Author: sHq_LoGiNz

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Westgate Resorts has been named the best digital detox vacation spot in 2026 by Consumer365, recognizing its offline retreat experience at Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo in Central Florida.

Best Digital Detox Retreat

• Westgate Resorts – a U.S.-based hospitality company that develops and operates vacation resorts and experiential travel destinations across the country, offering accommodations, group retreats, and leisure-focused getaways in both urban and nature-driven settings

The designation reflects a broader shift in travel preferences as families, youth groups, and corporate teams increasingly seek experiences that encourage reduced screen time and in-person connection. With digital fatigue and constant connectivity cited as growing concerns among travelers, resorts offering structured offline programming have gained renewed attention.

Located along the Kissimmee River, Westgate River Ranch Resort offers a ranch-style environment designed to encourage guests to step away from devices and engage with nature, outdoor recreation, and shared activities.

A Florida-Based Retreat Centered on Offline Experiences

At Westgate River Ranch, digital detox programming is built into the guest experience. Rather than positioning the retreat as a strict technology ban, the resort emphasizes immersive alternatives that naturally redirect attention from screens to hands-on activities.

Guests participating in digital detox retreats can expect:

• Campfire gatherings focused on storytelling and stargazing
• Amazing Race-style team challenges
• Private hayrides and line dancing lessons
• Cattle drive experiences
• Archery instruction and skeet shooting
• Swamp buggy and airboat adventures
• A Saturday night rodeo open to guests
• On-site bourbon tastings such as S’mores ‘n Pours featuring Buffalo Trace bourbon

The ranch-style programming is structured to support both relaxation and active participation. According to Westgate Resorts’ retreat materials, the goal is to create an environment where technology becomes secondary to shared experience.

Digital Detox Programming for Families and Youth Groups

Consumer365’s recognition highlighted the resort’s adaptability for different age groups, particularly its structured programming for children and youth organizations.

For families seeking a digital detox retreat for kids, the resort offers outdoor-focused activities designed to encourage imagination and physical engagement. Options include:

• Archery and fishing
• Petting farm access
• Cowboy Adventure Park
• Swamp buggy rides
• Airboat excursions
• Hands-on rodeo experiences

With more than 15 accommodation types available, including traditional lodge rooms and glamping-style units, families can return for repeat visits while experiencing different lodging formats each time.

The emphasis on outdoor recreation aligns with broader travel trends showing increased demand for nature-based getaways, especially in domestic destinations.

Adult-Focused Retreats Emphasizing Nature and Reflection

For adults, Westgate River Ranch frames its digital detox retreats as an opportunity to exchange notifications for outdoor immersion. Activities such as horseback riding, skeet shooting, and guided ranch experiences provide structured alternatives to screen time.

Accommodations include unique glamping options such as teepees, tents, and Conestoga wagons. These lodging formats are designed to complement the rustic setting while maintaining comfort standards expected at a full-service resort.

Evening programming often centers on communal gatherings, including campfires and ranch events, reinforcing the offline theme. By offering curated experiences rather than unstructured downtime, the resort aims to help guests disengage from habitual device use.

Team Building and Corporate Retreat Applications

Beyond leisure travel, Westgate River Ranch has positioned its digital detox programming as a team-building solution for businesses and organizations.

Group retreats incorporate structured challenges intended to foster collaboration and communication. Activities such as cattle drives, line dancing instruction, and Amazing Race-style competitions are organized to encourage participation and interaction.

Corporate planners have increasingly explored offline retreat formats as a counterbalance to remote and hybrid work environments. As companies continue evaluating employee engagement strategies, experiential travel programs that emphasize real-world interaction have become part of that discussion.

Digital Detox Travel as a Broader Industry Trend

The recognition from Consumer365 reflects a growing segment within the travel industry focused on intentional disconnection. As smartphones and remote work blur boundaries between personal and professional life, travelers are exploring vacations designed to create clear breaks from digital routines.

