In the middle of June, 1969, the Cuyahoga River burst into flames when a spark from a passing train flew down and ignited debris on the surface of the river. Although fires on the river were common at the time due to industrial waste and high levels of water pollution, it was this event that served as the catalyst for an environmental movement that resulted in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.1
Today, residents of northeast Ohio now enjoy various recreational activities on the Cuyahoga, including canoeing and kayaking, fishing, and hiking along the many riverside trails. It might be surprising to know, then, that there are some areas of the river that still suffer the results of carelessness and waste.
On Thursday, September 19, students from Crestwood High School’s Junior-Senior Seminar service learning class worked with Breakaway Excursions of Mantua to help clean up trash and haul debris out of the Cuyahoga River. The Seminar class helps students to raise awareness of their roles in society and develop into community leaders. In addition to students creating their own service project throughout the course, each year the class takes several field trips to help with various areas of need in and around the local community.
The group had originally planned to pull tires out of the river, but due to high levels of silt most of the tires could not be located. According to Doug Hershman and Pam Holiday, owners of Breakaway Excursions, there are around twenty or more tires in a stretch of the Cuyahoga beginning near Infirmary Road and stretching down river toward Coit Road and S.R. 303. Hershman commented, “The residents of this area actually keep this section of the river pretty clean.” He believes some of the tires date back to the 1960’s.
The Crestwood students began the day with kayak safety training and instruction as well as a demonstration from Hershman about how to safely and correctly remove a tire from the river. They then traveled down river for five and a half miles searching for debris along the way. Although most of the tires could not be located, the twenty-two students were able to locate and remove not only small pieces of trash, but also a full-sized deflated raft, several pieces of large pipe from an old electric water pump, and a complete truck bed liner.
“We accomplished even more than I had hoped for today,” said Hershman. Students who attended said that in addition to feeling good about helping, it was reassuring to know that there are people like Hershman who are so passionate about the environment and keeping the Cuyahoga River clean.
If you are interested in helping with future river clean-ups or arranging a kayak excursion, please contact Breakaway Excursions at 440-773-2465 or visit www.breakawayexcursions.com
- Blakemore, Erin. “The Shocking River Fire that Fueled the Creation of the EPA.” History Channel. April 22, 2019. Online. ?https://www.history.com/news/epa-earth-day-cleveland-cuyahoga-river-fire-clean-water-act? .September 19, 2019.
