<
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/12/nx-s1-5123532/cuyahoga-river-cleanup-sturgeon-cleveland-ohio>
"About a mile from Cleveland’s Lake Erie shore, in a stretch of water once
among America’s most polluted, a team of conservationists just released a few
dozen lake sturgeon into the Cuyahoga River. Each of the armor-plated fry —
about the size of a human hand — is outfitted with a tiny transmitter to chart
its progress. If all goes well, larger releases will follow next year.
It was a celebratory moment for the Cuyahoga — the latest sign that the river
that spawned many a joke back in the day is on the comeback. For years now,
blue heron and bald eagles have shared those waters with kayakers,
paddleboarders and recreational anglers. Clevelanders and tourists alike dine
at high-end restaurants along the banks of a river that used to epitomize
industrial bleak. In recognition of its progress, the Cuyahoga was dubbed
“River of the Year” in 2019.
But the release of lake sturgeon earlier this month marks a milestone, says
Brian Schmidt, a fish biologist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Lake sturgeon need a “nice clean substrate so their eggs don't suffocate,” he
says. Biologists like Schmidt believe the Cuyahoga’s improved water quality has
made that possible.
Reintroduction of lake sturgeon could jump-start a “positive feedback loop,”
according to Tom Kiernan, president and CEO of the conservation group American
Rivers. “They then help create the environment where other species can thrive
as well.”
To fully appreciate how far the Cuyahoga has come, you have to understand its
troubled history. For many decades, it was a dumping ground for industrial
waste from the region’s factories. By the 1960s, it had become “a completely
unregulated sewer,” says Elaine Marsh, the president and co-founder of Friends
of the Crooked River.
Then, in the summer of 1969, an oil slick on the river caught fire. For locals,
it was nothing new. The Cuyahoga had occasionally caught fire since as far back
as the 1880s, with a particularly devastating blaze in 1952. By comparison, the
1969 fire was small. But it occurred at a propitious time for the nation’s
nascent environmental movement."
Via
Fix the News:
https://fixthenews.com/276-regenerative-city/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