Florida has remained a popular destination for experiential travel due to its climate, accessibility, and range of outdoor environments. Westgate River Ranch’s rural setting provides an alternative to traditional beach or theme park vacations, offering a working dude ranch atmosphere within driving distance of major metropolitan areas.

By combining outdoor recreation, structured group programming, and varied lodging options, the resort has positioned its digital detox retreat as part of a wider movement toward restorative travel.

Click here for the full review at Consumer365.

About Westgate Resorts

Westgate Resorts is a diversified hospitality company headquartered in Orlando, Fla., featuring the largest privately held timeshare resort club in the world and a portfolio of more than 60 resort properties. The company offers spacious villa accommodations, world-class amenities, and family-friendly destinations in sought-after locations such as Orlando, Las Vegas, Gatlinburg, Park City, and Myrtle Beach. In 2025, the company expanded its footprint with the addition of VI Resorts by Westgate, enhancing its presence in the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, Canada, and Mexico. Since its founding in 1982, Westgate has focused on creating memorable vacations and delivering exceptional service, while maintaining a commitment to innovation, hospitality, and community engagement. Whether guests are seeking relaxation, adventure, or a combination of both, the company’s 9,000 Team Members provide personalized and value-driven getaways tailored to every traveler’s needs. Connect with Westgate Resorts on social media through LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook and learn more at WestgateResorts.com.

About Consumer365.org: Consumer365 provides consumer news and industry insights. As an affiliate, Consumer365 may earn commissions from sales generated using links provided.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/best-digital-detox-vacation-2026-westgate-resorts-named-top-offline-retreat-for-relaxation-by-consumer365-302696080.html

SOURCE Consumer365.org

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Westgate Resorts has been named the best digital detox vacation spot in 2026 by Consumer365, recognizing its offline retreat experience at Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo in Central Florida.

Best Digital Detox Retreat

• Westgate Resorts – a U.S.-based hospitality company that develops and operates vacation resorts and experiential travel destinations across the country, offering accommodations, group retreats, and leisure-focused getaways in both urban and nature-driven settings

The designation reflects a broader shift in travel preferences as families, youth groups, and corporate teams increasingly seek experiences that encourage reduced screen time and in-person connection. With digital fatigue and constant connectivity cited as growing concerns among travelers, resorts offering structured offline programming have gained renewed attention.

Located along the Kissimmee River, Westgate River Ranch Resort offers a ranch-style environment designed to encourage guests to step away from devices and engage with nature, outdoor recreation, and shared activities.

A Florida-Based Retreat Centered on Offline Experiences

At Westgate River Ranch, digital detox programming is built into the guest experience. Rather than positioning the retreat as a strict technology ban, the resort emphasizes immersive alternatives that naturally redirect attention from screens to hands-on activities.

Guests participating in digital detox retreats can expect:

• Campfire gatherings focused on storytelling and stargazing
• Amazing Race-style team challenges
• Private hayrides and line dancing lessons
• Cattle drive experiences
• Archery instruction and skeet shooting
• Swamp buggy and airboat adventures
• A Saturday night rodeo open to guests
• On-site bourbon tastings such as S’mores ‘n Pours featuring Buffalo Trace bourbon

The ranch-style programming is structured to support both relaxation and active participation. According to Westgate Resorts’ retreat materials, the goal is to create an environment where technology becomes secondary to shared experience.

Digital Detox Programming for Families and Youth Groups

Consumer365’s recognition highlighted the resort’s adaptability for different age groups, particularly its structured programming for children and youth organizations.

For families seeking a digital detox retreat for kids, the resort offers outdoor-focused activities designed to encourage imagination and physical engagement. Options include:

• Archery and fishing
• Petting farm access
• Cowboy Adventure Park
• Swamp buggy rides
• Airboat excursions
• Hands-on rodeo experiences

With more than 15 accommodation types available, including traditional lodge rooms and glamping-style units, families can return for repeat visits while experiencing different lodging formats each time.

