Etheostoma Caeruleum

It could be more than double the size.

it's called marketing and branding boo. Since the aquarium is so small, they have revolving exhibits. Can someone explain to me in detail, why we cannot have two aquariums? Sure, you can have two... But why? If one is done right? This is not a competition between two entities. Part of the point of discussing this to clearly show the differences between two philosophies--one, chamber driven, the other a more 'museum-ish' vision. Personally, I'll take the latter because the former always reveals its flaws, and the animals usually pay for it. I don't like mixing "marketing" and "aquatic conservation" in the same sentence.

The above was just a concept and option pitched to Cleveland Aquarium--and was not and is not necessarily their view. However, I feel if there were many who would support the concept of one in the Power House, this idea blows that one away. Notice the waterfalls on the building...the perched observation platform in the front, functioning rooftop gardens, and 'people aquarium' windows. I do not believe the PH idea would incorporate any of that. I do know one thing, if such a facility were to be located in an existing structure, the galleria is far more suitable, hands down. On another note... The idea of 'boutique' and 'public aquarium' should not be in the same sentence. That philosophy always results in disaster for the aquatic displays and animals. Those in the know and who have worked around such for a long time understand that. It results in the "Can I have an aquarium hanging on my wall about 5 inches wide to look like a picture so I can fill it with piranhas?" :cry:

Here is a home made video (first one..second two, I do not know--but they are G.L.) of Underwater Lake Erie. Remember, the shallowness of the lake means that it stirs up quicker, so don't expect tropical reef clarity, as the lakes are basically large puddles left behind by the last glacier. The gobies are a problem in L.E. like the zebra muscles, wreaking havoc on native species food supplies. These videos give an idea of what it is like under the surface of the Great Lakes. I often wonder what this habitat would have looked like pre-settlement. You would have seen sturgeon (A.K.A. The Lake Erie Monster?) over 13 feet, and Gar that would scare the mess out of you, for starters! A naturalist's dream!

No worries! Just pass along good things about Cleveland! :clap:

Thanks for taking the time to check this out! Yes, you would be surprised at the aquatic life watching opportunities in a simple clear water stream with heavy forested banks. Swine Creek is great for this and the Upper Cuyahoga--many parts of the Grand River and Phelps Creek--even Rocky River and Tinkers Creek. There are some areas you can do this along the lake shore as well. You will find mostly round gobies, which are invasive and problematic for the lake. I know someone who catches some great underwater photos of the Great Lakes. I may post them. No freshwater octopus here...BUT, there ARE freshwater jellyfish and sponges! They're rather a rare occurrence and usually found in very old, well established ponds that are either spring fed, or natural. There is one near Hocking Hills Ohio which has an abundance of freshwater jelly fish. They look exactly like a sea jelly fish, (same goes for sponge) except very small--about the size of a dime. The funny thing about the darters is they resemble salt water gobies/blennies. Sort of a reminder of the ancient days when a shallow sea covered Ohio. Some fish, which became landlocked seemed to inherit traits of their salt water cousins. The character in personality many of these fish possess is very amusing! I brought this up because how often do we simply ignore that stream or river we may pass by everyday, not thinking twice of the diversity in life in such a small environment, or how they play an important role in our daily lives? Ohio has over 60,000 miles of streams--and actually, The Great Lakes are more of a functioning 'river system.' To learn more about natives in North America, see www.nanfa.org

Are there any photos of what this may look like? It would be good if it did have some design to it--And, will the old bridge still be overhauled to carry traffic in one direction, as was the case last I checked? Sorry if the question was answered. I am not knowledgeable on this project.

