With its origin in Pittsburgh, the Ohio River and its basin are of national significance both in geographic scope and the fish and mussel resources contained within them.  The Ohio River is the second largest river in the United States as measured by annual discharge and its annual flow exceeds even that of the Mississippi River upstream of their confluence.  The Ohio Basin drains approximately 204,000 square miles and includes portions of 14 states.  The basin contains a diversity of aquatic resources, including at least 350 species of fish ranging from endemic darters in the headwaters to a suite of great river fish, and more than 120 mussel species, including a number that are federally listed.  These figures approach half of the freshwater fishes and over a third of all mussel species found in the United States.  The Ohio River also supports a $1 billion sport fishery and is a source of drinking water for over 3 million people.  These important resources in the Ohio Basin, however, are imperiled by a number of historic impacts and continuing threats, including mineral extraction, row crop agriculture, and livestock grazing.  Given the significance of aquatic resources of the basin and the threats to these resources, a number of conservation plans have been developed, spanning the gamut from basin-wide to local watersheds to species-specific plans.  This symposium will bring together people involved in Ohio Basin conservation plans at all levels to increase the sharing of information and hopefully spark a synergy that will increase the success of these efforts.