LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A conservancy in southern Indiana unveiled a kayak and canoe launch on Silver Creek.

River Heritage Conservancy is in the first phase of development for Origin Park, an expanse of green space, meadows, paths and water access along the Ohio River in Clarksville. The nonprofit, led by executive director Susan Rademacher, held a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by dozens of people on Wednesday.

Croghan Paddling Launch is a ramp to Silver Creek that allows people with canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and more to launch into the water. 

"This is the jumping off point for lots of adventures," said Rademacher, who was president of Louisville's Olmsted Parks Conservancy from 1991 to 2007. "What we really want to encourage people to do is wander Origin to explore nature, to get it into their every day lives so that they're healthier and happier, and in doing so, we can make this park a healthier environment for everything that lives here."

IMAGES | Origin Park unveils new kayak, canoe launch on Silver Creek

The area of the park is open from dawn to dusk, with the Ohio River being visible from the ramp. It's accessible from Emery Xing Road or Croghan Street. 

"Families can come here and picnic, they can relax, they can fish, they can put a boat in," Rademacher said. "They can go up Silver Creek for a simple, short ride. If they're more adventuresome, they can go out into the Ohio River."

The first phase of the conservancy's development encompasses more than 140 acres. Rademacher said it will include an event center, an artist residence, a trail system with boardwalks and bridges, along with extensive restoration work in Buttonbush Wood on Mill Creek.

"We're expecting to draw people from a large region, even in these 10 years that we're building out the park," Rademacher said. "It will come in waves, this is the first wave and it will go till 2026. By that time we will have finished the work in the woods, the event center and some of the other features that we will be bringing to people."

In December 2021, River Heritage Conservancy was awarded American Rescue Plan funds estimated at $17.3 million from a state-run grant program.

Origin Park is being designed to support local ecology and repair the environment. 

"A large part of building Origin Park is learning about all of the protections that we want to keep in place because this is a nature park," Rademacher said. "Our job is to fix what we broke a long time ago with landfills and junkyards and to restart the ecology here that is already flourishing." 

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