Sat 9/19
The lake sturgeon is an ancient freshwater fish that’s native to Lake Erie. It’s the lake’s largest fish, occasionally growing up to 300 pounds and eight feet long. But in the 20th century their population declined precipitously due to poor water quality.
On Saturday September 19, three nature-related organizations in Northeast Ohio will be hosting sturgeon release events when juvenile lake sturgeon are released at points along the river to begin their trek to the lake.
What’s the big deal? As with other wildlife returning to the area, the return of sturgeon to the river is a sign of its improving cleanliness and health.
At Summit Metro Parks’ Cascade Valley Metro Park Valley View area, at Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s Boston Store Trailhead River Access, and at Cleveland Metroparks’ Rivergate Park, small groups who have pre-registered will have the chance to release a young sturgeon into the river, while others can hang out, watch and earn more about sturgeon and restoration efforts.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park will be first out of the gate at 9am, and while RSVPs to release a sturgeon have already been filled, there may be a few additional fish available for walkups. Regardless, there will be other fun and educational things for observers to take part in, with experts on hand to share information about sturgeon and river restoration, and family-friendly activities.
From 10am-1pm Summit Metro Parks will be celebrating sturgeon at Cascade Valley Metro Park. They’ll have small groups taking turns releasing a young sturgeon into the river and learn more about their life cycle and the health of the Cuyahoga River watershed. For more information, go to summitmetroparks/sturgeon-release-celebration/.
Finally, you can celebrate Sturgeon Fest in Cleveland on the East Bank of the Flats at Rivergate park next to Merwin’s Wharf, from 1-4pm. There’ll be educational activities to learn more about this stocking of juvenile lake sturgeon while you can help release them here as well.
clevelandmetroparks.com/parks/special-events/sturgeon-fest
All these events are free and family-friendly. In fact, getting your kids excited about the health of the ecosystem is a wonderful thing!