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Cuyahoga River
Get to know the Cuyahoga! The entire 100-mile-long stretch of the V-shaped
Cuyahoga River has been designated under the American Heritage River Initiative. This
"Crooked River" has a watershed that drains 813 square miles of Geauga,
Portage, Summit, and Cuyahoga Counties, which is less than three percent of the
land area in Ohio, but supports nearly fifteen percent of its population.
While traveling from the Cuyahoga River's headwaters in Geauga County to its mouth in
Cleveland, a wide variety of landscapes and a multitude of land uses
can be observed. Lands in the upper reaches are primarily forests,
wetlands, pasture, and crop land. Several large reservoirs dot this
area, serving as the drinking water source for the city of Akron
and surrounding communities, and providing a myriad of recreational opportunities.
A large stretch of the Cuyahoga's upper portion has State of Ohio
Scenic River designation.
The Cuyahoga's lower river basin is one of the most
densely populated and industrialized urban areas in North America.
In 1999, the 30th anniversary of the famous "burning river" in the lower
portion was observed. Also celebrated was how substantial
clean-up efforts have progressed since the passage of the Clean
Water Act (less than a year after the incident). A cleaner lower
Cuyahoga has opened opportunities for riverbank parks and trails,
protected natural areas, and entertainment districts.
A large tract of relatively undeveloped and scenic open space, the Cuyahoga Valley
National Recreation Area is situated in the middle Cuyahoga, between
Akron and Cleveland. Portions of the Cuyahoga River basin in the lower
and middle reaches were included in two 1996 designations: the Ohio and
Erie Canal Corridor was the nation's Seventh National Heritage Corridor and
Ohio's first Scenic Byway.
Action Plan
The Cuyahoga River American Heritage Rivers Action Plan is currently a
work-in-progress, but will focus on integrating the river back into the
everyday life of the communities through which it flows. Because of
the unique natural, economic, and cultural characteristics of each of
the upper, middle, and lower portions of the river, action items will
likely be diverse in nature among the three areas. Much is happening independently in
these areas already and the American Heritage Rivers designation has spawned a
synergy among the partners to take action more holistically, ultimately
benefiting the river and its adjacent communities.
Cuyahoga River AHR Partners
Current Cuyahoga AHR Partners include the Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan (RAP)
Coordinating Committee (CRCPO); The Ohio And Erie Canal National Heritage
Corridor; the Upper Cuyahoga River Watershed Taskforce; and the two regional
planning agencies: the Northeast Ohio Area-Wide Coordinating Agency and the
North East Four County Planning and Development Organization.
Our Federal Partners
The U.S. Forest Service is the sponsoring agency for the
Cuyahoga's American Heritage River Initiative. Ms. Karen Sykes, with the Morgantown office,
is our river pilot. Locally, we have support from the National Park Service through the
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
(where the navigator will be housed) and the U.S. Departments or Agriculture and
Housing and Urban Development. Ms. Lucy Miller is our AHR
facilitator. We anticipate looking to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and
Rural Development services,
ACE, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others to achieve our goals.
River Navigator
Steve Davis has served as our River Navigator since November of 1999.
He is an employee of the USDA Forest Service's Northeastern Area's Morgantown Field Office.
Steve holds a bachelor of science degree in forest management from Oregon State University,
a master's degree in public affairs from Western Carolina University, and is currently doing
post graduate work in ecosystems and wildlife. Steve has an extensive Forest Service career
from working in California, Colorado, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, Arkansas, North Carolina, and
Washington, D.C. He is nationally recognized for his work in wild and scenic rivers. He is
located in the restored Carter Store in Everett Village in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
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