Volunteers, hikers, boaters celebrate Cuyahoga River

"What you are seeing here today is absolutely iconic and spectacular," Cuyahoga County Planning Director Paul Alsenas told about 30 people who hiked out to Wendy Park on Cleveland`s Whiskey Island, a peninsula at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. "The Greater Cleveland area is trying to rediscover what it is to be a lakefront and river community."

A citizens` group called Friends of Whiskey Island is working to persuade the Cleveland Metroparks to take over operations of the park and marina there and the adjacent Cleveland Harbor Coast Guard Station to preserve the area, while keeping the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority from expanding its operations across the park`s shoreline and onto the land.

Ed Hauser, who heads the group, said it has given 2,600 signed support cards to the park board.

Alsenas said there is clear evidence of a growing movement to preserve the area, noting that the Shoreway signs identifying the Edgewater Park exit off Ohio 2 were updated by the Cuyahoga County engineer`s office in the last few weeks to also read: "Whiskey Island."

"That`s a strong sign in favor of the future of this park," Alsenas said.

Environmental groups in Summit County said they saw a similar sign in April when the Metro Parks there won a U.S. Court of Appeals battle to keep a Fairlawn company from testing in the Gorge Metro Park in Cuyahoga Falls to see if a dam on the river there could support a new hydroelectric power station.

Volunteers took hikers through the Gorge Park and pointed out areas that they said would be affected if the company, Metro Hydrolectric, were to get the case overturned.

"We showed people where the 800-foot pipeline would go through, among other things," said John Kaminski, who led the tours. "Today was all about appreciating the Cuyahoga River and Valley."

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