Etheostoma Caeruleum

^ That could be a good idea... a wide bridge.... nice design..

^ Trees, when implemented properly and with the right species, can only add benefits. They clean the air, reduce the need for water, quell noise (unwanted sound by definition) reduce winds battering people and buildings, add value and beauty and much more. I do not want to see a sterile mono-culture pesticide/in-organic fertilizer artificial looking suburban turf grass with giant concrete slabs. Such could not be anymore boring and demonstrate a lack of creativity. Look at Hyde Park in the heart of Sydney Australia.... In fact, look at many of the streets in/near their downtown. There are lots of such tree scapes and they do not block views or cause any problems tree or bio-phobic people seem to have. It simply looks spectacular and adds a richness/classiness. We've long been to sterile. Part of our history is also paying a bit of homage to the natural heritage that defines the land that Cleveland rests upon. I wouldn't worry so much about having too many trees as I would be more concerned with not having enough. Besides, these trees are not going to be giants when planted anyway. The right plan, the right amount and the right species will result in something that can even better than the typical New England green. We can improve. If we want to be a 'sustainable' and progressive city in these respects, the tree component is a must and such a contrast to the opposite past. If you dig up some old photos of P.S. circa mid to late 1800's roughly...there were quite a few taller trees and they looked fabulous. I'd give anything to have even that version of the square back these days.

It is being planned out currently---But having said this, it is being aggressively approached by very dedicated people---and gaining great interest for participation. Some funding will be needed, but all in all, this is very doable. The cast of those who can make this a reality is coming together nicely. I think that it is such a unique re-invention of the building. I see this happening. The concept is really quite simple but very unique and achievable. Anyone wanting to share the link on another thread is welcome.

