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Watershed Protection
Since its first property acquisition at the confluence of Big Creek and the Grand River, much of Lake Metroparks land acquisition has been focused along the high quality drainages of the Grand River, Chagrin River and Lake Erie watersheds. Lake County is fortunate to be home to some of the finest tributaries draining into all of Lake Erie including two state-designated scenic rivers in the Grand and Chagrin Rivers.
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Wetlands
Natural Wetlands
| Lake Metroparks has identified and manages a large number of naturally occurring wetlands on its holdings. Many of these wetlands are vernal pools, shallow wet areas in forests that contain water for all or part of the year. Lake Metroparks has identified 183 vernal pools within its boundaries. |
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Other natural wetland areas include lakeshore marsh environments and riverine floodplain wetlands as well as the occasional beaver pond found throughout our parks.
These naturally occurring wetland sites provide important places for biodiversity within the parks. They serve as breeding areas for wildlife as well as protected environments for high quality plant communities.
Lake Metroparks manages these sites by controlling unwanted exotic plant infestations and performs periodic monitoring to ensure these natural wetland areas remain high quality.
Wetland Mitigation
Wetland mitigation is a process by which lost wetland areas impacted by development or other activities are mitigated through the preservation, creation, enhancement or restoration of other wetland areas. The regulatory branches of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Ohio EPA typically administer this process.
Since 1994 Lake Metroparks has been an active participant in this process having completed more than 20 mitigation projects ranging from wetland preservation to wetland restoration. Some of the more visible projects include the restoration of Granger Pond at Veterans Park, a series of created wetlands at our Girdled Road Reservation and the purchase of riverfront land at our Chagrin River Park.
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Lake Erie Coastline
The Lake Metroparks owns nearly one and a half miles of Lake Erie coastline. Coastal parks include Lakefront Lodge, Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park, Painesville Township Park, Lakeshore Reservation and Arcola Creek. Sandy beaches and scenic overlooks characterize our coastal parks.
Lake Erie coastal beaches are recognized for their recreational value, but are also highly threatened ecosystems. On the beaches controlled by the Lake Metroparks, three state threatened plants and four state potentially threatened plants have been found.
Due to the natural fluctuations of the level of Lake Erie, these coastal ecosystems are always changing.
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