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:: Dike 14 Nature Preserve
 Dike 14 Nature Preserve is an existing 88-acre former dredge disposal site that has become an extraordinary wildlife haven adjacent to Gordon State Park/Cleveland Lakefront State Park at the northern end of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in the heart of Cleveland, Ohio. Over the years, Dike 14 Nature Preserve has become naturalized and provides a exceptional opportunity for access to Lake Erie as well as access to a remarkable diversity of birds that either make their home in or use the area as a rest stop during migration, plants and other wildlife. Hundreds of species of birds have been sighted at Dike 14 Nature Preserve along with butterflies, native Ohio plant species (trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses), mammals (coyote, deer, fox, mink, rabbits, raccoon), and reptiles. We had a great outreach event, Cinco de Mayo Migration on May 5, 2007. Click here for a species list and other information from the event. Our September event, Scenic Sunday was a great success. Click here for a species list from September 23, 2007. The next public outreach event is Saturday, September 20, 2008. Please call Chris at (216) 281-6468 x 227 if you would like to volunteer on September 20. Click here to download an event flyer for September 20. Click here to download small flyers to pass out. While you are in the neighborhood please consider visiting the Blue Pike Farm farm on E. 72nd St. (on the West side of the street) about 1/2 South of I-90 (the Shoreway & E.72nd St exit) on E. 72nd St. Next open house is on May 17. The Collaborative installed an informational kiosk on November 19, 2007 at the Cleveland Lakefront State Park near the entrance to the Dike 14 Nature Preserve. Take a look and learn a little about the history and plans for the nature preserve. Thank you to the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District, Cleveland Metroparks and Cleveland Lakefront State Park for their help and support. 
 More new signage on site at the Dike 14 Nature Preserve! 
  Click here for more general information on Dike 14 Nature Preserve. Click here for an article on the Dike 14 Nature Preserve in Balanced Living Magazine. Environmental testing and a risk assessment were conducted because of the source of the dredgings. Partners Environmental Consulting, Inc. from Solon, Ohio was the contractor for the environmental testing and risk assessment, working with The Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District. The US Environmental Protection Agency granted funds of $200,000 for the Dike 14 brownfield assessment and risk analysis. An 8-acre landfill is part of Dike 14. (The landfill was used from 1968 to 1970). Any disturbance to a landfill must receive authorization from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency before the work begins in accordance with Ohio Administrative Code 3745-27-13, commonly called Rule 13. This assessment project is now complete. Click here to access the quarterly reports, the Phase I & II, and ecological and human health assessments posted at cuyahogaswcd.org. The risk assessments shows that controlled public access is safe for its environmental education usage. Now the Dike 14 Nature Preserve can be protected and promoted as a nature preserve to provide environmental education to residents and school children. This has been done successfully at a similar disposal site in Buffalo, NY, called Times Beach. During its history, Dike 14 Nature Preserve has become a unique bird attraction on our city’s lakefront. It has been called a “high performance” site because of the number and diversity of birds using the site. Birds use Dike 14 Nature Preserve as a migratory stopover site because of its size, its strategic coastal location and the diverse wildlife habitats (grasslands, forest, meadows, mudflats, shrublands, and wetlands). Dike 14 Nature Preserve is located at the intersection of four migratory bird routes: Lake Erie, the shore of Lake Erie, the Cuyahoga River Valley and the Doan Brook Valley. There is no other good stopover site for a 60-mile expanse of shore; the closest other sites being Mentor to the east and Huron to the west. Audubon Ohio has designated Dike 14 Nature Preserve as an Important Bird Area (IBA). For more information on IBAs click here. Earth Day Coalition is part of a diverse and unique collaborative to provide a Dike 14 Nature Preserve-centered educational resource for children, families and local and regional schools. The Dike 14 Environmental Education Collaborative is composed of: • Cleveland Botanical Garden www.cbgarden.org • Cleveland Metroparks, Outdoor Education www.clemetparks.com • Cleveland Museum of Natural History www.cmnh.org • Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association www.cvnpa.org • Earth Day Coalition www.earthdaycoalition.org • Lake Erie Nature and Science Center www.lensc.org • The Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District www.cuyahogaswcd.org • The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes www.shakerlakes.org • Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society www.wcasohio.org The Collaborative is dedicated to providing exemplary environmental education for students, teachers, families and the greater community, and promoting environmental stewardship of the Dike 14 Nature Preserve as a unique place for people and nature on Cleveland’s lakefront. "Field Guide: Getting Ready to Visit the Dike 14 Nature Preserve" is an introduction to the Dike 14 Nature Preserve. The Dike 14 Environmental Education Collaborative encourages you to use this guide and to explore and enjoy the Dike 14 Nature Preserve. In a very short time you will be able to walk the paths of the Nature Preserve, listen to the sounds of the wind, waves and wildlife, learn from interpretive signage and discover and celebrate the diverse wildlife treasures on Cleveland's lakefront. We invite you to download and store electronically or mechanically one copy of this work for personal or non-profit educational use, provided that the notice of copyright ownership and license appears on the copy made. This easy-to-use guide has been formatted to include beautiful illustrations, historical, habitat and natural history notes, ecology links and additional resources for you to explore. Click on any of the following sections for a snapshot of the remarkable natural resources that can be found at the Dike 14 Nature Preserve:  Cover - front and back covers; click here to download. Inside Covers - credits and contact information; click here to download. Introduction and History, Getting Ready to Visit; click here to download. History of the Great Lakes, Dredging and the Nature Preserve, Watersheds and Water Quality, Weather and Seasons, Wings and Wind; click here to download. Birds - pages 16-30; click here to download. Trees, Shrubs - pages 31-36; click here to download. Plants, Wildflowers - pages 37-43; click here to download. Mammals - pages 44-52; click here to download. Insects, Butterflies - pages 53-58; click here to download. Reptiles - pages 59-60; click here to download. Bird Checklist - pages 61-66; click here to download. Ohio Standards and References - pages 67-72; click here to download. For more information on the Cleveland Lakefront Plan and the Small Area Plan for the Kirtland Quay/Gordon Park click here. To view the city of Cleveland's plan for the Kirtland Quay/Gordon Park area that includes Dike 14 click here. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Office of Coastal Management has developed the "Ohio Coastal Atlas" Second Edition to map and provide geographically-referenced information about the coast of Lake Erie and highlight the many tools and resources for the Lake Erie Watershed. The Atlas is available online at www.ohiodnr.com/coastal/gis. Contact ODNR at coastal@dnr.state.oh.us to inquire about a DVD. Be sure to check the "Habitat" section that mentions the Dike 14 Nature Preserve. Download "Habitat" here. The following additional information was compiled in the spring of 2004 by Jessica Ferrato, a student at the Environmental Law Clinic, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University. • Analysis of Dike 14 Nature Preserve which answers some questions about the hierarchy of jurisdiction over Dike 14 Nature Preserve, the legal considerations which factor into its land-use planning, and questions pertaining to its future use. • A power point presentation • Additional information available at Earth Day Coalition office Check back soon for additional information, updates and Coming Events at Dike 14 Nature Preserve. |
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