An amazing array of organizations — park districts, cities, land trusts, and other nonprofit conservation organizations — are busy protecting the last, best places in Northeast Ohio. Given the pace of development, it's a race against time. We are in danger of losing the richness of our natural heritage — the diversity of plants and animals and habitats that make our region special and contribute so much to our quality of life. 

This section will cover efforts to identify and protect important places in the region. (Please note that farmland preservation — the preservation of the region's working rural lands — is addressed in the Food section as part of thinking about a regional food system.)

“East meets west meets north meets south.” That mouthful of a sentence describes why Northeast Ohio is such a treasure trove of natural diversity. Four uniquely different communities meet right here in the Cleveland/Akron/Canton region—the Alleghenies, prairies, northern hemlock hardwood forests and Appalachians. Throw in Lake Erie and you have the fixings for a naturalist’s paradise.

— David Kriska, Cleveland Museum of Natural History