Project Summary
The Upper Cuyahoga Headwaters Preserve comprises 80 acres in Claridon Township, Geauga County. This floodplain property is situated along approximately 3,000 feet of the West Branch of the Cuyahoga River. The 80 acres hold an expansive Category III wetland complex with shrub-scrub and emergent wetland habitat, buffered by mature hardwood forest and native upland shrub-scrub habitat with scattered vernal pools. The property provides habitat for a number of rare, threatened and endangered species, and its adjacency to an existing 38-acre parcel of land protected by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources creates a contiguous tract of protected land nearly 120 acres in size.
West Creek Conservancy acquired the Upper Cuyahoga Headwaters Preserve property in two phases, including an initial land donation of 21 acres in 2023 followed by West Creek’s grant-supported acquisition of the additional 59 acres in 2025. The entire 80 acres are now permanently and legally protected, ensuring these high-quality wetland, floodplain, and upland habitats are never lost to development. West Creek Conservancy will own and manage the Upper Cuyahoga Headwaters Preserve and is exploring opportunities to develop passive access infrastructure to enable seasonal public access to this new riverfront nature preserve.
Project Partners
The Upper Cuyahoga Headwaters Preserve property was made possible through the generous land donation of the Berman family, combined with funding support from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources through the H2Ohio grant program and from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA). The project was also supported by Ducks Unlimited, whose partnership enabled West Creek to pursue NAWCA funding to support this high-quality wetland protection project.
Expected Outcomes and Benefits
West Creek Conservancy’s conservation of the Upper Cuyahoga Headwaters Preserve property permanently protects 80 acres of high-quality wetland, floodplain and forested habitat along the West Branch of the Cuyahoga River. This safeguards critical habitat for rare, threatened and endangered species while preserving natural flood storage capacity and supporting water quality in the Cuyahoga River watershed. By connecting to the adjacent state-protected land, the Upper Cuyahoga Headwaters Preserve project creates nearly 120 acres of contiguous, protected natural area, supporting regional and watershed-wide conservation efforts and long-term ecosystem resilience.
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