The emphasis on outdoor recreation aligns with broader travel trends showing increased demand for nature-based getaways, especially in domestic destinations.

Adult-Focused Retreats Emphasizing Nature and Reflection

For adults, Westgate River Ranch frames its digital detox retreats as an opportunity to exchange notifications for outdoor immersion. Activities such as horseback riding, skeet shooting, and guided ranch experiences provide structured alternatives to screen time.

Accommodations include unique glamping options such as teepees, tents, and Conestoga wagons. These lodging formats are designed to complement the rustic setting while maintaining comfort standards expected at a full-service resort.

Evening programming often centers on communal gatherings, including campfires and ranch events, reinforcing the offline theme. By offering curated experiences rather than unstructured downtime, the resort aims to help guests disengage from habitual device use.

Team Building and Corporate Retreat Applications

Beyond leisure travel, Westgate River Ranch has positioned its digital detox programming as a team-building solution for businesses and organizations.

Group retreats incorporate structured challenges intended to foster collaboration and communication. Activities such as cattle drives, line dancing instruction, and Amazing Race-style competitions are organized to encourage participation and interaction.

Corporate planners have increasingly explored offline retreat formats as a counterbalance to remote and hybrid work environments. As companies continue evaluating employee engagement strategies, experiential travel programs that emphasize real-world interaction have become part of that discussion.

Digital Detox Travel as a Broader Industry Trend

The recognition from Consumer365 reflects a growing segment within the travel industry focused on intentional disconnection. As smartphones and remote work blur boundaries between personal and professional life, travelers are exploring vacations designed to create clear breaks from digital routines.

Florida has remained a popular destination for experiential travel due to its climate, accessibility, and range of outdoor environments. Westgate River Ranch’s rural setting provides an alternative to traditional beach or theme park vacations, offering a working dude ranch atmosphere within driving distance of major metropolitan areas.

By combining outdoor recreation, structured group programming, and varied lodging options, the resort has positioned its digital detox retreat as part of a wider movement toward restorative travel.

Click here for the full review at Consumer365.

About Westgate Resorts

Westgate Resorts is a diversified hospitality company headquartered in Orlando, Fla., featuring the largest privately held timeshare resort club in the world and a portfolio of more than 60 resort properties. The company offers spacious villa accommodations, world-class amenities, and family-friendly destinations in sought-after locations such as Orlando, Las Vegas, Gatlinburg, Park City, and Myrtle Beach. In 2025, the company expanded its footprint with the addition of VI Resorts by Westgate, enhancing its presence in the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, Canada, and Mexico. Since its founding in 1982, Westgate has focused on creating memorable vacations and delivering exceptional service, while maintaining a commitment to innovation, hospitality, and community engagement. Whether guests are seeking relaxation, adventure, or a combination of both, the company’s 9,000 Team Members provide personalized and value-driven getaways tailored to every traveler’s needs. Connect with Westgate Resorts on social media through LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook and learn more at WestgateResorts.com.

About Consumer365.org: Consumer365 provides consumer news and industry insights. As an affiliate, Consumer365 may earn commissions from sales generated using links provided.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/best-digital-detox-vacation-2026-westgate-resorts-named-top-offline-retreat-for-relaxation-by-consumer365-302696080.html

SOURCE Consumer365.org

Comments needed by March 7 for 6,639 acres in Egypt Valley Wildlife Area; March 15 for 513 acres under Salt Fork State Park and 1,596 more acres of Egypt Valley

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ohioans who love their state parks and public lands need to tell the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) to stop fracking them.

Over 8236 acres of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area’s 18,000 acres in Belmont County may be handed over for fracking at the commission’s next meeting, along with an additional 513 acres of Salt Fork State Park.

