(Cleveland, OH) - The CHEERS Partnership announced today it was awarded $985,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) to advance the Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Study (CHEERS).
Through matching funds from the six project partners, the award will support a total of $1.97 million in design and engineering of the first portion of the transformative shoreline project on Cleveland’s East Side.
This award supports project partners in the development of full design for a significant portion of the overall CHEERS project including the shoreline expansion north and east of E. 55th Street as well as the extensive outer structure that would protect the Isle, a proposed 36-acre off-shore island north of the lakefront.
Project partners are seeking additional funds for the design of the Isle and additional areas along the shoreline including a habitat loop.
CHEERS was developed through extensive planning from the six partner organizations and refined through community feedback of over 1,500 community members and stakeholders working with community partners and local Community Development Corporations (CDCs) to embrace a long-term vision for the East Side lakefront.
The NCRF restores, increases and strengthens natural infrastructure to protect coastal communities while also enhancing habitats for fish and wildlife. Established in 2018, the NCRF invests in conservation projects that restore or expand natural features such as coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, forests, coastal rivers and floodplains, and barrier islands that minimize the impacts of storms and other naturally occurring events on nearby communities. For more information on the awards announcement, visit: nfwf.org
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