Fish stocking, angling at Lower Lake nets split decision from Shaker, Cleveland Heights - cleveland.com

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CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- City Council found itself swamped with more than 100 emails Monday night (April 5), most of them calling for fishing to be allowed on the Cleveland Heights side of Lower Shaker Lake.

The requests emerged through an anonymous flyer posted at the lake and also shared on the Next Door community website, beginning simply enough with the title “What happened to all the water?” It was explained in fine print at the bottom of the letter that the lake was drained to repair the “old, leaky” dam.

But the writer saw the opportunity to have the lake stocked for free by the state with native, predatory fish such as bass and bluegill, which would eliminate any remaining carp.

While Lower Lake is owned by the City of Cleveland, Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights have a long-term lease on it for management purposes, basically split down the middle of the body of water.

“With the lake currently drained and most of the invasive carp gone, NOW is the time to introduce native species back into Shaker Lake to bring back wildlife,” stated the flyer, which has since been taken down.

“The Ohio Department of Natural Resources wants to stock native, beneficial species in (Lower) Lake for free. And Shaker Heights wants this as well -- but Cleveland Heights is the only city standing in the way.”

Tale of two cities

Not so fast, says Shaker Heights Chief Administrative Officer Jeri Chaikin.

The ODNR did make an offer to Shaker Heights Parks and Recreation Director Alex Nichols, and Chaikin noted that fishing is allowed on the Shaker Heights side, with no ordinance required.

“They gave us a proposal to stock the lake, but given the state of the lakes because of the dams, we decided not to proceed at this time,” Chaikin said.

At the same time, Cleveland Heights Parks and Recreation Director Joe McRae said his city would welcome the fish -- just not the fishing.

“Lower Lake is an important and cherished part of the Shaker Lakes Parklands shared by Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights,” McRae said. “It is a place for birdwatching, gathering, dog walking, running and picnicking. Preserving the ability to do all of this requires maintenance of our narrow park area with its natural vegetation vs. the wider parkland that Shaker Heights has on their side of the lake.”

McRae cited concern for the impact of shoreline fishing on the native plants that help form the barrier to the lake. He said this could cause rising water that could destroy the hiking path and additional vegetation.

“Cleveland Heights is following the original parkland management plan, which has prohibited fishing for several years,” McRae said.

“We do not object to stocking the lake with native fish, but for the ecological benefits rather than for fishing. We also remain concerned about litter like fish lines and hooks that can be dangerous to wildlife as well as humans.”

‘Friends’ weigh in

As co-chairs of the volunteer group Friends of Lower Lake, Peggy Spaeth and John Barber noted that they have been asked for their opinion about the flyer posted by “an anonymous angler,” some of which they forwarded as public correspondence to Cleveland Heights City Council on Monday.

“We think the volunteers who are entering the fourth year of habitat restoration all agree with us that fishing at Lower Lake park should continue to be prohibited,” Spaeth and Barber said. “Our perspective, as well as some history of how the two cities diverged on a policy for a common natural area, is here.”

They were among roughly 10 people who voiced their opposition to fishing on Lower Lake, compared to more than 80 who urged Cleveland Heights officials to change the policy.

Spaeth and Barber also gave their reasons why stocking the lake with native species would not be sustainable, noting that the site is designated as an Audubon Important Bird Area.

“Permitting fishing in the lake would change the character of the lake to one of active, rather than passive, recreation,” they added. “Of all the Shaker Lakes, Lower Lake has been most often described as a nature preserve through its history.”

Spaeth and Barber said that fishing had not been allowed at Lower Lake until the 2020 Shaker Parklands Committee review and update to the 2013 Land Use and Management Plan.

At that time, the Shaker Parklands Committee was asked to approve the document with the following addition: “Shaker Heights does not prohibit fishing on the south side of Lower Lake, pending a public use planning process.”

This language allows fishing in Shaker Heights from the South Park Boulevard side of the lake and part of Brook Road, such as the bridge, for an indeterminate period.

“We would like to see a uniform policy for the park, but unfortunately the managing partners did not agree,” Spaeth and Barber said. “We support Cleveland Heights prohibiting fishing on the North Park (Boulevard) side of Lower Lake for both ecological and human safety reasons.”

They noted that replacement of common carp with native fish is not a sustainable goal in a shallow, silty, manmade pond.

“Several species of birds also nest along the edge of the lake, where they are at grave risk of entanglement and death from abandoned fishing gear, with lead sinkers also posing a hazard,” Spaeth and Barber said.

They cited the presence of nesting green herons, foraging bald eagles and osprey, a variety of ducks, kingfishers and migrating warblers.

Fact checkers needed

The Friends of Lower Lake group is affiliated with the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership, whose executive director, Victoria Mills, also sent public correspondence to Cleveland Heights City Council on Monday.

Mills said any further decisions on the “very shallow” lake and Audubon site with its vegetative shoreline should be delayed until the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District completes its work on the dam.

She added that three meetings were hosted last year, and encouraged further forums by the partnership and the Shaker Parklands Commission.

“Also, many comments in this anonymous letter are not factual,” Mills wrote to Cleveland Heights City Council.

These could include references in the flyer that “the ODNR wants to help, but Cleveland Heights has the ODNR’s hands tied behind their back,” as well as the pronouncement that “Lower Lake is soon to be dead and lifeless. Don’t let this happen.”

After Cleveland Heights City Manager Susanna Niermann O’Neil and Finance Director Amy Himmelein, also Clerk of Council, read all of the emails, Council President Jason Stein referred the issue to the Community Relations and Recreation Committee, chaired by Councilwoman Davida Russell.

“A full discussion of this is needed, and that should include Shaker Heights as well,” Stein said, noting that Councilwoman Mary Dunbar, one of the city’s representatives on the Doan Brook Watershed Partnership board, can provide some “liaison expertise.”

Russell asked for a copy of Mills’ letter, adding that council will have to hear from the neighbors around Lower Lake as well.

Read more from the Sun Press.

The Link Lonk


April 06, 2021 at 08:32PM
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Fish stocking, angling at Lower Lake nets split decision from Shaker, Cleveland Heights - cleveland.com

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