Camp Tuscazoar, the historic camp in the Tuscarawas Valley near Dover, will receive $130,805 for trail and Tuscarawas River access work under a new grant program announced by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, the district said in its October 27, 2026 announcement.
The award is a Large Community Grant in the conservancy district’s inaugural Connecting Communities Grant Program, which is investing more than $975,000 across 13 projects — eight large community grants and five small community grants — the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District said. The Times-Reporter confirmed the Camp Tuscazoar award in its November 3, 2026 reporting on the program.
"Investing in our communities is an important part of MWCD’s mission, and these grants allow us to extend our impact beyond our parks and lakes," Craig Butler, the district’s executive director, said in the MWCD announcement. "From developing trails and improving river access to creating playgrounds and enhancing public spaces, these projects will provide lasting benefits for residents while supporting the communities in our region," Butler said in the announcement.
The 13 funded projects represent more than $6.4 million in total project investment once local matching resources are counted, and the competition to join them was stiff: the district received 67 applications requesting more than $7 million, according to the MWCD announcement. Projects were evaluated on public access, project readiness, community and economic vitality, financial leverage and alignment with the program’s goals, the district said.
The program is funded through revenue generated from oil and gas development in the watershed, the district said — a funding stream the conservancy is now steering into trails, river access, playgrounds and public spaces across the region it serves. For Tuscarawas County, the Camp Tuscazoar share means better paths and better ways to reach the river at a camp that has hosted generations of Ohio scouts and school groups.
Camp Tuscazoar bills itself as "Ohio’s Most Historic Camp," offering hiking, biking and outdoor education in the Tuscarawas Valley, according to the camp. River access matters there in practical terms: the Tuscarawas River is the valley’s defining waterway, and safe, maintained access points are what turn a scenic river into one families and school groups can actually use.
"One of the greatest benefits of this program is the opportunity to partner with communities and organizations that share our commitment to outdoor recreation and conservation," Butler added in the MWCD announcement. "By combining resources, we can help bring projects to life that might otherwise be difficult to accomplish on their own."
What happens next is the work itself: the Camp Tuscazoar Foundation will put the $130,805 toward its trail and river-access project, one of 13 community projects across the watershed now funded under the district’s first Connecting Communities round.
Photo: Tim Kiser, CC BY-SA 2.5