The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
CWRP: 25 years and still thriving
Chagrin River Watershed Partners marks milestone of collaborating for healthy communities.
Many folks may not be familiar with Chagrin River Watershed Partners, but they most likely have seen some of their projects.
For the past 25 years, the organization has been involved in environmental improvement efforts in the area — from adding “green” infrastructure to mall parking lots to restoring scenic streams.
Since 1996, $2.9 million in membership dues from local communities, counties and park districts has been leveraged with more than $55 million in funding and partner support to steward streams, plan for sustainable development, build nature-based solutions to stormwater runoff, and enhance parks to connect people with local streams and Lake Erie.
Working together, the partners have made great strides in protecting and restoring the Chagrin River, the region’s watersheds and the Great Lake, officials say.
Community connections
A watershed is an area of land where all the precipitation and groundwater drains to a common body of water.
The Chagrin River drains 267 square miles to Lake Erie.
The watershed encompasses some high quality aquatic habitats and forests, including coldwater streams that are home to the native Ohio brook trout.
In October of 1995, a small group of dedicated conservationists gathered in the Chagrin Valley to plan a watershed coalition.
The following year, an alliance of communities, counties and park districts came together to officially incorporate the Chagrin River Watershed Partners.
“With the valley facing increasing problems of flooding, erosion and loss of open space, concerned citizens saw a need for cooperative action to protect natural resources and ensure the long-term health of the watershed,” said CRWP founder and former president Greg Studen.
The founding principles, still followed today, are that natural systems benefit people, plants and animals through flood/erosion control and water quality protection, and preserving these areas is a more cost-effective and preventative approach than fixing problems after land is developed.
Healthy watersheds support communities by providing clean water for homes, businesses and wildlife.
Collaboration is key, and partnership efforts include:
• Protecting or restoring more than 939 miles of streams and stream corridor
• Protecting more than 2,946 acres of land and 287 acres of wetlands
• Planting 48,000-plus trees • Preserving wetlands and constructing nature-based solutions that will prevent 377 trillion gallons of polluted runoff from reaching streams
There have been numerous projects in Lake and Geauga counties, in local park districts, at Holden Arboretum and various communities.
Some of the more high-profile ones include restoring wetlands and a stream at Springbrook Gardens Park in Mentor; and adding permeable pavers to reduce stormwater runoff outside Great Lakes Mall’s food court entrance, at Mentor Lagoons Marina’s parking lot
and on Madison Village’s Main Street sidewalk.
Branching out
Today, CRWP works with 36 members representing more than 91 percent of the land area in the Chagrin River watershed, as well as parts of the Cuyahoga and Grand rivers and other direct Lake Erie tributaries.
Current members are Auburn Township, Aurora, Bainbridge Township, Beachwood, Bentleyville, Chagrin Falls Township, Chagrin Falls Village, Chardon, Chardon Township, Cleveland Metroparks, Eastlake, Gates Mills, Geauga Park District, Hunting Valley, Kirtland, Kirtland Hills, Lake County, Lake Metroparks, Mantua Township, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village, Mentor, Moreland Hills, Munson Township, Newbury Township, Orange Village, Pepper Pike, Russell Township, Solon, South Russell, Streetsboro, Waite Hill, Wickliffe, Willoughby, Willoughby Hills and Woodmere.
CRWP has developed relationships with local officials, engineers, planners and other professional advisors. These relationships help local governments see the benefits of adopting innovative zoning and watershed management practices to minimize the impacts of land use change.
“CRWP has been vital to the success of Geauga Park District’s recent efforts to secure important funding, through large grants, for critical water quality improvements in our parks,” Geauga Park District Biologist Paul Pira said. “Their passion and knowledge for protecting streams and wetlands in our county has been a wonderful cooperative partnership for us.”
The district’s stream and wetland restoration projects — funded by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency — will benefit wildlife, native plants and downstream residents for years to come, he added.
Mentor Parks and Recreation Director Kenn Kaminski had high praise for CRWP.
“The staff is incredible and diligent with their mission of protecting, restoring (and) supporting — a true asset to any agency who works with them,” he said.
Extending impact
CRWP also works with partners and communities across Ohio’s Central Lake Erie Basin through the Central Lake Erie Basin Collaborative,
a network of organizations accelerating progress toward protecting and restoring Lake Erie and its watersheds.
“With the dedicated support of our members, we are proud to be leading the way in protecting the resources and natural beauty of the Chagrin Valley, and the entire Central Basin of Lake Erie,” Studen said. “Two lessons from this great story stand out. The first is that a
team of highly trained professionals, expert in implementing nature-based solutions to watershed problems, can have a dramatic positive impact on protecting and enhancing our environment.
“The second is that cooperative action, uniting communities and people at the grassroots level, is the most effective approach for solving problems that affect the watershed and Lake Erie as a whole.”