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And Away We Go - 2016 in Review

Welcome to 2017, a year that promises to be extraordinary!

This year the Cuyahoga SWCD staff will implement the Public Involvement and Public Education program for nearly every community in the county--nearly double that of 2016. Cuyahoga SWCD will also provide technical assistance to two additional communities for aspects of their storm water pollution prevention programs. Working with all of these new communities will provide multiple challenges, but it will also provide outstanding opportunities for the talented SWCD staff to further promote good conservation practices for construction sites, commercial sites and private lands.

While 2017 will keep staff on their toes, 2016 was pretty amazing. Here are the greatest hits of 2016:

  • A Horticulture Specialist was hired, bringing the number of staff to 11, and soon to be 1 more.
  • Cuyahoga SWCD is one of Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s “Preferred Service Providers”
  • Initiation of a mobile application and IPADS are being used for various field tasks, including site inspections, stream assessments and conservation easement monitoring
  • Local landowners are learning more about stormwater control measures and how to maintain those on their property
  • Hundreds of trees were planted in riparian areas in the Euclid Creek and Rocky River watersheds
  • 75 programs and events were held, including rain barrel workshops, stream cleanups, native plant garden installations and storm drain stenciling
  • Staff was featured on 2 national webinars and presented at 4 local and national conferences
  • Nineteen (19) trainings about maintenance of stormwater basins were provided for municipal staff and homeowner’s associations
  • Educational information, including newsletters, technical tips, brochures, and workshops were distributed throughout the county
  • More than 2000 sites were inspected
  • Streambank erosion data is being collected at 34 sites to develop baseline information
  • New grants were obtained for watershed projects and urban agriculture

Thank you to all of our supporters and the many volunteers who helped us this year.

We are grateful for our ability to implement conservation programs in Cuyahoga County. The incredible Cuyahoga SWCD staff expects 2017 will be a crazy-busy year, but they are certainly up to the challenge!

Blog author: Janine Rybka, District Administrator

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