Rowing for Restoration on Cleveland's Cuyahoga River

Daniel J. McGraw identifies a key partner in the process of reimagining Cleveland's Cuyahoga River. "Clevelanders are rethinking the waterway — and rowers deserve some of the credit," writes McGraw. "The attention they’ve helped to shift toward the river has helped spawn the creation of a riverfront park, spurred economic development in an empty industrial area of Cleveland, and helped change the regional consciousness that the waterways — Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River, among others — in Northeast Ohio are fundamental assets…"

Rowers, according to the article began their fight by bringing attention to public access to the river. Those early efforts, according to McGraw, are paying off with more momentum in recent years: "Cleveland Metroparks is currently constructing bike trail paths along the river, and Rivergate Park will be the hub for many of these trails that link areas south of Cleveland to Lake Erie. Numerous businesses have relocated to once-empty warehouse space."