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Davey Resource Group
September 2015
Over 280 species of
birds, 41 species of
butterflies, 35 species
of trees, shrubs, and
other plants, and
several species of
mammals and reptiles
have been recorded
at CLNP. The preserve
contains various habitat types including upland
open fields, successional woodlands, and a few
areas with shrub thickets and seasonally hydric
soils.
CLNP, located on the Lake Erie shoreline, is
a significant attraction for birds as well as for
people who enjoy observing and studying them.
This site is a valuable migratory bird stopover
due to its size, strategic coastal location, and
diverse wildlife habitats. CLNP is identified as
a high performance migratory site because of
the significant number and diversity of birds
that occupy it, and because it is located at the
intersection of four major migratory bird routes.
Audubon Ohio has designated CLNP as an
Important Bird Area (IBA), providing essential
habitat for breeding, resting, or overwintering
birds during their long migrations.
A large portion of CLNP contains healthy,
native, naturalized vegetation, but the materials
collected from the Cuyahoga River and used
to form the preserve also contained many
seeds and rhizomes from non-native, invasive
plant species. These species are readily able
to establish in disturbed areas with no natural
vegetative cover.
Without active management, many of the native
areas will experience continued reductions in
overall species diversity, which will eventually
lead to reduced wildlife and bird populations.
Because CLNP is such a valuable and popular
natural area among the local community, the
Port Authority assembled an experienced,
volunteer land management advisory committee
to make sound, science-based management
recommendations for CLNP. The input and
expertise of this committee was used to develop
this document. The committee holds regular
meetings to discuss the goals of this land
management plan and chart a course of direction
for the potential use of this unique natural site.
Davey Resource Group, a division of The Davey
Tree Expert Company, was contracted by the
Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority to
work with the advisory committee to determine
what management practices should be
established to control the invasive vegetation
and determine what habitat types should be
implemented or managed and preserved. The
consensus of the committee is that a plan
should be implemented to control the invasive
vegetation populations within the preserve, with
a focus on high impact wildlife and visitor areas.
These areas should be enhanced to build on
the existing surrounding habitats, such as the
woodlands and prairie meadow.
In order to better educate the public on the
importance and challenges of managing for
invasive vegetation, the committee set goals
to conduct community outreach for this
restoration project.
INTRODUCTION
CONTINUED
Photos ©Ron Werman