Thought I would share this e-news letter from The Arc Of Appalachia Woodland Sprawl E-Magazine for the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System www.arcofappalachia.org Responses are welcome, write Nancy at [email protected] To subscribe or unsubscribe write Crystal at [email protected] Why do we need parks and reserves?? It’s essential that each country keep part of its natural heritage untouched, as a record for the future, a baseline to measure change, so people can see the splendor of their past, before the land was degraded. And if we ever want to rehabilitate habitat, we need to see how things used to be. ---by George Schaller, Oct 2006 National Geographic, interview by John G.Mitchell Thought for the Day: Restoring large blocks of old-growth forests back to the Appalachian heartland is the single most important thing we can do on behalf of native biodiversity. Doing such work is of critical global significance. Here at the Arc, this is work that we do. Contained Within: · A Holiday Greeting to our Friends--in words · A Holiday Greeting to our Friends--in pictures. · Irony: The same economy that is bringing us bargain properties & prices-- is making the funds to buy them tragically hard to find. · Donations Desperately Needed for our Land Campaign, and you know we don't use that word lightly! · Standing Tall: An Essay on Eastern Old-Growth ~ A Primer for Eastern Forest Citizens · CRAZY BUSY? If you don't have time to read this now, please tuck it aside until you can. Important News within. A Holiday Greeting...in pictures. www.highlandssanctuary.org/photo.essay.4.winterforest/photo.essay.htm Even winter has its sublime beauty. We bring to you a selection of inspiring photos--all taken in the Arc of Appalachia region of southern Ohio. Happy Solstice! Bringing Old-Growth Back to the Heartland -- 500 acres at stake Irony: The same economy that is bringing us bargain properties & prices--is making the funds to buy them tragically hard to find. Please help! Donation Form at www.highlandssanctuary.org/Donations/donations.htm There is such a thing as being too late. You can make a world of difference for the Eastern Forest. Here's a chance to help protect the planet’s most disturbed biome, and still work in your own backyard. We are in the middle of one of the largest land acquisition campaigns in the history of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System. If successful, we will add 500 acres of forest land to our south-central Ohio holdings. We are spurred forward on this quest with the award a successful Clean Ohio grant which. for several of our campaign properties, will match every dollar raised with a total of four. With the help of Clean Ohio funds, a $500 donation can buy one acre or more of land, and $10,000 can buy twenty! That's like turning back the clock of time. The belly side of this good fortune is the state of our economy, which is bringing tough times to all non-profits, and we are no exception. Although there is no better time to invest in land preservation, the sobering reality is that we are running 30% below last year's fund-raising efforts. As we approach the holidays, the bulk of the work to fund our current land campaign still lies ahead of us, putting some of our projects at high risk. Our current land campaign package includes the following critical projects, many of which would never have hit the market if it weren't for the economy driving them there. Time will tell if we will be strong enough to divert all of them from the realm of resource development to resource preservation. * Expansion of Highlands Nature Sanctuary -- 100 acre corridor along the Rocky Fork Gorge, connecting HNS to Rocky Fork State Park * New road access to Rock Run Wilderness Preserve -- 90 acres of forest, providing our first hiking access * Kamama Prairie Preserve expansion -- 7 acres and several state-listed plant species * Spruce Hill Preserve -- quarter mile of road frontage and a contiguous 30 acre woods * 120 acres at the road entrance to Fort Hill -- protecting a half mile of Baker Fork Creek corridor, slated for development * 100 acre Hope Springs Woods -- the creation of the Arc's 14th preserve We would be so very grateful to receive your support at this time. There is no donation too small to help, and obviously, none too big. We will need gifts from two to five digits in size to succeed, and even small gifts are pivotal, so please don't think your gift can't make a difference. www.highlandssanctuary.org/Donations/donations.htm. In the next e-magazine issue we will publish maps of the campaign's land projects, showing you where they lie in the Arc's big picture. Standing Tall – An Essay on Eastern Old-Growth Since the Arc began buying land back in 1995, we have sat around the closing table with pens in hand, signing our name on deeds a stunning, exhausting, and exhilarating 70 times. Our smallest acquisitions were a few rods in size; our largest at 310 acres, but altogether the Arc now owns or manages nearly 5000 acres of natural areas. Each and every acquisition has been a living metaphor for the missions we all hold so dear: taking down fences, re-uniting the forest canopy, and coaxing back the once-magnificent old-growth forest that once flourished on this land. Whoa, did you just say, “old growth?” Shhhhh! Don’t you know this isn’t the sixties anymore? Today the word is as politically incorrect, is as certain to be a conversation stopper, as dropping the words "spotted owl" at a backwoods bar in northern California! If you must say something, say old forest, mature forest, or undisturbed forest, but never, never say the words old-growth!!! But you know, sometimes you just want to say what you mean. And we mean old-growth. It’s an important word with a definition that we think we need to preserve. Why old growth indeed? If you are a citizen of America’s Eastern Forest, here are some important concepts about old-growth you should know: 1) A forest is more than the sum of its trees. A functioning temperate broadleaf forest, our home biome, is made up of tens of thousands of species—only a small fraction of which are trees. Even highly degraded forests on the edge of a freeway or an abandoned farm field can have plenty of trees, but that doesn't make the woodlands ecologically functional. MAXIM: The existence of mere trees is not the measure of a forest’s health or its biological wealth. 