As an advocate for the environment, the Port of Cleveland is committed to incorporating environmental sustainability best practices across port activities. The organization is also dedicated to creating a dynamic urban core that balances work and recreation on Cleveland’s waterfronts. This is why the Port served as the community leader in developing a unique urban wildlife haven on Lake Erie – now known as Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve (CLNP).

Today, the Preserve is a 88-acre natural park that features a diverse mix of habitats including grasslands, a forest area, meadows, mudflats, shrublands and wetlands. However, prior to Port’s leadership, this was not the case. During the late 1970’s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began disposing sediment dredged from the Cuyahoga River in this area. The USACE continued this practice until 1999, when the Port took control of the area and designated as the CLNP. The Port allowed nature to take hold, and with very little human intervention, the peninsula became filled with plants, trees and shrubs that attracted diverse species of birds and other wildlife.

Most Cuyahoga residents are unaware of the Port’s environmental and sustainability initiatives, and especially the beautiful, urban wildlife haven in downtown Cleveland.