A Look At Some Of N.E. Ohio's Aquatic Habitats-15 to 80 mins. from D.T. Cleve! Hi, I really could not find thread where this topic would fit perfectly, but I will attempt to make it fit in this one. How about "Urban-Aquatic-Ohio?" :lol: The link below is a story that explores many streams in North East Ohio, all within a 60-80 minute jaunt of downtown Cleveland. The story highlights some of the lesser known native fishes of our region. I have another story that has more spectacular photos, but will post that here later. This story was done several years ago, but these fishes are still here...and very much a part of our natural heritage. It is really amazing what you can find within just a 15 to 80 minute journey outside the center of Cleveland and in the highly developed world of N.E. Ohio. Ohio, in general, is a part of what is considered the most diverse temperate freshwater fish fauna in the world. Just 45 minutes to the east, several years ago, the thought-to-be extirpated in Ohio--Mountain Brook Trout--were discovered in what was a rare hold out population in what has now become a part of the Geauga Park District. (West Woods Park Preserve--on Rt. 87 A.K.A. Shaker Blvd?) Mountain Brook Trout are gorgeous and are a definitive example of what was truly wild Ohio. We are very fortunate to have such a splendid part of our natural heritage protected. Their habitat would have been another urban sprawl Mc Mansion development had it not been for the works of the district. I could not post the stories with the links. They have too much material contained within. The links will always be there, as I keep them up and running. I will post more but I hope you enjoy the first two journeys into a small portion of Ohio's underwater world, a very rarely observed place. You may be surprised by the diversity outside of the usual game species. My next story will be about tributaries of the Cuyahoga--and the river itself. You may need to copy and paste the links. http://jonahsaquarium.com/nanfa/2002%2D11%2D05ohio/index.html http://www.farmertodd.com/NANFA/101202/ Below is a photo of the fish found abundantly in the Cuyahoga River watershed around N.E. Ohio and in the main river further south. Such habitats in which it is found, are remarkably diverse....AND remarkably threatened. The Rainbow Darter/darters are in the perch family and are considered an indicator species--meaning its presence suggests higher water quality. Also, this fish is the inspiration for my screen name!

Where are the snacks? :-D

There is a locally/owned operated furniture store on W. 25th in Ohio City, a large Futon Factory Warehouse on St. Clair is it?...the furniture store in Tower City as someone mentioned...and those other non-local places...(being the independent/ locally owned advocate I am)...AND, isn't there a new furniture store opening up on Euclid near 4th in the glass parking garage street level next to the Arcade? Office furniture? KJP..good selections!

Reminds me of The Guiding Light! Or what was the soap opera's name with Cin. as the backdrop in the opening?

Nature begins its reclamation... Where was this?

That's a great idea, but don't use English Ivy as it has a tendency to destroy brick. An alternative would be the native Virginia Creeper.

I like the lighting as long as the lighting is energy efficient if it is on the building..and directed downward to help not waste light into the night sky. Walk way lighting too would be nice..maybe solar charged?

Strap.. Yes, this is a tricky noise situation to deal with, and aside from not having the garage there at all.. what I suggested above it really about as much that can be done with not a lot of money. On the bricks, I was referring to the bare wall where the bank building used to be, now the pedestrian area. I think it may look ugly to just leave it as is, while you have this beautiful restored terra cotta on the front, but maybe it won't. What do you think? Painting.. No, I agree.. It would also just flake and peal and look worse.

Noise issues are my specialty.. Really! Curbing and abating them..all kinds...Ask me anything you want to know. 1. Do you agree that noise could be an issue given the layout? 2. What would you do to dampen it... and something that could hopefully add to the aesthetics (which there aren't much of). Noise will absolutely undermine what are supposed to be ped. friendly areas. In this case, designers really need to explore the installation of noise proof technologies on surfaces around this area. Maybe decorate them with art....Trees and lots of plants can help...This situation appears limited. However, if this is not taken into account, it will be a detractor, no doubt. Noise is always an afterthought, yet always results in the most complaints to a police department, building manager, etc.. Also, sometimes 'white noise' in situations like this can also help. Fountains, a pleasant sound typically, would drown out some of the undesired sounds. I looked at this again..and definitely from the drawings.. This needs more trees.. Sound barriers along those 'gates' going under ground... and on the walls around the building so it will not echo. Thicker plants and trees around there too. And in the garage near the entrance.

