Green Euclid

The Lacustrine Refuge is a wetland restoration project located in Wildwood Lakefront State Park in the Euclid Creek Watershed on the Main Branch of Euclid Creek, a tributary to Lake Erie that is heavily urbanized and affected by urban runoff and habitat degradation in the city of Cleveland.  The Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District applied for and was awarded $1,396,050 from the US EPA through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to fund the Lacustrine Refuge project.

An estuary, or lacustuary in freshwater systems, provides habitat for nearshore fish and typically consists of wetlands.  Today, the Euclid Creek estuarine zone has been modified for a public park and marina, but opportunity exists to restore some of the natural estuary function. 

The Lacustrine Refuge project will restore three acres of urban coastal wetlands and restore 1,100 linear feet of shoreline habitat to serve as a fish habitat refuge and nursery for the urban coastal estuary zone.  In addition, eroding banks in the park will be stabilized and invasive plants replaced with native plants to attract more birds and amphibians to the area.

The Lacustrine Refuge project provides a rare opportunity for nearby residents of Cleveland and Euclid to connect with nature and to experience native plant species long displaced from our region and to enjoy wildlife species which have disappeared.  Keep updated on this exciting project by checking the Euclid Creek website at http://www.cuyahogaswcd.org/EuclidCreekFiles/EC_LacustrineRefuge.htm.

 

Volunteers from the Collinwood Masonic Lodge #582, a women's rugby team, General Electric employees, college and high school students and neighborhood residents came together in mid-March for the first Euclid Beach cleanup of 2011. They managed to collect an absolute hands-down record of 234 pounds of trash, over 75 pounds of which was recycled!  Thanks to those hard working volunteers who collected over 850 cigar tips, close to 200 plastic bags bottles and cans and well over 150 plastic and paper bags! The most "unique" items collected included a freezer door and a construction barrel! 

Volunteers joined forces again in mid-April to continue their clean-up efforts. But this is only the beginning of a long and active year ahead! With summer around the corner, we are going to need your help! Now more than ever join volunteers just like you this summer along with over 7,000 other volunteers across the Great Lakes as we tackle some of the toughest months of the year for beach and water quality!  Remember, our Great Lakes constitute over one-fifth of the earth's fresh surface water. Let’s at least take care of the beaches in our own community!  

For more information on the Euclid Beach Adopt-a-Beach Team, e-mail Stephen Love at stephen.love20@gmail.com or call (216) 571-0685. Interested on-liners can visit the Euclid Beach Adopt-a-Beach Team on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Euclid-Beach-Adopt-a-Beach-Team/110703672309610?ref=ts.

Do you care about Lake Erie....the water we drink...our beaches and our wildlife?   Do you visit and use Euclid Beach, Villa Angela or Wild Wood State Parks? Do you care about access to quality recreational parks in your community?  

           The newest edition to Memorial Park will be opening this spring … Memorial Park Community Garden! (MPCG)Euclid’s newest community garden is approximately 1/3 of an acre; located on Milton Ave. off E 222nd ST. behind the jail, across from the volleyball courts.

After five years of planning and piecing together funding, work on the Euclid Creek East Branch dam removal and stream restoration project began Oct. 18. The dam is located in the city of Euclid, south of Euclid Avenue in the Euclid Creek Metropark Reservation below the Highland Road Bridge. It is one of six dams in the Euclid Creek Watershed impeding fish and aquatic life from traveling through the watershed’s stream network. The dams in Euclid Creek range from small dams built in the old mill days to others built as part of roadway improvement projects in the 1960s.

The Euclid City School District has installed a test patch of pervious concrete. This material allows water to pass through it, while retaining the strength of traditional concrete.  By allowing water to pass through, it keeps it out of our storm system and, improves water quality.

The East Shore Garden Club (ESGC) of Euclid will hold their eighth annual non-standard flower show and plant sale Sep. 14 at the Euclid Public Library. The hours of the show are from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Well when you’re stuck with lemons, they say to make lemonade. When my radishes bolted, I did a quick Google search and found that the resulting seed pods are a tasty addition to a salad.

It’s Good to be Green focuses on local, healthy and sustainable ways we can get our food, which is good for our bodies and our community.

In collaborative projects between the City Council and the Administration, Euclid is at various stages of adoption of new technologies that can save money, bring Euclid jobs and save our environment. Three areas in particular are moving forward.