jeffersonian
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
