Lake Erie Bluffs Park selected to receive National Conservation Award

“This award demonstrates how Lake Erie Bluffs, our newest park, continues to gain recognition as an outstanding example of the conservation of a nationally recognized area, rich in habitat and various wildlife and plant species.” 
Lake Metroparks Executive Director Paul Palagyi 

Lake Metroparks’ newest park, Lake Erie Bluffs in Perry Township, has been selected as a recipient of the 2014 National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials (NACPRO) Award in the Environmental/Conservation category. NACPRO is a national advocate for parks, recreational facilities, and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for communities across the country.

“This award demonstrates how Lake Erie Bluffs, our newest park, continues to gain recognition as an outstanding example of the conservation of a nationally recognized area, rich in habitat and various wildlife and plant species,” Lake Metroparks Executive Director Paul Palagyi said. “Lake Erie Bluffs provides public access to our greatest natural resource, Lake Erie and protects habitat used by more than 15 rare and common plant and animal species, including the Bald eagle but most importantly this park will provide public access to almost two miles of Lake Erie shoreline.”

One of the most important aspects of the property is the role it plays in supporting migratory birds as the fly north and south during the spring and fall. The birds depend on places like the meadows and other habit at the Bluffs to rest and feed before continuing their migrations. This offers bird watchers an opportunity to see a wide range of birds that are not otherwise normally found in this area. Earlier this week, a senior biologist with the parks, John Pogacnik, saw a Kirtland’s warbler which is widely considered the rarest warbler in North America. “One of the amazing things about the Bluffs is not just the habitat, but the variety of the habitat on the property. This habitat is just perfect for birds like the Kirtland’s warbler, they absolutely need this kind of cover and food to survive and continue their migrations, especially at this time of year,” said Pogacnik.

“Before we have even finished with building the trails and amenities that we plan to provide at the Bluffs, the park is already being recognized as nationally important by organizations like NACPRO,” said Palagyi. The development of Lake Erie Bluffs was made possible with help from a wide range of committed partners. Working together, this collaborative effort secured more than $10 million in local, state and federal competitive grants and donations to purchase the $11 million property. More than 1.6 miles of undeveloped shoreline and nearly 600 acres of diverse and important natural habitat are now protected by Lake Metroparks thanks to the help of many valuable partners.

Photo of Kirtland's Warbler by Joel Trick of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Lake Erie Bluffs: A successful modern conservation project

 

Many Northeast Ohioans recognize the value of Lake Erie.
Now they have a park that features this natural wonder
in Lake County’s front yard.

Lake Erie Bluffs is nationally significant: The 600-acre Lake Erie Bluffs property will permanently protect a significant amount of wetland, meadow and mostly undeveloped lakefront habitat used by rare and common plant and animal species.
 
Amazingly, the property remains largely unspoiled by previous development. The mix of 40-foot high beach bluffs and open sandy and cobble beach across 9,000 feet of shoreline are the site’s dominant features. The beach area hosts trees, shrubs and small plants including the majority of the park’s rare plants.



The development of Lake Erie Bluffs was made possible with help from a wide range of committed partners. Working together, this collaborative effort secured more than $10 million in local, state and federal competitive grants and donations to purchase the $11 million property. More than 1.6 miles of undeveloped shoreline and nearly 600 acres of diverse and important natural habitat are now protected by Lake Metroparks thanks to the help of many valuable partners.

 

Over the past several years, Lake Metroparks worked with various local conservation partners to complete a detailed study of the Lake Erie Bluffs site and together they produced a conceptual master plan that illustrated how conservation, recreation and economic development can all be sustained within and around the project area. The shared vision and commitment to promote and integrate the value of conservation efforts within existing local and regional planning groups and agencies was a result of funding from the Cleveland Foundation’s Lake-Geauga Fund.

Visitors will now enjoy low-impact recreational activities such as hiking and fishing at both locations accessible to the public. Improvements made to enhance public use include parking lots, restrooms and installation of gravel trails with a scenic overlooks and a grand access point to a natural beach along Lake Erie at each location.



Lake Erie Bluffs provides public access to Lake Erie and protects habitat used by rare species including:

• Bald eagle • Merlin • White-eyed vireo • Least flycatcher
• Willow flycatcher • Yellow-breasted chat
• Purple sand grass • Fringed gentian • Seaside spurge
• Smallmouth salamander • Hairy-necked tiger beetle
• Various other rare plants