A total of 11,603 acres of Ohio state parks and wildlife areas have been approved for fracking by the commission since 2023, as well as 25 rights-of-way on Ohio Department of Transportation land and 6.9 acres at Noble Correctional Institution.

If approved, the latest round of fracking nominations would come close to doubling the acreage of public lands the state had already approved over the past three years.

Save Ohio Parks asks the public to tell the commission to deny fracking under Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and Salt Fork State Park.

The deadline to submit comments for Egypt Valley nominations 26-DNR-0001 and 26-DNR-0002 is March 7. Comments on an additional two nominations of land in Egypt Valley, 26-DNR-0004 and 26-DNR-0005, are due March 15.

The wildlife area is popular for hiking, fishing, and hunting. Its land was strip-mined for decades, but reclaimed through years of rehabilitation beginning in the 1990s.

Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County is Ohio’s largest and arguably most beautiful park at 20,000 acres. It was the first state park to be approved for fracking in 2023, despite large citizen protests at OGLMC meetings.

Salt Fork is popular for camping, swimming, fishing, hunting, hiking, and horseback riding. Comment deadline for the 26-DNR-0003 Salt Fork parcel is March 15.

“Everyone who cares about keeping our pristine natural lands from being industrialized and wants to protect our health, our clean air, water and biodiversity in Ohio has a responsibility to act now and tell the OGLMC to say NO to fracking these beautiful, unspoiled land,” said Rebecca Malik, board member at Save Ohio Parks. “Ohio’s public lands were set aside beginning in 1949 the pleasure and leisure of the people of Ohio for all time. They are not owned by one governor or a supermajority political party seeking to monetize and destroy them with the help of the gas and oil industry.”

Arguments against fracking Ohio are many, as well as serious. Ninety-eight percent of citizen comments filed with the commission regarding fracking nominations are consistently opposed to fracking Ohio public lands.

Fracking is dangerous. Research by Save Ohio Parks’ Jenny Morgan and Fractracker Alliance documented and mapped 1,900 gas and oil “incidents” since 2015. This amounts to an accident or incident every 1.5 days.

An explosion and massive fire at the Groh well pad six miles from Salt Fork State Park in January 2025 forced the overnight evacuation of an entire township and spurred the formation of a statewide environmental organization coalition calling for Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to declare a moratorium on fracking under state parks and public lands. His office has ignored the group.

Gas and oil waste management and storage in Ohio is notably poor. In November 2025, coalition member Buckeye Environmental Network sued the ODNR for using old, lax rules to permit two Class II injection wells in Washington County. The county already has 17 wells—among the most in the state.

Washington County for Safe Drinking Water, a Marietta-based citizen group concerned about groundwater contamination from migrating oil and gas wastewater brine, has asked DeWine for a moratorium on injection well approvals. That request has also been ignored.

Fracking converts Ohio’s fresh water into toxic, radioactive waste. Research by Save Ohio Parks found that fracking approved through January 12, 2026, would use at least 1.9 billion gallons of fresh water taken from Ohio lakes and streams, converting it into toxic radioactive waste that must be stored in underground injection wells forever.

The five current nominations in Salt Fork and Egypt Valley would greatly add to the amount of fresh water taken from Ohio’s water cycle forever.

Lea Harper is director of Freshwater Accountability Project, which has advocated for fresh water and spoken out on the dangers of fracking since 2012.

“Gas and oil waste brine is shot into injection wells with no monitoring wells surrounding them to detect migration of toxic materials,” said Harper. “It deeply saddens me to see the fracking industry taking billions of gallons of water from our lakes and streams each year. That water is destroyed by a single boom-bust industry and forced underground forever, never to sparkle in the sun again. Can we afford to lose that much of our precious freshwater? I don’t think so, but few in Ohio government seem to care.”

Each of the 67 nominations so far for state parks, wildlife areas, Ohio Department of Transportation rights-of-way, and Department of Corrections land are listed on the Save Ohio Parks website. Click on each nomination to learn more and find out how to file a comment on the five open nominations of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and Salt Fork State Park.