2) For millions of years, the heartland Appalachian forests have been largely and dependably old-growth. The temperate forest biome of Eastern North America is at least an astounding thirty five million years old. The central heartland of the Eastern forest, running from southern Ohio along the western spine of the mountains into Tennessee, has been largely protected from the frequent devastations of fire and hurricane winds that diminish the age of the forest elsewhere. Barring the effects of a wildly fluctuating climate, such as the forces of drought and glaciation, the heartland Appalachian forests have been largely old-growth throughout their long history. The oldest members of this forest community– the hemlocks and white oaks – frequently topped 450-650 years in age. 3) In the heartland of Appalachia, old-growth boasts a stunning bio-diversity. Old-growth forests in the heartland can host a peak of an astounding 100,000 species, including insects, salamanders, mychorrhizal fungi, salamanders, ferns, lichens, shrubs and wildflowers. 4) In the heartland, biodiversity plummets after a severe disturbance. Researchers have documented that as soon as a heartland forest is highly disturbed, such as after a deep timber harvest, the species count drops roughly in half. After a natural disturbance in primeval times, a disrupted forest would slowly recover its peak biodiversity over time. In the forest’s present fragmented condition, however, a disrupted forest may never completely recover what it lost, but species diversity nevertheless appreciates over time. 5) When it comes to biodiversity, all forests are not alike. Correlating old-growth and biodiversity in the Appalachian heartland is contrary to what may be true in more peripheral deciduous forests, where fire and hurricane have been guiding factors in evolution. In such places, such as the boreal north, the coast, the far south, and the drought-stricken west, disturbed forests with open canopies often have higher biodiversity than undisturbed forests, whether they are old-growth or not. A lesson learned, therefore, in the Ozarks or southern Georgia, may run counter to the lessons learned in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. We must be careful what principles we apply to the Eastern Forest’s bio-geography. 6) Today, our forests are highly disturbed. With the rare exception of the rare old-growth forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, over 99% the the Appalachian heartland forests can be classified as either disturbed or completely vanished. The oldest trees in many of our existing forests are only 40-60 years old. 7) Old-Growth in the heartland, once the dominant landscape feature, is now the rarest. Old-growth forest, representing the pinnacle of potential biodiversity and for eons the most common landscape feature in the region, is now almost non-existent in the modern landscape of Eastern North America, and all other temperate forest centers of the world. In much of the Appalachian heartland, less than one half of one percent of old growth forest remain. Compare that with 10% of the Pacific Northwest rainforest that still remain as old-growth. 8) We live in the most disturbed biome in the world. Of the world’s fourteen terrestrial biomes, the temperate broadleaf forest biome (mid-latitude forests with deciduous leaves) is the most disturbed biome on the planet. 9) Trees are more than science. So far in this essay we have been discussing the merits of old-growth from the viewpoint of scientific thinking. If we study old-growth from the the additional viewpoints of inspiration, beauty, and poetry, then the merits of an old-growth forest expand beyond the space limitations of this current essay. We therefore leave such productive musings to you, to ponder in the long dark winter nights that beckon fruitfully ahead. We would love to hear what old-growth means to you in these more subjective realms. Write us and share! Conclusion? We repeat: Restoring large blocks of old-growth forests back to the Appalachian heartland is the single most important thing we can do on behalf of biodiversity protection and restoration. Doing such work is of critical global significance. Here at the Arc, this is work that we do! The Arc is proud to be one of the non-profits working toward the mission of old-growth restoration in the East. Part of our challenge is to accept the imperfection of our work. We can’t turn back the clock. We can’t bring back all the missing components – the likes of the now extinct passenger pigeons and Carolina parakeets. We can’t send the emerald ash borer or the hemlock adelgid back to China, nor the garlic mustard back to England. But we can do this: we can return a small percent of our tired, young working forests back to best functioning old-growth forest that our current environment allows. We think this work is environmentally worthy, scientifically sound, and in terms of earth stewardship -- absolutely morally responsible. We hope you will partner with us in this noble effort. Happy Holidays to you all. On behalf of the One Forest, our home, that connects us all....from Maine to Florida, from Virginia to the Ozarks.... Nancy Stranahan and the good folks at the The Arc of Appalachia Preserve System Headquarters: Highlands Nature Sanctuary 7629 Cave Road, Bainbridge, OH 45612 937-365-0101 www.arcofappalachia.org [email protected] -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ Linkup mailing list [email protected] http://lists.highlandssanctuary.org/mailman/listinfo/linkup

