October 2 meeting

We plan to meet Tuesday, October 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the South Euclid Community Center with the following on the agenda.  Thank you to FOEC President Barb Holtz for providing this meeting description.

6 :30 - 7 p.m.
We will have a business meeting to share updates from the board and Claire Posius, our amazing watershed coordinator.

Specifically, Claire would like to fill us in on the CSWCD Clean Ohio Conservation Program Application for Critical Conservation parcels in Euclid Creek – including the Highland Heights, Bishop Road 12-acre parcel and the Richmond Heights, Highland Road 8-acre parcel.

7 - 8:30 p.m.
Our presenters for the evening will be Steve Haynie, Director of the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Library as well as the representatives from the Cuyahoga County Library administration.

This is our opportunity to hear more about the plans to move the SEL library to Green Road, which includes selling its current location. This is a chance for us to hear directly from library officials, ask questions, and share views/opinions with our guests. This is important to the Euclid Creek watershed especially because the library currently sits on an important piece of land directly adjacent to Euclid Creek.

This photo is from our most recent photo contest.

Highland Heights Park Habitats

Thank you to Brian Gilbert for providing the following text as a handout at our recent dusty golden meadow walk. Thank you also to Suneeti Jog for allowing the use of the material.  

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF NATURAL HABITATS

   The undeveloped portion of Highland Heights Community Park is almost totally surrounded by a heavily suburbanized area.  This part of the park forms a large wetland complex and contains three streams that are part of the Euclid Creek watershed.  There are four distinct types of wet lands:

1. Shrub swamp,
2. Wet forest,
3. Wet meadow and
4. Wooded swamp.

     Each of these areas has a different assortment of vegetation.  Suneeti Jog’s 2003 PhD dissertation detailed the presence of 421 different kinds of plants in the wetland portion of the park.  This portion of the park contains the only known location in Ohio of dusty goldenrod (Solidago puberula) which is now protected with a conservation easement.  That easement was achieved through the cooperation of the Friends of Euclid Creek, the Mayfield City School District and the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District.  There were about 90 shoots of dusty goldenrod growing at this site in 2002. 

   About 60% of the species were native and 40% were non-

native.  Approximately 185 of the non-native species are considered invasive.  And almost 30% of these invasive species are on a special watch list of the worst of the worst.

   Pineweed (Hypericum gentianoides) and clustered beak-rush (Rhynchospora capitellata) are two plants growing in abundance within the wet meadow site but absent from similar habitats in Cuyahoga County .

   Another unusual feature of this site is the occurrence of four different kinds club mosses (Lycopodium sp.).