Save Ohio Parks is a statewide nonprofit made of volunteers dedicated to educating the public about methane gas (natural gas) fracking’s dangers to human health, the environment and our public lands, in conjunction with Ohio’s lax gas and oil waste management and storage practices.

Contact: Melinda Zemper
Email: mzemper@fuse.net 
Phone: (513) 706-3737

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/save-ohio-parks-public-comments-needed-to-stop-fracking-8-749-acres-at-salt-fork-egypt-valley-302696040.html

SOURCE Save Ohio Parks

Comments needed by March 7 for 6,639 acres in Egypt Valley Wildlife Area; March 15 for 513 acres under Salt Fork State Park and 1,596 more acres of Egypt Valley

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ohioans who love their state parks and public lands need to tell the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) to stop fracking them.

Over 8236 acres of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area’s 18,000 acres in Belmont County may be handed over for fracking at the commission’s next meeting, along with an additional 513 acres of Salt Fork State Park.

A total of 11,603 acres of Ohio state parks and wildlife areas have been approved for fracking by the commission since 2023, as well as 25 rights-of-way on Ohio Department of Transportation land and 6.9 acres at Noble Correctional Institution.

If approved, the latest round of fracking nominations would come close to doubling the acreage of public lands the state had already approved over the past three years.

Save Ohio Parks asks the public to tell the commission to deny fracking under Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and Salt Fork State Park.

The deadline to submit comments for Egypt Valley nominations 26-DNR-0001 and 26-DNR-0002 is March 7. Comments on an additional two nominations of land in Egypt Valley, 26-DNR-0004 and 26-DNR-0005, are due March 15.

The wildlife area is popular for hiking, fishing, and hunting. Its land was strip-mined for decades, but reclaimed through years of rehabilitation beginning in the 1990s.

Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County is Ohio’s largest and arguably most beautiful park at 20,000 acres. It was the first state park to be approved for fracking in 2023, despite large citizen protests at OGLMC meetings.

Salt Fork is popular for camping, swimming, fishing, hunting, hiking, and horseback riding. Comment deadline for the 26-DNR-0003 Salt Fork parcel is March 15.

“Everyone who cares about keeping our pristine natural lands from being industrialized and wants to protect our health, our clean air, water and biodiversity in Ohio has a responsibility to act now and tell the OGLMC to say NO to fracking these beautiful, unspoiled land,” said Rebecca Malik, board member at Save Ohio Parks. “Ohio’s public lands were set aside beginning in 1949 the pleasure and leisure of the people of Ohio for all time. They are not owned by one governor or a supermajority political party seeking to monetize and destroy them with the help of the gas and oil industry.”

Arguments against fracking Ohio are many, as well as serious. Ninety-eight percent of citizen comments filed with the commission regarding fracking nominations are consistently opposed to fracking Ohio public lands.

Fracking is dangerous. Research by Save Ohio Parks’ Jenny Morgan and Fractracker Alliance documented and mapped 1,900 gas and oil “incidents” since 2015. This amounts to an accident or incident every 1.5 days.

An explosion and massive fire at the Groh well pad six miles from Salt Fork State Park in January 2025 forced the overnight evacuation of an entire township and spurred the formation of a statewide environmental organization coalition calling for Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to declare a moratorium on fracking under state parks and public lands. His office has ignored the group.

Gas and oil waste management and storage in Ohio is notably poor. In November 2025, coalition member Buckeye Environmental Network sued the ODNR for using old, lax rules to permit two Class II injection wells in Washington County. The county already has 17 wells—among the most in the state.

Washington County for Safe Drinking Water, a Marietta-based citizen group concerned about groundwater contamination from migrating oil and gas wastewater brine, has asked DeWine for a moratorium on injection well approvals. That request has also been ignored.