Latest on the window displays. Within a couple weeks, there should be more windows/storefronts cleaned and filled up with some spectacular art with the help of some UO'ers and local artists. I was even thinking eventually, a map of downtown can be placed on a small card, and when enough windows are full... the cards can serve as a self guided outdoor art walking window tour. There has been some art placed at the Statler... Some art of Super heroes... The Spiderman painting is really nifty...and the other window there will be filled soon. Three windows at the Chesterfield Apartments will be filled soon as well as a place on Prospect Ave. Not biting off than small amounts at a time.... That's all for now... Anyone wanting to take photos and post them is appreciated. Watch for the transformations!

New website for Woodland Cemetery: http://www.wcfcle.org/

There is a new concept in the works tilling in downtown Cleveland that will offer local restaurants, small farmers and community gardeners as well as individuals to grow their own food year round! It is the Gardens Under Glass concept that will transform "The Galleria" into a neighborhood community institution that will offer the above gardening opportunities, specialty art galleries and unique shops/businesses and services already housed in the building---as well as an expanded selection of eco-friendly merchants carrying many independently and locally made products to serve life's daily needs. Some of the products such as art, furniture or clothing you can find in the place will be made from recycled materials. Gardens Under Glass at the Galleria can also serve as a "bookend" of sort for the adjacent emerging Asia Town neighborhood---as it is located in central downtown Cleveland's northeastern most edge, opposite of Asia Town. These places are already virtually linked by nearby Rockwell Avenue. There can be a great synergy between the two places as local residents and even restaurants can rent/lease out spaces in hanging gardens to grow foods locally and hydroponically. That said, in the simplest of words, is the very basic concept; and what a great re-invention of building and downtown district this can be! The aquarium idea there would have been great but there were structural limitations....anyway....I don't want to spoil the surprise on this...so please visit the website for further details about the proposed project. Maybe this can be posted in a gardens thread too...but pushers of this project are looking for interest.... see: www.gardensunderglass.vpweb.com

Of the photo choices, I like what I see in plan 2. I feel the steel work in plan 1 will eventually look dated and be just more structure to maintain--and if not maintained properly, would look bad. Additionally, plan 1 contains too much cement. Just looks like the Mall again. (not that the Mall is all that bad, but the square should have its own identity) On the other hand, creating a more natural setting would never go out of style, so to speak. Many "heritage trees" could be planted as a testament to Cleveland's natural heritage, such as the great old Cottonwoods Birch, or Sycamore--an Ohio signature tree. Other native plants can be utilized as well so as to eventually lessen energy consumption and/or labor requirements in situations where staff/money is often limited. If planned properly, the right amount of trees will not compromise architecture views. Old photos of the square actually show some great tree lined streets. I like KJP's concept and do not understand why, if people would simply learn how to use it, a sort of "round-a-bout" would not work, which will allow for one unified center and not deny access to all other roads that currently feed the square. I guess we can call it a "square-a-bout" Lincoln Park in Tremont, or Courthouse Square in Warren sort of incorporate this idea. I am for moving bus stops just far away enough from the middle of all this so as to help reduce fumes and noise (many trees can assist in doing this job for free) litter, loitering, and some of the negatives that can accompany them.

I simply don't like spoiling this nice public...'public' being the operative word, vista for such a building. If it can be incorporated within it...maybe, but not just placing a big box down that would deny public access to those who are simply wanting to walk and take in atmosphere. If the trains are incorporated into the picture as well, I prefer a scenario that doesn't have people going from train to hotel and never setting foot outside. I like something that actually encourages some foot traffic in the city outside the bubbles.

Its official... They're now the worst team in football hands down; perhaps the worst the league has ever seen.... I'll trade any team for this garbage. The league should not even allow this level of coaching/playing to represent it. Sorry, I just find it inexcusable...rebuilding or not.

Ok gang.... Time to put away the politics and religion etc...and unite for a common good cause...and that is to show some TLC for our valued natural shoreline--what little of it exists--and meet for a couple hours of sweeping Edgewater Park. What better way than to work off the T-Giving celebration...AND, make a difference as well for the natural integrity of the lake! Again, I am keeping in touch with the state and even local Sierra Club members to see if we can get new management to implement some ideas to foster a culture of anti-littering. That is another story, but for today, we need volunteers! This will be the last sweep of the year 'til next Spring---as I will likely be in Sydney, Australia for the winter. Soooo.... Everyone is invited to attend and it would be greatly appreciated. Photo takers are welcome and perhaps we can go grab refreshments afterwards. Please bring some bags if you can and if I gave you gloves last time, better get those out as well! I will bring a rake/shovel for hard to snag things. We will meet in the upper parking lot as mapped out at the top of the thread....on Saturday the 28th, at approximately 11:00 AM and work till 1:00 PM. My contact number is also at the top of the thread, but if you attend, please look around the parking lot to see a trunk of a car open and a couple people standing around...you can ask about the litter sweep and that will likely be us! Don't leave if I am 10 minutes late or so...we will be there. Hope to have a good turn out on this so we begin to establish a presence in the park as well--and lead by example! Thank You, Robert

^ That sounds like a great idea! Fresh breads, cheeses, meats, some good produce....essentials, etc... Imports. I shop at the food co-op still.... sort of in the neighborhood, I guess...but the main drag in the heart of L.I needs something as you mention that is complimentary to the theme of the neighborhood---and that would do it. I think there are enough restaurants at the moment...but lacking in the kind of thing you describe.

