Since then, the CRCPO has also become the lead partner in the Cuyahoga American Heritage River Initiative (CAHR), a federal program to assist in the restoration and protection of the environmental, economic, cultural and historical character of the fourteen designated American Heritage Rivers.

Most recently, the CRCPO has created a third initiative, the Cuyahoga/Lake Erie Environmental Resource Technology Center (CLEERTEC) to create economic development opportunities through innovative technological solutions for environmental restoration and protection.

Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan (RAP), which includes a strong emphasis on delisting actions (those which remedy the specific issues listed on the EPA's definition of a river at risk) and support for community-based tributary groups to help them develop watershed management plans to meet delisting goals.

The RAP's Area of Concern includes the portion of the Cuyahoga River and its tributaries in approximately the western, downstream half of the river, as it turns north in Summit County and flows to the Lake, plus tributary watersheds that drain from Portage County and selected additional waterways that flow directly into Lake Erie.

Cuyahoga American Heritage River Initiative, which encompasses the entire Cuyahoga River from its headwaters in Geauga County, through Portage, Summit and Cuyahoga Counties to its outflow into Lake Erie. We work with our AHR partners to develop restoration and protection strategies that enhance the quality of life of the river and its environs.

CLEERTEC - The Cuyahoga/Lake Erie Environmental Resource Technology Center's first project will be to design and develop a prototype "green bulkhead" to replace aging steel bulkheads along the Cuyahoga River ship channel at the mouth of the river. The goal is to create environmentally-friendly structures that maintain the integrity of the riverbanks and allow for navigation of large ships, yet provide habitat for aquatic organisms and support fish as they migrate to and from the lake and the upper reaches of the river and its tributaries.

CHIPPEWA CREEK WATERSHED PLANNING PARTNERSHIP -
We are assisting the communities of Brecksville, Broadview Heights and North Royalton in organizing and training a community-based group to develop a watershed management plan using Balanced Growth concepts and best management practices. The team will identify priority areas for both conservation and development based on how various land uses affect the quality and function of Chippewa Creek, and integrate them into a watershed restoration and management plan.

BRANDYWINE CREEK WATERSHED PLANNING -
We are working with communities in "The Brandywine," as well as Summit County planners, engineers and soil and water conservation district, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, to build a partnership and engage communities in the watershed, with the goal of developing a watershed management plan.

CUYAHOGA WATERSHED COMMUNICATIONS COLLABORATIVE & SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT -
The Gund Foundation has awarded CRCPO a two-year grant (2007-2008) to support an initiative that includes creation of a communications collaborative to bring together groups with common environmental goals and develop a shared marketing plan to raise operational and funding support for our restoration and protection work.

WETLAND ASSESSMENT SURVEY -
Work continues on a USEPA-funded survey of wetlands throughout the watershed. In the first phase of the program, the RAP focused on Chippewa, Tinkers and Breakneck Creeks, areas experiencing rapid changes in land use. Additional funding this year will allow RAP to continue, and expand this program.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH -
A new addition to the AHR brochure series is in the works, focusing on trees, forests and canopy management in the overall health and function of watersheds and waterways.

DELISTING AND RESTORATION ACTION PLAN -
We are working to produce a comprehensive plan to identify, guide and evaluate consistent approaches in each tributary toward delisting goals.

CLEERTEC -
As funding, which has already been allocated, makes it way through the system, we continue to prepare for action on developing green bulkhead prototypes for the ship channel.

COMMUNITY STORM WATER AND LAND USE ORDINANCE INVENTORY -
CRCPO has received a grant from the Ohio Lake Erie Commission to create a database of land use and storm water management ordinances, which will provide a comprehensive inventory of strategies in use throughout the watershed.

WATERSHED STEWARDSHIP & MANAGEMENT TRAINING FOR CUYAHOGA RIVER TRIBUTARIES -
A new grant awarded by the Ohio Environmental Education Fund (OEEF) will support the CRCPO in presenting workshops in high-risk tributary watersheds along the main stem of the river surrounding the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We will also produce a Watershed Stewardship Manual to lead communities and individuals toward better land use and watershed management.

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