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Conservation Headlines
6/14/2001
Dignitaries and Citizens Could Be Joined by Bald Eagles When Land Conservancy Kicks Off $6 Million Effort to Preserve Bass Lake
Chagrin River Land Conservancy
MUNSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio, June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- A fly-by by a mating pair
of American bald eagles could be part of the ceremonies when Chagrin River
Land Conservancy joins state and local officials Saturday, June 16 to kick
off a $6 million effort to acquire a 578-acre, 10,000-year-old lake and wetlands
area in northeast Ohio as a natural preserve.
Bass Lake and hundreds of acres of surrounding forests and wetlands in
Munson Township near Chardon, Ohio have been targeted for preservation by
the Conservancy as the single most important conservation priority in the entire
Chagrin River watershed. The Conservancy acquired an exclusive option to
purchase the area from a development interest late last year, and hopes to
finance the project through grants and contributions. The Geauga Park
District is also committed to the preservation effort, which if successful,
would transfer the land to Geauga Park District for long-term management as
a wildlife sanctuary.
A place where "time has stood still" for centuries, the Bass Lake
preservation effort represents the conservancy's most significant
conservation project to date, said Rich Cochran, Executive Director of the Chesterland,
Ohio-based non-profit organization.
"This is a relic of the ice age that we call a 'sanctuary' because it is
home to an outstanding ecosystem of genetically rare brook trout, at least
five endangered plant species and a unique collection of mammals, amphibians
and birds," Cochran said. "Formed by retreating glaciers, Bass Lake has
been left virtually undisturbed -- a place where the wetlands have the Ohio EPA's
highest quality rating."
Private and government surveys have confirmed the preserve 's biological
quality and importance.
Bass Lake is a critical waterfowl resting and feeding area, attracting
thousands of ducks and hundreds of tundra swans each year. Recently, Ohio
Fish and Wildlife officials added a bonus when they identified Bass Lake as home
to a nesting pair of American bald eagles. The rare, federally protected birds
nest in the area in spring and early summer. The extensive wild land area
has also attracted two black bears, which have been repeatedly sited in the area
this spring. With the acquisition of Bass Lake, Chagrin River Land
Conservancy will have placed more than 3,500 acres under protective conservation
easements since the organization was founded in 1987.
The kick-off event will be at the Bass Lake Clubhouse at 11:00 am and
will feature Ohio Representative Timothy J. Grendell as the keynote speaker.
Habitat for Rare Species and Natural Water Control System
More than a haven for rare species, the Bass Lake basin performs
important flood protection and water cleansing functions.
Strategically positioned at the headwaters of the Chagrin River 60 miles
above Lake Erie, the basin can store as much as 60 million gallons of water,
helping to prevent flooding downstream. Deep muck soils, marshland and swamp
covering some 350 acres form a natural cleansing system, trapping silt that
otherwise would spoil downstream reaches.
Native Americans, Settlers Fished and Camped Here
Initially a Native American hunting and fishing area, the Bass Lake
Sanctuary is considered the most important archeological site in the region
by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Rare pottery and other artifacts
recently discovered at the site prove that Native Americans from various
tribes maintained seasonal villages at Bass Lake over a period of more than
1,600 years. Settlers began to develop surrounding farms in the early
1800s, and considered Bass Lake a prime hunting and fishing area. A small resort
hotel and cottage community which focused on the Bass Lake's natural charms
was established between 1870 and 1917, and the lake became a popular stop on
the Cleveland/Eastern Interurban Railway Line.
Although popular for many years, Bass Lake remained relatively
undeveloped and the lake and surrounding community became quiet in the 1930s. Public access to the lake disappeared behind the property rights of owners who had
title to the surrounding land.
Instead of pursuing plans to develop homes and a golf course, the
property owner, a local development group, agreed to a one year option to allow the
Conservancy to pursue preservation of this vital area.
Future Use
Under the current plan, the Bass Lake Sanctuary would be owned and
managed long term by Geauga Park District. Today, virtually no public access to the
lake exists. The conservation agreement calls for limited public use under
Parks supervision for the benefit of birdwatchers, canoeists, hikers,
artists and the general public.
Without sprawling development, there will also be opportunities for
ecologic restoration, wildlife and plant habitat preservation and
management, and further scientific study.
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