THE DIKE 14 REPORT
by Barbara A. Martin, Environmental Committee Member

Recap: Dike 14 is an 88-acre Public Trust Land transitioning to some kind of public park use. It is located at Cleveland's lakefront north of Gordon State Park, and is celebrated for its diversity of wildlife habitats, native plants, birds and other wildlife. Dike 14 is a critical stopover site for migratory birds and is designated by Audubon Society as an Important Bird Area (IBA) deserving of the highest conservation priority.

Recap: Feedback reports from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Dike 14 Study, 2002, reveal that the public's highest stated priorities for use of Dike 14 are: 1) nature preserve, 2) public access, and 3) nature education. Secondary suggestions include fishing, picnic areas, beaches and boating.

Update: Petitions signed by 841 Ohioans, including representatives of 15 separate organizations, in support of a Nature Preserve with public access at Dike 14, were sent to Ohio Governor Robert Taft and Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell in November 2002, by the Dike 14 Committee.

Update: The Concept Plan for a Nature Preserve at Dike 14 with Judicious Public Access was also sent to Governor Taft and Mayor Campbell. This plan was developed by the Dike 14 Committee with the help of Field Biologist Sean Zadar, who has studied Dike 14's natural abundance for several years. It depicts a nature preserve on Dike 14 with nature trails and boardwalks, coastal overlooks, educational signage, and a hawk tower. It also proposes a Nature Center building, children's play areas, improved picnic areas and additional fishing platforms for the adjacent Gordon State Park.

Update: LWVC Co-Presidents Eleanore Dees and Barbara Sones sent a letter to Mayor Campbell on November 25, 2002, urging her leadership in safeguarding the existing wildlife oasis at Dike 14 as a delightful educational resource for children, families and schools both locally and regionally.

Update: The Cleveland Lakefront Planners will begin a detailed design for the Dike 14 site in May or June 2003. Dorothy Cibula, Elva Edger and Barbara Martin are following the Lakefront Plan process on behalf of the League's natural resource position: the preservation of Dike 14 as a nature preserve with judicious public access.

Update: Twenty-five representatives from 16 organizations gave direct input in support of the Nature Preserve at Dike 14 to the Cleveland Lakefront Planners on January 29, 2003, at the Dike 14 Habitat Conservation/ Nature Preserve Stakeholder Meeting. The organizations included LWV Cleveland, LWV Cuyahoga County, Audubon Ohio, Bratenahl Land Conservancy, Cleveland Metroparks, Cuyahoga County Greenspace Plan, Dike 14 Committee, Earth Day Coalition, Friends of Whiskey Island, Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, Ohio Coastal Management Project, Ohio Public Interest Research Group, Sierra Club Northeast Ohio, Tinkers Creek Land Conservancy, St. Clair-Superior Neighborhood Development Association, and the Biology Department of Baldwin-Wallace College.

Update: The Leagues of Euclid and Shaker Heights recently joined the LWV Cleveland Area, Cuyahoga County, and Geauga County in support of a nature preserve at Dike 14.