Cleveland

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Dike 14

• Clevelands Nature Preserve

our children need wild places within their reach
to connect with nature
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Dike 14 is located 3.5 miles east of the
Cuyahoga River
Cleveland Harbor
Cuyahoga River
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Dike 14
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Dike 14
Dike 14 is the only natural area along the
Cleveland Lakefront, and the only accessible
natural area near Cleveland
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Dike 14
Clevelands students, teachers and families need
to have access to Lake Erie and a natural area
for enjoyment and environmental education right
in the heart of the city.
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Dike 14

• Why is Dike 14 Important?
• The development of Dike 14 as a nature preserve
  will provide access to the public and an economic
  stimulus, drawing visitors
• from around the
• Cleveland area and
• birders from
• around the
• country.

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Dike 14

• Why is Dike 14 Important?
• The City of Cleveland is developing a plan for
  our lakefront to make the lakefront more
  accessible and to stimulate economic development.
  Part of the plan includes
• discussion of the future
• use of Dike 14.

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Dike 14 Projects Ideas

• ? Bio-monitoring - survey the land and identify
  and map plant species, birds, and butterflies
• Sample Garden - create a garden outside the gate
  with sample plants of what is inside for
  education and identification
• EE Activities - assist in developing hands-on
  science EE activitie for use on Dike 14.
• Outreach - Help to inform the Cleveland community
  about Dike 14 and its value to Cleveland.

Photos US Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and
Wildlife Service and Earth Day Coalition
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Dike 14

• What is the Future of Dike 14?
• Value - Enjoy Learn about Nature
• The size of Dike 14 and its strategic location
  offer an excellent opportunity for neighborhood
  access to Lake Erie and rich and diverse
  wildlife.
• Many children in Cleveland live less than a
  mile or two from the shore of Lake Erie but
  seldom have an opportunity to actually see the
  lake.
• There are children growing up in Cleveland who
  never have a chance to see a birds nest, hear
  the wind in the trees along the lake shore or
  discover other wonders of the natural world
• Dike 14 can provide children, teachers and
  families with a unique connection to outstanding
  natural resources located in the heart of our
  community.

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Dike 14

• Value - Economic - Tourism
• The Ohio Department of Natural Resources
  identified community preferences for the future
  development of the site including public access,
  maintaining the site as a nature preserve (open
  green space) and promoting the site for nature
  education as a remarkable resource for children
  and schools.
• The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission
  Greenspace Plan included Dike 14 as exceptional
  wildlife habitat and an opportunity for tourism,
  nature and science education
• Audubon Ohio designated Dike 14 as an Important
  Bird Area (an international designation that
  identifies areas that are most important for
  maintaining bird populations, and focuses
  conservation efforts at protecting these sites).
• Audubon notes that the dikes location provides
  a rare refuge for wildlife along an otherwise
  urban shoreline.

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Dike 14

• Local Cooperating Agency (LCA)
• The Local Cooperating Agency is the dikes
  local sponsor, and must provide access to the
  Army Corps for the construction of a CDF.
• The Cleveland-Cuyahoga Port Authority is the
  Local Cooperating Agency for Dike 14.
• Now that the dike is closed, the Port Authority
  must maintain the dikes walls and drainage
  system.
• Today the LCA would also pay 25 of the funding
  for construction of a new CDF.

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Dike 14

• Who Owns Dike 14?
• The State of Ohio owns Dike 14 as Public Trust
  Land, and has leased it (submerged lands lease
  which expires in 2016) to the Cleveland-Cuyahoga
  County Port Authority solely for the purpose of
  allowing the US Army Corps of Engineers to build
  and fill the dike.

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Dike 14

• Who Controls Dike 14?
• Currently, the Port has administrative control
  solely for the purpose of maintaining the dike
  walls and drainage system for the Army Corps
  until the dike's future use is determined.
  Administrative control of the dike was turned
  over to the Port in 1999 when the Army Corps
  closed Dike 14 as a Confined Disposal Facility.