ACCESS MATTERS: FROM SILT DISPOSAL SITE TO NATURE PRESERVE
News from another IBA, a somewhat unlikely site, is also the story of the pursuit of birder access and preservation.



“Dike 14″ on the Cleveland, Ohio, waterfront on Lake Erie was created as an official Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. At least from 1979 through 1999 it served as a site for sediment dredged from the Cuyahoga River and Cleveland Harbor.



By default, its 88 acres also became an excellent location for birds, especially given the scarcity of similar suitable habitat along that part of the Lake Erie waterfront. The original shallow muddy areas created by the project became attractive to waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, and terns (e.g., amazing records of Sharp-tailed and Curlew Sandpipers were made at this site). Eventually, the waterbird attractions of Dike 14 shifted, mainly due to the increasing growth of willows and other plants, but these thickets provided habitat for migrating warblers and other songbirds.


Finding an agency willing to manage the site on a long-term basis was a concern until the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority agreed to take on the responsibility in 2001.



Up to the early 2000s, birders regularly monitored the avian comings and goings at Dike 14 (over 290 species recorded). For much of the time thereafter, however, access became severely limited. The area was fenced, and gates were often locked.  Some days, however, the site was opened with advance notice or for special events. Still, permission was often needed to enter, and visitors in groups were required to sign a waiver to gain access. This went on for years, during which time the birding public yearned for open access.



While conflicting access and management concerns complicated the situation, a Dike 14 Nature Preserve Committee and an Environmental Education Collaborative was created between 2001 and 2003 that pressed for the creation of a nature preserve at Dike 14 (rather than making athletic fields, for example).



In the process, Dike 14 was even designated as an IBA in 2004:
http://iba.audubon.org/iba/viewSiteProfile.do?siteId=2036&navSite=state



When new Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority President and CEO, Will Friedman, took charge in June of 2010, he embraced a creative vision for the site. Last May, the Authority officially changed the name of Dike 14 to the “Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve” and committed itself to making improvements and investments to enhance lakefront access.


Finally, on 6 February, the site opened to the public, culminating a long effort to secure the site and provide access. The official entrance hours are from dawn until dusk. There is no entry fee and parking is available. No advanced notice or permit is necessary for entrance, and a new and turnstile-type high gate allows general entry to the 1.3-mile trail but prevents access by bicycles and other wheeled vehicles. There is even an informational kiosk at the site. Area birders are thrilled, confirming, of course, that access matters and can make a real difference.



For a fine local story on the opening of the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve and the efforts to make it happen, see here:
http://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf/2012/02/from_river_silt_to_natural_hab.html
Also see here:
http://www.cuyahogaswcd.org/grantfunded-dike14.htm
And here:
http://www.dike14.org/

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