5
Davey Resource Group
September 2015
This 5-acre area was established as part of
an effort to mitigate some residual pollutants
found in the dredging materials placed at the
preserve. This area was planted with native
warm-season grasses and forbs, creating
valuable native habitat for butterflies and other
pollinators, as well as native and migrating
bird species.
CLNP has largely been left to nature to reclaim
since filling operations ceased in 1999. While
CLNP has flourished without active management
and become an important piece of natural habitat
in an ever-expanding urban environment, it is not
without issues. Because CLNP was man-made
and created using fill from the Cuyahoga River,
the preserve contains seed from many species
of non-native and invasive vegetation that are
particularly well adapted to such disturbed sites.
Species such as Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort),
Phalaris arundinacea (reed canarygrass), and
Phragmites australis (common reed) dominate
many of the open habitats on the peninsula and
reduce the overall species diversity of the site.
Without ongoing management, many of these
species will eventually move into the remaining
natural areas of the preserve, further limiting the
native species diversity.
FIGURE 4
Today the Cleveland Lakefront
Nature Preserve is home to a
variety of plant and wildlife species.
