Cleveland: Port Authority Re-Opens Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve

The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority re-opened the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve on May 1, 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 its opening by the port authority in February 2012, the preserve has attracted nearly 17,000 visitors from 42 states and 15 countries. The site, a manmade peninsula located on the city lakefront, is home to more than 280 species of birds and has been designated an Important Bird Area by Audubon Ohio because of its location at the intersection of four migratory bird routes. The port authority is co-sponsoring migration bird walks.

Visitors to the preserve can view a wide variety of other wildlife. Researchers and others visiting the site have identified 29 species of butterflies, 16 species of mammals, two species of reptiles, 26 Ohio plant species, and nine 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. 

American Association of Port Authorities
Asociación Americana de Autoridades Portuarias
1201 Maryland Ave SW, Suite 860, Washington, D.C. 20024
E: info@aapa-ports.org
W: www.aapa-ports.org