MOUNT VERNON — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources was planning to install new safety signage along all 15 of the state’s scenic rivers in 2021, heading into the summer season.
But Lori Totman could not wait.
The Knox County Park District director had just witnessed what she described as the “nightmare” scenario: Two people died on the Kokosing River in the span of a week in June 2019.
A 40-year-old man died on June 7 following a tubing accident near Millwood. Four days later, a 15-year-old boy went missing while swimming near the same spot. He was found dead 16 days later, 48 miles downstream in Muskingum County.
Totman knew the ODNR was planning on installing new, uniform signage across the state soon. But these were the first deaths she had seen on the Kokosing River in her six years as director, and they occurred within four days of each other.
Heading into the 2020 summer season, she felt compelled to act.
“I didn’t want to go through another season (like that),” Totman recalled. “So the Park District moved forward.”
“ACT NOW”
The idea came to Totman one day in the summer of 2019, not long after the tragedies.
“I was sitting there, trying to think of the most important points for people to know before they enter the water,” she recalled.
She came up with an acronym – “ACT NOW” – which included six key tips for river patrons to consider:
- Always wear a life jacket or personal flotation device.
- Check flow rates before entering the river (an acceptable range is between 100 cubic feet per second and 300 cubic feet per second).
- Take water and air temperatures into consideration (the two combined should be at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Never, ever swim, tube, kayak or canoe alone (especially those with less experience).
- Observe the river for fast-flowing currents and murkiness.
- Watch for river hazards such as fallen trees, large rocks and debris.
These tips were directly related to the tragedies that occurred in 2019.
The Kokosing River was moving at 997 cubic feet per second at the time of the first death, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, which tracks the speed and height of rivers across the nation via gauges.
This is almost four times higher than what would be considered safe for activities such as tubing, kayaking, canoeing or swimming.
The second death occurred when a camp counselor lost track of the boy, who was swimming alone near Honey Run Park.
“It’s not common knowledge for a lot of people on the river,” Totman said of the ACT NOW tips at the time. “We’ve gotta start educating people somewhere.”
Totman’s vision was to feature this acronym on signage placed prominently at each of the Kokosing River’s 10 Knox County access points. The bright-colored signs include a red border and bold print to clearly display the acronym.
But it didn’t end there.
The signs also include a technological component – a QR code, located directly beside the acronym, that lead river patrons to the USGS website.
This allows people to check the Kokosing River’s current height and flow rate before entering the water.
“I would hope that the acronym perhaps would grow, and that if people would think about that,” Totman said in July 2019. “People do not want to read signs, and they do not want to read wordy signs.
“So if they can just get in their heads, ‘I need to have a life jacket on. I need to think about not just the air temperature, but I need to think about water temperature. I need to think about checking the QR code, the flow rate, or looking up the information before I get on the river because I don’t have a smartphone – going to the USGS site, learning what the flow rate is.’
“That’s my hope anyway, that the acronym will start catching and people will really start thinking through some of these.”
Totman had broad community support for this vision. A local company offered to make the signs. Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr granted the park district permission to install them at two city-owned access points.
Totman said the project – purchasing and installing the dozen metal signs – was financed through the Park District’s contingency fund. While she did not specify exactly how much the initiative cost, Totman added that time was of the essence, and this deterred her from pursuing grant dollars or other private donations for the project.
“A majority of our funding comes from real property taxes – from the citizens. We take donations and we write grants, but this was too timely to even go for a grant,” Totman recalled.
“I just decided, ‘We will find money in our budget for this.’ We had money in our contingency fund, and that’s how we funded the project.”
The signs were installed in March 2020, ahead of the summer season.
While data is limited, Totman believes the effort has paid off. Knox County has recorded zero river deaths in the two years since – and anecdotal feedback suggests river patrons have not only noticed the signage, but also used it to help ensure a safer river experience.
“That, to me, is one of the best things,” Totman said. “I had a person reach out – they took a kayaking trip and I believe this was in 2020. They stopped, read the sign, scanned the QR code and said, ‘That is absolutely awesome. We never really thought about flow rates before. We were able to see instantaneously what the flow rate was and knew it was safe to be on the river.’