Noise issues are my specialty.. Really! Curbing and abating them..all kinds...Ask me anything you want to know. Also, I have a question about this project. Why is it that it seems the old exposed brick portions of the building are never cleaned after such a major renovation. By name, I cannot remember, but I can point out several examples downtown if I were to walk with someone. This building is going to have a huge brick wall on the pedestrian side. Wouldn't it be nice to see the original color of the brick sometimes? Will this wall be cleaned as it looks in the renderings?

You could also contact McKinight Associates with your ideas and questions, they are the landscape architect. http://www.mcknightla.com/profile.html They are granite curbs, they are being reused I'm sure, just moved out. You can see it on the pic on cleveland.com Thanks, I used all the contacts and sent them letters. If anyone wants to see the letter, email me on the side.

Now, that was the best suggestion yet. Thank you. Things really get unproductive when we take time debating whether something should be discussed again or not..or whether it has already been covered. A simple reference would prevent all that. And, reference that is not condescending or belittling. I don't expect anyone expects it to be served with sweet tea and crumpets, but just basic manners/patience.

Cool .. thanks for clarifying. I didn't think that was what you were saying. I agree with your points, too. :) I don't know about others, but I have read a lot of the past posts here, but since there are so many threads dating back 3 years or more...In reality, it is unlikely many are going to retread all that material whether it is considered their responsibility or not. I only have the luxury of doing this at all because I work mostly from home and would never have time otherwise, therefore I can understand if some newbies would not refer to past posts. Just as moderators express not having time to chop off the threads, maybe such people are in the same boat of not having time to refer back several posts. How do you know that new ideas will not come into play if a given topic is again brought up by newbies? Or, are all ideas possible contained within UO? As for the retail discussion, granted, past discussions have discussed, it, but unless I missed something, and maybe I have, I saw plenty of talk on 'retail' in general, but have not spotted anything about specifically LOCALLY owned/operated/independent entities that could make a town center a mecca for such places to compete strongly in an otherwise highly franchised retail scene these days...and to attract those who do not wish to do the sprawl thing all the time. That and ways to achieve it and have it work comfortably with the DTA plan. Basically, about encouraging more local entrepreneurship. Those are the expanded ideas I wanted to throw around which I did not see covered otherwise. Again, if I missed that...Then I am sorry, but if I did see it, and wanted to comment on something someone said a year ago...would I be entitled to do so, or would I be told we already talked about that? Retail, etc. was discussed in the Critical mass thread lately, but unless I am mistaken on what we are defining as "Critical Mass" and attracting it, then I fail to see how the issue of retail and making a downtown more functional with it--and its relation to critical mass cannot be sooner or later brought up again in such a thread. It's like talking about improving breathing health in someone, and ignoring the discussion of the fact that the person smokes, and that it should stop.

Understood and valid, however, are newcomers not allowed to engage in any future discussion of such a topic that has been discussed a lot just because others have become tired of it? What is the answer? A new thread for newcomers? We cannot treat forums like cliques and with a 'tick tock, the game is locked' attitude. Remember, newcomers likely do not know what has been discussed all the time.

It can be just as noisy in suburban areas where incessant anal lawn care obsessives are constantly running some gas powered something. The more we sprawl (many moving because of noise..US Census Bureau-among the number one reasons people move) the more the noise follows. Suburbia is far from peaceful, overall, by a long shot. Again, if you have any specific excessive/unnecessary noise issue. please see the best sites and organizations: www.noiseoff.org www.noisefree.org www.lowertheboom.org (specific for boom cars and illegally modified exhausts) Hope this helps.

Great idea...All for it, but please, let's make it a going green effort and yet another small example of sustainability...get some interesting native plants in this thing...Not Home Depot stock. The natives could be a theme unto itself. ("Cleveland's Flowers") See www.prairienursery.com and look at what we could have that would provide an energy saving year 'round color scheme.

Oh, never mind...