Photo provided Powhatan Point Marina will be full of educational booths along with people fishing and canoeing at the annual Ohio River Festival from 1-4 p.m. on Aug. 19, hosted by the Belmont Soil and Water Conservation District.

POWHATAN POINT — The Belmont Soil and Water Conservation District is hosting its annual Ohio River Festival to raise environmental awareness from 1-4 p.m. on Aug. 19 at the Powhatan Point Marina.

The event will be free to the public.

Turner Provost, Captina Watershed coordinator at Belmont SWCD, said that the event will feature many outdoor education booths including one for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. He said the booths will focus on the wildlife and insects living in Captina Creek. “People will get to learn about the types of animals that are living in their backyards,” he said. Provost hopes the booths help people appreciate the wildlife in the area.

Provost said that Belmont SWCD will also be offering free canoe rentals for all attendees.

Provost also said a lot of people come to the event every year to fish. Anyone with a valid fishing license or who is under the age of 16 is welcome to fish at the festival.

Provost said that for the first time, the event will feature a BB gun station.

“The game warden will be there teaching people about firearm safety, and people will get to fire the BB gun at paper targets,” he said.

Provost said attendees can enter to win door prizes for free. He said the prizes include themed packages including a kayak package; a birding package with a bird feeder, bird seed and binoculars; a package from Ducks Unlimited with duck calls and other duck hunting supplies; a fishing package; and a family camping package.

Hudson’s Brick Oven Pizza will be selling food and concessions at the marina that day.

Provost said the event is entirely funded through a Belmont County Tourism grant.

The first Ohio River Festival took place in 2019. Although Belmont SWCD canceled the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization hopes to continue hosting the event every year.

For more information, call Belmont SWCD at 740-526-0027 or visit the Belmont Soil and Water Conservation District Facebook page. The Belmont SWCD office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at 130 W. Main St. in St. Clairsville.

Belmont SWCD strives to promote the conservation of the Captina Creek Watershed by offering free soil testing to landowners in the Captina Creek Watershed and conducting quarterly water quality readings on tributaries and the mainstem of Captina.

The soil testing is designed to improve forage quality, animal health and water chemistry and increase the farmers’ return on investment. Any farm located south of Ohio 147 in Barnesville, Bethesda, Belmont, Malaga, Somerton, Centerville, Armstrongs Mills or Powhatan Point may be eligible for free soil testing.

The quarterly water quality readings are conducted by a group of volunteers from Belmont County known as the Stream Team. After doing the readings, the group submits the data for regulatory agencies to review. The team is open to all Belmont County residents and landowners who have an interest in conservation and biology.

For more information about Belmont SWCD’s programs, visit belmontswcd.org or call 740-526-0027.