Fracking converts Ohio’s fresh water into toxic, radioactive waste. Research by Save Ohio Parks found that fracking approved through January 12, 2026, would use at least 1.9 billion gallons of fresh water taken from Ohio lakes and streams, converting it into toxic radioactive waste that must be stored in underground injection wells forever.

The five current nominations in Salt Fork and Egypt Valley would greatly add to the amount of fresh water taken from Ohio’s water cycle forever.

Lea Harper is director of Freshwater Accountability Project, which has advocated for fresh water and spoken out on the dangers of fracking since 2012.

“Gas and oil waste brine is shot into injection wells with no monitoring wells surrounding them to detect migration of toxic materials,” said Harper. “It deeply saddens me to see the fracking industry taking billions of gallons of water from our lakes and streams each year. That water is destroyed by a single boom-bust industry and forced underground forever, never to sparkle in the sun again. Can we afford to lose that much of our precious freshwater? I don’t think so, but few in Ohio government seem to care.”

Each of the 67 nominations so far for state parks, wildlife areas, Ohio Department of Transportation rights-of-way, and Department of Corrections land are listed on the Save Ohio Parks website. Click on each nomination to learn more and find out how to file a comment on the five open nominations of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and Salt Fork State Park.

Save Ohio Parks is a statewide nonprofit made of volunteers dedicated to educating the public about methane gas (natural gas) fracking’s dangers to human health, the environment and our public lands, in conjunction with Ohio’s lax gas and oil waste management and storage practices.

Contact: Melinda Zemper
Email: mzemper@fuse.net 
Phone: (513) 706-3737

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/save-ohio-parks-public-comments-needed-to-stop-fracking-8-749-acres-at-salt-fork-egypt-valley-302696040.html

SOURCE Save Ohio Parks

Comments needed by March 7 for 6,639 acres in Egypt Valley Wildlife Area; March 15 for 513 acres under Salt Fork State Park and 1,596 more acres of Egypt Valley

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ohioans who love their state parks and public lands need to tell the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) to stop fracking them.

Over 8236 acres of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area’s 18,000 acres in Belmont County may be handed over for fracking at the commission’s next meeting, along with an additional 513 acres of Salt Fork State Park.

A total of 11,603 acres of Ohio state parks and wildlife areas have been approved for fracking by the commission since 2023, as well as 25 rights-of-way on Ohio Department of Transportation land and 6.9 acres at Noble Correctional Institution.

If approved, the latest round of fracking nominations would come close to doubling the acreage of public lands the state had already approved over the past three years.

Save Ohio Parks asks the public to tell the commission to deny fracking under Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and Salt Fork State Park.

The deadline to submit comments for Egypt Valley nominations 26-DNR-0001 and 26-DNR-0002 is March 7. Comments on an additional two nominations of land in Egypt Valley, 26-DNR-0004 and 26-DNR-0005, are due March 15.

The wildlife area is popular for hiking, fishing, and hunting. Its land was strip-mined for decades, but reclaimed through years of rehabilitation beginning in the 1990s.

Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County is Ohio’s largest and arguably most beautiful park at 20,000 acres. It was the first state park to be approved for fracking in 2023, despite large citizen protests at OGLMC meetings.

Salt Fork is popular for camping, swimming, fishing, hunting, hiking, and horseback riding. Comment deadline for the 26-DNR-0003 Salt Fork parcel is March 15.

“Everyone who cares about keeping our pristine natural lands from being industrialized and wants to protect our health, our clean air, water and biodiversity in Ohio has a responsibility to act now and tell the OGLMC to say NO to fracking these beautiful, unspoiled land,” said Rebecca Malik, board member at Save Ohio Parks. “Ohio’s public lands were set aside beginning in 1949 the pleasure and leisure of the people of Ohio for all time. They are not owned by one governor or a supermajority political party seeking to monetize and destroy them with the help of the gas and oil industry.”

Arguments against fracking Ohio are many, as well as serious. Ninety-eight percent of citizen comments filed with the commission regarding fracking nominations are consistently opposed to fracking Ohio public lands.