Highland Heights Park History

Thank you to Brian Gilbert for providing the following text as a handout at our recent dusty golden meadow walk. Thank you also to Suneeti Jog for allowing the use of the material.   A BRIEF HISTORY OF HIGHLAND HEIGHTS COMMUNITY PARK (from “Vascular Plant Flora of Highland Heights Community Park : A Floristic Survey and Trend Analysis of a Suburban Wetland”, Suneeti Jog, PhD Dissertation, May 2003) A BRIEF HISTORY OF LAND USE The City of Highland Heights was originally part of Mayfield Township and was formed in 1819, together with other adjoining cities (History of Highland Heights 1976).  Settlement in the area began in 1805, when several families migrated from New York .  The first settler was Rufus Mapes who owned part of the property under study. The first plank road was built in 1877 from East Cleveland through Euclid and Mayfield Townships , along the road that is presently called Mayfield Road and located about one mile south of the study site.  This led to increased development in the area.  The construction of a railway service connecting Chardon to Cleveland further propelled growth of the town.  By the 1920s, the automobile made the township even more accessible.  Highland Heights became a village in 1921 with a population of 200 people.  Mayfield Township was then divided into the 4 villages and Highland Heights was one of them.  The city of Highland Heights occupies approximately 12.76 square km.  In the 1930s the population grew to 281 and in the forties and fifties it grew at a slow pace.  It became a city in 1969, operating under the mayor council form of government.  The present population of Highland Heights is 8082 based on the year 2000 census. A map of the territory from 1874 shows that the land under study was divided into various lots owned by the early settlers.  Large parcels of land were owned by Brainard, Leuty, Mapes, Riddle and Wilcox.  Smaller pieces of property were owned by other settlers.  Public land base maps from the early part of the last century show the presence of a road called Spiro Avenue in place of a dirt road that now exists between parcels that belong to the city and the parcel of land owned by the school board.  A land use map from 1938 reveals that the site was divided into areas termed as ‘vacant sub-divided land’ and ‘woodland’.  Aerial photos from the 1940s confirm this.  An ice skating rink abutted the southern border of the site.  This was converted to a pet cemetery in the 1920s.  Highland Heights Community Park was officially formed in the mid 1960’s when 14.16 hectares of land was set aside as park land to be used only for recreational purposes.  From then on, the city has acquired more land and the park now occupies about 21.04 hectares. Beginning in 1938, gas wells were drilled all over Highland Heights , (Oil and Gas Pipelines in Ohio 1989).  Forty five wells were dug in different locations and these wells delivered 17 million cubic feet of gas per day.  They produced a mixture of natural gas and gasoline along with sulphur compounds.  The sulphur compounds were noxious and had to be removed before the gas was distributed from the pipelines.  A wash station was built in the 1940s to deodorize the gas.  This wash station was located in the park at the spot where the old pool is now located (Highland Heights Fire Chief Benson, personal communication).  A pond, approximately 0.4 hectares in area was located where the new swimming pool is now.  These oil wells were first drilled by Benedum-Trees Oil Company and later owned by East Ohio Oil Company.   The study area has two gas wells in it.  One is located in the southern woods and is a dry hole and the other is located at the south eastern edge of the property.  The dry hole has been capped and shows presence of debris in the woods.  Underground pipelines were cut at both ends and pipes were washed and filled with water.  All wells were firmly plugged.  Spiro Road was used as an access road to get to the wash station from Bishop Road (Highland Height Fire Chief Benson, pers. comm.).

Steering committee

The steering committee meeting took place at the SEL Library. Barb Holtz called the meeting to order around 7PM on September 19.

In attendance were Gary Bloom, Judy Dearden, Christi Carlson, Claire Posius, Barb Holtz, Carolyn Suguichi, Rick Evans, Jeanette Evans, Frank Skala, Fran Hogg, Ken M. Rapport, Lou Drassler, and Ginny Aveni.

October and November meetings 

• October 2 meeting topic is the SEL Library property with the SEL Library Director and Cuyahoga Co. Library marketing and building projects personnel
• November 6 meeting topic is on plastics with Nancy Hughes 

Updates from Claire Posius 

• October 26 is the Clean Ohio grant deadline with Claire proposing to work with Derek Shafer to include the Bishop Road and Richmond Heights properties 
• Saturday, October 20 is the tree planting event, 9am to 1pm, Richmond Heights City Hall, which is part of the Cuyahoga ReLeaf project

We voted unanimously to provide $3000 to cover the following costs -

• $1200 for appraisal of the Bishop Road property (unless a developer buys the property based on the Highland Heights Planning and Zoning Committee meeting on Sep. 24)
• $1200 for appraisal of the Richmond Heights property and $600 to cover a title search  

Treasurer's report

Ken noted that he is working on the nonprofit status update with the state.

Greenwood Farm and Richmond Heights events

We discussed the Greenwood Farm event on September 22 and the October 20 tree planting event in Richmond Heights.

BVU, Great Lakes Conference, newsletter

Barb updated us on the BVU, Great Lakes Conference, and newsletter. The newsletter will include the holiday party information.

Strategic planning 

We voted unanimously to proceed with Tom Romito. Ginny is to contact Tom to discuss his availability and Barb is to contact the steering committee about their availability.

Discussion

We discussed issues related to the SEL Library and Acacia Country Club.

Meadow walk

Thank you to Bill McReynolds for taking this photo of those who attended the dusty goldenrod walk on September 4.

September meeting

When: Tuesday, September 4 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Highland Heights Park 

(off Wilson Mills, west of Lander Rd.)

    
What: A walk in the dusty goldenrod meadow - this is a parcel of land FOEC helped put into a conservation easement in partnership with the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District and Mayfield Public Schools

Park in the lots toward the rear of the park and we'll walk in from there. FOEC President Barb Holtz plans to lead the walk.

Don't miss what should be a most informative and enjoyable event. The photo shows dusty goldenrod and a butterfly.