“That’s one of those situations that shows (the project) goes a long way. And I’ve had several of those.”
‘A lot is out of our control’
Totman is the first to acknowledge that signage has its limitations.
Prospective river patrons could ignore it – or simply not see it at all – when approaching the riverbank (although Totman believes the placement and appearance of the signage makes this difficult).
They could also have a hard time utilizing the QR code. Some patrons might not carry cell phones with them, which are required for scanning. Others might have spotty cell service at certain access points (Totman encourages all to look up the river’s height and flow rate before leaving home, just in case).
Even those who are able to look up the USGS website might struggle to interpret and apply its data, added Heather Doherty, Central Regional Scenic Rivers Manager for the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves within the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
“While I believe that it’s very important information that boaters should be aware of, part of the challenge with providing it is that it requires users to interpret a graph on the USGS website to determine current flow levels,” she said in an email.
“Additionally, appropriate flow levels vary depending on the skill and experience of the user.”
Sometimes, Doherty said, stubbornness comes into play.
“I anticipate that some recreational users who have invested time and resources in a paddling trip will be determined to go regardless of good information, or will simply fail to heed the signage,” she added.
At the end of the day, the decision of whether or not to enter the river is up to the individual, Totman and Doherty agreed. Prospective river patrons will decide for themselves whether or not they want to utilize the signage beforehand.
“We can put up three signs on a post, hoping to grab somebody’s attention, but ultimately, it is the responsibility of the person entering the water if they have a life jacket on, or a personal flotation device. It’s up to them if they (look up river levels beforehand)…” Totman said.
“A lot is out of our control.”
Initial results promising
With that being said, Doherty praised Totman for her efforts to increase river safety following the 2019 tragedies.
Signage with USGS-linked QR codes is a relatively novel idea, Doherty indicated, and it was not a part of the new, uniform signage the ODNR implemented statewide in 2021.
Totman also plans to reintroduce river safety classes for the general public this summer, after two years away due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s wonderful to hear that Lori has received anecdotal feedback that people are using the signage she installed, and it’s a valuable step for this knowledge to gain footing in the community and spread among family and friends,” Doherty said.
“It will hopefully help create a culture of safety and awareness that will build into a social norm as time goes on.”
While Totman drew inspiration from other nearby park districts during the creation of the signs, she noted the “ACT NOW” acronym is original. Still, she encouraged other park district officials to use it if they feel it will be effective in their community.
“Bottom line, ‘ACT NOW’ is not copyrighted or anything like that. So if anybody wants to steal that and use it somewhere else, go for it,” Totman said. “If it saves a life, go for it. It’s that important to get the word out there.”
Knox County has seen close calls on its rivers since 2019.
Totman recalled an incident where a group had to be rescued on the Mohican River, near the Greer access point in northeastern Knox County, during high-water conditions. A similar scenario played out in Mount Vernon, on the Kokosing River, when a family found itself stranded on an island and had to call for help.
But no one has died. Because of this, Totman considers the initiative a success.
“We have not had any drownings, and that was the goal,” she said.
In many ways, Totman said, the signs were installed at just the right time. River traffic increased drastically during the pandemic – as did traffic on bike paths and hiking trails – as people looked for recreational alternatives to the pool and gym.
“The swimming pools were closed,” Totman explained. “So if it’s a hot day – if it’s 95 degrees – where do you go? You go to the river.”
She recalled driving by the Mohican River on Labor Day last year, and seeing something she’d never seen before, in her years of local service.
“It was insane,” Totman said with a laugh. “I have never seen that many people in kayaks, tubes – those big tubes that hold parties of people. I have never, in all my life, seen that many people on the river at one time. It was craziness.”
But again — despite this increased traffic, no one has died since that fateful June month in 2019. Totman knows signs can’t single-handedly prevent tragedies from occurring, but she believes they’ve played a role.
And for that, she’s proud.
“When I decided to move forward – to go out and do our own thing – I let (Doherty) and ODNR know what I was doing. But I didn’t feel like I could wait another season,” Totman recalled.
“With two deaths in one week, we needed to do something right now. So, we did.”