Fracking is dangerous. Research by Save Ohio Parks’ Jenny Morgan and Fractracker Alliance documented and mapped 1,900 gas and oil “incidents” since 2015. This amounts to an accident or incident every 1.5 days.

An explosion and massive fire at the Groh well pad six miles from Salt Fork State Park in January 2025 forced the overnight evacuation of an entire township and spurred the formation of a statewide environmental organization coalition calling for Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to declare a moratorium on fracking under state parks and public lands. His office has ignored the group.

Gas and oil waste management and storage in Ohio is notably poor. In November 2025, coalition member Buckeye Environmental Network sued the ODNR for using old, lax rules to permit two Class II injection wells in Washington County. The county already has 17 wells—among the most in the state.

Washington County for Safe Drinking Water, a Marietta-based citizen group concerned about groundwater contamination from migrating oil and gas wastewater brine, has asked DeWine for a moratorium on injection well approvals. That request has also been ignored.

Fracking converts Ohio’s fresh water into toxic, radioactive waste. Research by Save Ohio Parks found that fracking approved through January 12, 2026, would use at least 1.9 billion gallons of fresh water taken from Ohio lakes and streams, converting it into toxic radioactive waste that must be stored in underground injection wells forever.

The five current nominations in Salt Fork and Egypt Valley would greatly add to the amount of fresh water taken from Ohio’s water cycle forever.

Lea Harper is director of Freshwater Accountability Project, which has advocated for fresh water and spoken out on the dangers of fracking since 2012.

“Gas and oil waste brine is shot into injection wells with no monitoring wells surrounding them to detect migration of toxic materials,” said Harper. “It deeply saddens me to see the fracking industry taking billions of gallons of water from our lakes and streams each year. That water is destroyed by a single boom-bust industry and forced underground forever, never to sparkle in the sun again. Can we afford to lose that much of our precious freshwater? I don’t think so, but few in Ohio government seem to care.”

Each of the 67 nominations so far for state parks, wildlife areas, Ohio Department of Transportation rights-of-way, and Department of Corrections land are listed on the Save Ohio Parks website. Click on each nomination to learn more and find out how to file a comment on the five open nominations of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and Salt Fork State Park.

Save Ohio Parks is a statewide nonprofit made of volunteers dedicated to educating the public about methane gas (natural gas) fracking’s dangers to human health, the environment and our public lands, in conjunction with Ohio’s lax gas and oil waste management and storage practices.

Contact: Melinda Zemper
Email: mzemper@fuse.net 
Phone: (513) 706-3737

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/save-ohio-parks-public-comments-needed-to-stop-fracking-8-749-acres-at-salt-fork-egypt-valley-302696040.html

SOURCE Save Ohio Parks

Comments needed by March 7 for 6,639 acres in Egypt Valley Wildlife Area; March 15 for 513 acres under Salt Fork State Park and 1,596 more acres of Egypt Valley

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ohioans who love their state parks and public lands need to tell the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) to stop fracking them.

Over 8236 acres of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area’s 18,000 acres in Belmont County may be handed over for fracking at the commission’s next meeting, along with an additional 513 acres of Salt Fork State Park.

A total of 11,603 acres of Ohio state parks and wildlife areas have been approved for fracking by the commission since 2023, as well as 25 rights-of-way on Ohio Department of Transportation land and 6.9 acres at Noble Correctional Institution.

If approved, the latest round of fracking nominations would come close to doubling the acreage of public lands the state had already approved over the past three years.

Save Ohio Parks asks the public to tell the commission to deny fracking under Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and Salt Fork State Park.

The deadline to submit comments for Egypt Valley nominations 26-DNR-0001 and 26-DNR-0002 is March 7. Comments on an additional two nominations of land in Egypt Valley, 26-DNR-0004 and 26-DNR-0005, are due March 15.