Events

Thank you to Claire Posius for providing this list of events.  

Euclid Creek Annual Stream Cleanup Event & FOEC Bioswale Service Day
Saturday, September 8 - 9:00am-noon 
Wildwood State Park, Cleveland

9:00am-Noon - Bioswale Garden Maintenance

Learn about this project installed in 2009 and help Friends of Euclid Creek weed and remove trash in the landscaped median.  Meet at the marina parking lot. 

10:00am-Noon - Stream Cleanup

Volunteers can either collect streamside trash or help record the waste found.  Meet at wooden Picnic Pavilion behind the orange fencing (open just for our cleanup) at the southeast corner of the marina parking lot. 

Wildwood State Park is located at E. 174th Street and Lakeshore Boulevard in Cleveland.

Dress for the weather, Bring water, Wear long sleeves and pants, boots or work shoes, and work gloves are recommended.  Trash bags will be provided.

All groups welcome, but children under age 18 must have adult supervision.  

Contact: Claire Posius at 216-524-6580x16, cposius@cuyahogaswcd.org or Carol Ward at clsp.naturalist@dnr.state.oh.us for more details

Click here for flyer

Conservation Symposium—Forest Management: Seeing the Forest and the Trees

September 6-8 - Cleveland Museum of Natural History, University Circle, Cleveland

Learn about forest ecosystems and management practices that enhance biological diversity within them.  For more information or to register, visit: http://www.cmnh.org/site/Conservation/ConservationSymposium.aspx

Great Lakes Week Restoration Conference 2012
Tuesday-Thursday, September 11-13 - Renaissance Hotel, Cleveland - Click here for more information

National Take-Back Initiative (Prescription Drug)

Saturday, September 29 - Locations include various locations in Cleveland, Lyndhurst Police Department, Mayfield Heights Police Department - click here for more details and sites

Please safely dispose of your expired medicines and keep pharmaceuticals out of our waterways! 

US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration event to collect expired or unneeded pharmaceuticals at this event. 

Ohio EPA Water Quality Monitoring Credible Data Program—Level 1 Training (free!)
Wednesday, October 3 - 9:00am--3:30pm - Watershed Leadership Center, Parma
For more information contact Dennis Clement, 614-644-2048 or dennis.clement@epa.state.oh.us

Click here for flyer

Euclid Creek Public Involvement Committee Meeting

Friday, October 19 - 9:00am-10:30am - Beachwood Community Center

Euclid Creek Watershed Council Meeting

Thursday, October 25 - 7:30am-9:00am - Mayfield Village Civic Center

Green Cleaning Workshop for Inside and Out—South Euclid 
Tuesday, October 30 - 6:30pm-8:00pm - South Euclid Community Center
Cost: $10 for price of materials, spray bottles and recipes; Registration required by October 23 - Call 216-524-6580x16 to register and for more details - Click here for flyer

Green Cleaning Workshop for Inside and Out—Highland Heights 
Wednesday, November 28 - 6:30pm-8:00pm - Highland Heights Community Center
Cost: $10 for price of materials, spray bottles and recipes - Registration required by November 21 - Call 216-524-6580x16 to register and for more details - Click here for flyer

SWCD update

Thank you to Claire Posius for this update from our Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). Please let me know at jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net if you have any questions or would like to volunteer.  

Please find the Euclid Creek Summer Newsletter (click here) from your Euclid Creek Watershed Coordinator.  

We need volunteers to help at our 4^th annual Euclid Creek Stream Cleanup next Saturday, September 8.

And the big news is that construction started on the Wildwood Wetland and Stream Restoration project on August 3! There will be opportunities coming up to help with plantings.

There are also several large properties in the Euclid Creek Watershed that have received a lot of attention – to find out more, see stories below in the Watershed News section.

In the Summer Newsletter you’ll find:

1)     Wildwood Wetland and Stream Restoration Project Underway – Construction has started!

2)     Friends of Euclid Creek Updates

3)     Mayfield Village’s Wiley Park Planting

4)     34 Girl Scouts receive Stream Steward Patch

5)     Volunteer Planting at Marcella property in Cleveland

6)     NEORSD Euclid Creek Tunnel Project Update

7)     Euclid Creek Superstar Highlighting Carol Ward