CONTACT: Sandra Livingston
Office 216-377-1341
Cell 216-650-7204 www.portofcleveland.com
Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Re-Opens Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve
Visitors welcome daily; Special bird migration walks May 18 for RiverDay
MAY 10, 2013 – The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority has re-opened the Cleveland Lakefront
Nature Preserve in time for the spring bird migration season. The 88-acre wildlife haven had been temporarily closed during the environmental remediation of 5-acre site.
Since February, 2012 when the Port Authority opened the Preserve, nearly 17,000 visitors from 42 states and 15 countries have come to this manmade peninsula located on the lakefront and in the city. Over time researchers and others visiting the site have identified more than 280 species of birds at the site, which
Audubon Ohio has designated as an Important Bird Area because of its location at the intersection of four migratory bird routes.
May is the start of the spring migration and a prime time for visitors to walk the preserve. The Preserve is open during daylight hours and provides one-of-a-kind recreational and educational opportunities for children and adults. It is adjacent to Cleveland Lakefront State Park and located at the northern end of
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. There is no admission fee, and parking is free.
On May 18, visitors can enjoy guided walks at the Preserve as part of the annual RiverDay events.
Knowledgeable birders will lead morning walks at 7:30, 8:30, and 9:30. RiverDay is a day of service and celebration in the Cuyahoga Watershed and is sponsored by Friends of the Crooked River and the Cuyahoga
RAP. The Port Authority and Friends of the Crooked River are sponsoring the migration bird walks.
Visitors to the Preserve can view both as well as a wide variety of other wildlife. Over time researchers and others visiting the site have identified 29 species of butterflies, 16 species of mammals, 2 species of reptiles, 26 Ohio plant species, and 9 species of trees and shrubs.
The remediation project at the Preserve was conducted by the Port in partnership with Cuyahoga County, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio EPA, and the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation
District. It was funded by a U.S. EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Subgrant that was administered by the Cuyahoga County Department of Development.
For more information and directions to the Nature Preserve visit: http://www.portofcleveland.com/infrastructure-environment/cleveland-lakefront-nature-preserve/
For more information about RiverDay,
PRESS RELEASE MAY 10, 2013