Where was the last photo taken? Oh, never mind...took a while for these to download.. I see it now....

I agree... This place could use some more support too... It is quaint, clean, and the help is always very nice and speaks with a great accent!

Using the Mayfield Theater as an arts cinema seems like a good idea, but would probably face the same problems that plagued the old Centrum Theater in Coventry-lack of parking. Unfortunately when people want to see a movie they like cheap and easy parking. I wish someone was willing to restore it and prove me wrong though. This neighborhood is a walkers neighborhood--and while many visit from all over and drive, that's fine, but I would not want to sacrifice this neighborhood's walkable appeal with a parking lot or deck. There are enough people within walking distance of this place who live nearby and could sustain the theater. I lived there for a while and rarely drove anywhere. It would be beyond me that anyone who does would not chose to walk to all the little jaunts--unless you were completely physically unable--and part of the reason many people are so unhealthy these days is because they drive everywhere. Given the right mix, promotion, I could see things be a success. The Tarantino idea sounds classy too... But I would actually like to move back into the neighborhood and would like to see a couple things open that are functional to daily neighborhood needs...Perhaps another small grocer....Not a convenient store---but a real grocer--no lottery or rot gut alcohol. Maybe a little more specialty because I like to cook.

Great photos! Thanks for sharing.. I noticed in the Little Italy shots...someone was carrying a Sbarro cup! As the old Sesame Street tune went.... "one of these things just doesn't belong here" Ha!

Clinic ranked #2 on that site listed above for heart hospitals... http://www.askmen.com/top_10/travel/top-10-american-hospitals_2.html It relates... rich food, heartburn, heart attack..hospitals.. At least your close when you get the pains! ;-)

HA! Overlooked that... DUH! on me!

That's the photo... I know that is only a diagram, but it looks like a giant shoebox blocking the nice overlook. Of all places... Does this have to be there?

^ I glanced at it on a hard copy of the PD, I believe it was.

^ Me? Noooo.... I am not from the actual neighborhood... but I like it and was interested in learning more about those buildings. I know at one time the theater was utilized in the mid-70's...was it not....anyone? I lived on Overlook, right above Little Italy and frequented it a lot. I am on the west side now, but still love it there. I know farther up-thread the buildings I mentioned have been discussed...and surely people want to see something done with them...But I was just checking in again if there were any updates

Great photos! Its really hard to believe that there was a time when this nation actually DID know how to travel on trains.... Time for a change to the trains!

Nice... squirrel is the greatest!!! Does anyone know if the whole Terminal Tower will ever be lit up again? I like it better when the whole thing is lit.... Makes a much more prominent presence at night.

^ I have wanted to check out that place as well... Just glancing at some of the posts.... Wanted to pitch in a couple places I feel are underrated spots... First, The 7 Roses Deli on Fleet in Slavic Village. The store has atmosphere...old style sliding wall ladder, molded plaster ceilings, marble-like walls, wooden floors and a great door entrance... Very ethnic inside, many items available for ethnic cooking, a deli, freshly baked baked goods, and a small quality buffet for $6.99 I am a vegetarian so I basically go for the pierogies and a few other items, but the atmosphere alone is worth the trip. It is like stepping back in time...sort of like Olson's Mercantile Polish style! Make a stop by this place! Second place I have not seen too much writing about is Jazz 28. (28th/Church in O.C.) Fresh food, great clean classy atmosphere, and the owners Mark and Debbie are fabulous and welcoming. It is in the former Budapest Blue spot. This place has class...so it is not a place where you go and wear sneakers and blue jeans and a sloppy shirt.... It requires getting a bit above that...Nice pants, shoes, shirt, basically. If you have a gut, refrain from tucking in the shirt.... food is good, you will need the room! Since it is small inside, the acoustics are a bit loud, but the music, nonetheless, is good. Get out the hat and cane and give it try. Just thought I would add a couple places that seem to not get heard of very much....