Grimm closed his Licking County canoe livery in 1984 and became, for a while, a full-time environmental activist. A dozen years later, the Licking River is fully recovered from the pollution that forced Grimm out of business. He's back in business, and he gives credit to the federal Clean Water Act. The Licking River glides gently from its source in Morrow County through Licking County before emptying into the reservoir created by the Dillon Lake Dam. It is surrounded by farm fields and small towns but reserves its most spectacular scenery for Black Hand Gorge, a 4.3-mile stretch of rocky sandstone bluffs and heavy forest cover in Licking County.
Paddlers share the scenery with herons, pileated woodpeckers and red-tailed hawks.
Cliff swallows dig homes in the river's banks. Beaver and mink patrol the shores. Despite a history of serious pollution problems, the Licking was the first river in Ohio to fully meet the goals of the Clean Water Act throughout its entire length, said Chris Yoder, head of the ecological assessment unit of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The Ohio EPA, under the guidelines set by the act, establishes use designations for all rivers and lakes in the state. A use designation defines the potential a body of water has to support aquatic life, provide a source for public drinking water and allow safe swimming.