MISSION:
To promote conservation of land and aquatic resources
in a developed environment through
stewardship, education, and technical assistance.

Click here to view the Cuyahoga Soil and Water
Conservation District video

 

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Recent News:

• Be a Conservation Crusader!
  Click here to learn more about how your daily lifestyle choices can influence the quality of natural resources where you live and work.
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

• 2013 Supervisor Election
  Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors represent county residents in the conservation and natural resources management.  Supervisors set the District's policy, provide guidance to staff, and assist on projects.  The Board consists of five supervisors who serve for three-year terms on a voluntary bases.  For more information, click here.
   

• Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Re-Opens Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve
  The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority re-opened the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve May 1, 2013 - in time for the spring bird migration season.  The 88-acre wildlife haven had been temporarily closed during the environmental remediation of a 5-acre section. Click here for more information.
   

• Grow Fresh Produce in December with a Hoop House
  (applications due by May 17th)
  Many people crave the taste of nutritious, fresh vegetables in the winter, longing for the return of warmer months and the next growing season.  A hoop house, or high tunnel, can shorten the time without fresh produce because the area under the hoop house stays warm enough for plants to grow longer.  Hoop houses benefit the environment too.  The plants grown in a hoop house need fewer pesticides and nutrients, which improves plant health and soil quality.  Growing and consuming food locally improves air quality by decreasing fuel use for transportation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Cleveland High Tunnel Initiative helps urban farmers and gardeners purchase hoop houses if they own or lease land in the Greater Cleveland area.  Applicants approved for hoop houses must adhere to local zoning and building requirements for hoop houses. 

  To apply for a hoop house, contact Urban Conservationist Al Norwood at 740-396-2519 (cell) or 216-524-6580 (office).  Mr. Norwood assesses the proposed site for the hoop house and helps applicants through the application process.  NRCS will consider applications received by May 17, 2013, for funding this year.  Find more information on hoop houses and other conservation programs on the Ohio NRCS website at www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov.               

   

• Cuyahoga ReLeaf - In 2012, the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization (CRCPO)  embarked on their newest initiative, Cuyahoga ReLeaf, which addresses a critical issue in watershed health – the loss and restoration of our forest canopy. This effort will focus on developing tributary-based management plans for restoring and protecting woodlands in the interest of watershed restoration and protection.
  Cuyahoga SWCD teamed up with the CRCPO to collect data related to trees, tree canopy and tree maintenance ordinances in 78 communities within the Cuyahoga and Rocky River watersheds.  A comprehensive list of each community’s tree-related ordinances can be found in the Cuyahoga SWCD office and will be available on the www.cuyahogariverrap.org website.  The Cuyahoga RAP website also provides maps that depict tree cover and educational fact sheets about the benefits of trees.

  
   

• Virtual Rain Garden Simulation
  Want to know exactly what a rain garden is and how it works?  Click here to experience a virtual simulation of how a rain garden works.  Within the simulation you will learn definitions, the process that a rain garden goes through from dry conditions to when it rains, and also understand what is going on below the surface of the garden itself.  Enjoy!
  Courtesy of University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  
   

• What is Storm Water?  
  We are in the process of reorganizing our website - check back for more updates. In the meantime, check out our new page - What is Storm Water?
   

• Soil Health Theater
  Here at the Soil Health Theatre, you can see and hear from some of America’s top soil health experts and innovative soil health farmers. From video demonstrations on soil health to videos featuring the men and women who are farming with Soil Health Management Systems, see for yourself why there’s a growing movement to “Unlock the Secrets in the Soil.” Click here to go to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service Soil Health Theater.
  
   

• Honoring Ohio's Agricultural Roots
  Sponsored by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Century Farm program was established in 1993 as a way to honor the families who have owned their farm for a minimum of 100 years. The program helps create an awareness of Ohio’s agricultural heritage, and helps foster a better understanding of agriculture and rural life to our non-farming neighbors. Click here for the full article.

   

• It's Raining Art - Celebrating the Art of Water Conservation Click here to see our 21 painted rain barrels and the WINNERS of the auction.
   

• Fourth Dam on Baldwin Creek to be Removed
  Funds have been awarded through the Ohio EPA's Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program (WRRSP) for the restoration of Baldwin Creek in Berea.  The $300,000 project will improve fish passage and aquatic habitat in Baldwin Creek removing the last major impediment to fish passage in the Baldwin Creek subwatershed.  The project will also benefit the resident population of the state-threatened bigmoputh shiner by reconnecting populations in Baldwin Creek and the East Branch of the Rocky River.  This funding is made possible through the sponsorship of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.  Additional project partners include the City of Berea, Cuyahoga SWCD and the Rocky River Watershed Council.  Click here for a project summary.
  
  The Ohio EPA will make available for public information an environmental report for this project.  Upon its release, the document may be viewed at either: the Cuyahoga SWCD web site (www.cuyahogaswcd.org), Ohio EPA’s website at (http://epa.ohio.gov/defa/public_comment.aspx), or in hard copy at the Cuyahoga SWCD office, located at 6100 West Canal Rd., Valley View, OH 44125.  If you would like to receive either an electronic copy via e-mail or a paper copy of the document via U.S. mail upon its release, please contact Dan Halterman of Ohio EPA at either: dan.halterman@epa.state.oh.us  or (614) 644-3658.
  
   

• Healey Creek Restoration in Venus Park
  Funds have been awarded through the Ohio EPA's Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program (WRRSP) for the restoration of Healey Creek in Brunswick's Venus Park.  The $390,800 project will improve aquatic habitat in Healey Creek by creating a new floodplain adjacent to the creek.  The project will also reduce downstream delivery of sediment from streambank erosion, and provide flood storage in the headwaters of Healey Creek.  This funding is made possible through the sponsorship of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.  Additional project partners include the City of Brunswick, Cuyahoga SWCD and the Rocky River Watershed Council.  Click here for a project summary.

  The Ohio EPA will make available for public information an environmental report for this project.  Upon its release, the document may be viewed at either: the Cuyahoga SWCD web site (www.cuyahogaswcd.org), Ohio EPA’s website at (http://epa.ohio.gov/defa/public_comment.aspx), or in hard copy at the Cuyahoga SWCD office, located at 6100 West Canal Rd., Valley View, OH 44125.  If you would like to receive either an electronic copy via e-mail or a paper copy of the document via U.S. mail upon its release, please contact Dan Halterman of Ohio EPA at either: dan.halterman@epa.state.oh.us  or (614) 644-3658.
  
  
   

• Lake Erie Shore Erosion Management Plan (LESEMP - Protection of Sensitive Coastal  Areas - Help for Landowners)
  The LESEMP is a voluntary, non-regulatory initiative intended to provide technical assistance to property owners with erosion concerns.  The Office of Coastal management has engineers on staff available to provide on-site technical assistance to property owners.  Click here for information.

   

• First Dam removed in Euclid Creek!  
  Read the full feature article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer here and watch the video.
  
   

• Become a "fan" on Facebook
  Become a "fan" of the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District and you will receive up to date information on our events, workshops, and speaking engagements.  If you have an account on Facebook, search for Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District - if you don't have an account, create one today and be a part of the Facebook network.
   

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