The wildlife area is popular for hiking, fishing, and hunting. Its land was strip-mined for decades, but reclaimed through years of rehabilitation beginning in the 1990s.

Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County is Ohio’s largest and arguably most beautiful park at 20,000 acres. It was the first state park to be approved for fracking in 2023, despite large citizen protests at OGLMC meetings.

Salt Fork is popular for camping, swimming, fishing, hunting, hiking, and horseback riding. Comment deadline for the 26-DNR-0003 Salt Fork parcel is March 15.

“Everyone who cares about keeping our pristine natural lands from being industrialized and wants to protect our health, our clean air, water and biodiversity in Ohio has a responsibility to act now and tell the OGLMC to say NO to fracking these beautiful, unspoiled land,” said Rebecca Malik, board member at Save Ohio Parks. “Ohio’s public lands were set aside beginning in 1949 the pleasure and leisure of the people of Ohio for all time. They are not owned by one governor or a supermajority political party seeking to monetize and destroy them with the help of the gas and oil industry.”

Arguments against fracking Ohio are many, as well as serious. Ninety-eight percent of citizen comments filed with the commission regarding fracking nominations are consistently opposed to fracking Ohio public lands.

Fracking is dangerous. Research by Save Ohio Parks’ Jenny Morgan and Fractracker Alliance documented and mapped 1,900 gas and oil “incidents” since 2015. This amounts to an accident or incident every 1.5 days.

An explosion and massive fire at the Groh well pad six miles from Salt Fork State Park in January 2025 forced the overnight evacuation of an entire township and spurred the formation of a statewide environmental organization coalition calling for Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to declare a moratorium on fracking under state parks and public lands. His office has ignored the group.

Gas and oil waste management and storage in Ohio is notably poor. In November 2025, coalition member Buckeye Environmental Network sued the ODNR for using old, lax rules to permit two Class II injection wells in Washington County. The county already has 17 wells—among the most in the state.

Washington County for Safe Drinking Water, a Marietta-based citizen group concerned about groundwater contamination from migrating oil and gas wastewater brine, has asked DeWine for a moratorium on injection well approvals. That request has also been ignored.

Fracking converts Ohio’s fresh water into toxic, radioactive waste. Research by Save Ohio Parks found that fracking approved through January 12, 2026, would use at least 1.9 billion gallons of fresh water taken from Ohio lakes and streams, converting it into toxic radioactive waste that must be stored in underground injection wells forever.

The five current nominations in Salt Fork and Egypt Valley would greatly add to the amount of fresh water taken from Ohio’s water cycle forever.

Lea Harper is director of Freshwater Accountability Project, which has advocated for fresh water and spoken out on the dangers of fracking since 2012.

“Gas and oil waste brine is shot into injection wells with no monitoring wells surrounding them to detect migration of toxic materials,” said Harper. “It deeply saddens me to see the fracking industry taking billions of gallons of water from our lakes and streams each year. That water is destroyed by a single boom-bust industry and forced underground forever, never to sparkle in the sun again. Can we afford to lose that much of our precious freshwater? I don’t think so, but few in Ohio government seem to care.”

Each of the 67 nominations so far for state parks, wildlife areas, Ohio Department of Transportation rights-of-way, and Department of Corrections land are listed on the Save Ohio Parks website. Click on each nomination to learn more and find out how to file a comment on the five open nominations of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and Salt Fork State Park.

Save Ohio Parks is a statewide nonprofit made of volunteers dedicated to educating the public about methane gas (natural gas) fracking’s dangers to human health, the environment and our public lands, in conjunction with Ohio’s lax gas and oil waste management and storage practices.

Contact: Melinda Zemper
Email: mzemper@fuse.net 
Phone: (513) 706-3737

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/save-ohio-parks-public-comments-needed-to-stop-fracking-8-749-acres-at-salt-fork-egypt-valley-302696040.html

SOURCE Save Ohio Parks