Year of the River –
Celebrate the 100-mile long Cuyahoga River and its tributaries
Almost 40 years ago, the Cuyahoga River caught on fire and became the poster river for all things polluted. The Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization, home of the Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan (RAP), has decided to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the event by proclaiming 2009 the Year of the River.
That fire brought national attention to the plight of polluted waterways and water quality in general. The event is credited with setting in motion the passage of the Clean Water Act, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and much of the environmental movement we see today. It’s also the event that, for four decades, has made people all over the world think of Cleveland as “the place where the river burned.”
The RAP believes it is time to change that image—for the river, for the region and for good. It’s not the same old river. Where once there were barely two species of fish, now there are more than three dozen different species. It’s a new river with a bright future, and it’s time to celebrate that fact.
We envision a year’s worth of events, activities and projects aimed at raising public awareness about the importance of the river to our region’s history, environment and economy, the progress that’s been made in cleaning up the river, the work that still needs to be done and the ways everyone can contribute to the stewardship of our streams.
The group hopes to bring more people to “rediscover, respect and revitalize” the river and the tributaries along its 100-mile length and throughout its 800-square-mile watershed, through four counties and a hundred communities. And the project’s not being called “year of the Cuyahoga,” but “year of the River,” so that all watersheds can use the themes to build support for stewardship in every stream in the region.
More than 40 organizations, including EarthWatch Ohio, have already signed on as Year of the River partners. Throughout the year, we expect to see hundreds of groups, businesses and institutions using the “happy fish” logo at events and on materials. Look for it at Friday fish fries as well as arts and cultural events, schools and libraries, and retail promotions.
The initiative’s website at www.riveryear.org is under construction, and will offer schedules of events and activities, resource links, partner profiles, a photo gallery and, as they say, much much more.
If you would like to be involved, or share a great idea to help make the year a success, contact Jane Goodman at 216-241-2414 x610 or email goodmanj@crcpo.org.