Compliments of Nature Center at Shaker Lakes

As a way to "Celebrate," the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes conducted a "Big Sit" on the CDF Dike 14 Nature Preserve in Cleveland, Ohio. From just before dawn until just after dusk, two teams of birding enthusiasts documented the presence of species on the 88 acre former confined disposal facility that has become an important stopover for birds migrating across Lake Erie.

The teams consisted of selected Nature Center staff/volunteers and members of the community, particularly from the surrounding underserverd urban areas. Dave Wright, Outreach and Audience Development Coordinator of the Nature Center, recruited community members, trained them on basic bird identification skill sets, and facillitated a post event evaluation.

CDF Dike 14 was once an Army Corps of Engineers disposal site for dredging from the Cuyahoga River maritime channel in Cleveland, Ohio. Located at the end of the Doan Brook, one of the last open urban streams in the nation, Dike 14 is now a large eco-system of varied habitats on the shore of Lake Erie about 3 to 4 miles from downtown Cleveland.

Compliments of Nature Center at Shaker Lakes

The Dike 14/Doan Brook Corridor is an Audubon Important Bird Area (IBA). Over 200 species of birds have been noted to visit the site. The forest and field habitats are home to deer, coyote, other mammals and a host of flora, making this site a rarity on Lake Eries shore.  The May "Big Sit" event presented a rare opportunity for birders, naturalists and citizens to conduct scientific exploration and a bio-inventory on CDF Dike 14. Until an US EPA funded risk assessment is completed later this yea the site is closed to the public.

The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes is a charter member of the Dike 14 Environmental Education Collaborative, an amalgam of Environmental Education institutions in the Cleveland. The Dike 14 Environmental Education Collaborative is working to have Dike 14 designated as a nature preserve. Its vision is that the site will be used as a land lab by education communities including the Cleveland Municipal School District, local colleges and universities, and scientific professionals. The Collaborative is committed to conducting environmental and environment-based education that utilizes Dike 14 as the wildlife haven that it has become.

www.shakerlakes.org