History is an ever-evolving, living thing even at Horseshoe Lake: Peggy Spaeth – cleveland.com

Guest columnist Peggy Spaeth is a member of the Cleveland Heights Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, co-chair of the Friends of Lower Lake and initiator of the Heights Native Pollinator Pathway. This piece is her own opinion and does not represent the views of any organization.

My immigrant grandparents built a house in Shaker Heights in the 1920s. Im a third-generation Heights resident, so I dont come easily to the decision to return Horseshoe Lake to the natural course of the Doan Brook.

However, Ive studied the history of the Shaker Parklands while working to improve habitat with other volunteers at Lower Lake, and I do believe that the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer Districts recommendations are the right thing to do for Horseshoe Lake at this point in history. I also believe that they are the experts we need for the project.

The Shaker Parklands that were deeded to Cleveland in 1896 for park purposes only encompass Doan Brook ravines and floodplains. The parts that sit in Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights are leased to and maintained by these two cities.

What was the land used for by the Shaker colony for a brief 70 years? These pioneers deforested the land and dammed Doan Brook for commerce. Understandably, there was little thought to the environmental impact of their need for timber and mills in 1836.

What were the lakes used for when the Shakers sold their land in 1892 to the Shaker Heights Land Company of Buffalo, N.Y.? Residential developers, later local ones, advertised them as an amenity, citing a chain of lakes and more than 300 acres of parks.

So, historically, the lakes have been used for subsistence and economic development. But before European development, the area was a heavily forested, biodiverse environment.

What should the parklands be used for today? What is OUR biggest need? A healthier environment.

Our community is not the only one tackling environmental problems that are a result of previous water-management infrastructure. Rivers and streams in our region and all over the globe are now looked at through an ecological lens. Restoration projects abound.

Water is a magnet for all of us, but the man-made Shaker Lakes are shallow, silty and stagnant.

A healthy Doan Brook running through our communities will bring native flora and fauna for a biodiverse ecosystem.

Those of us watching what is happening to the former Horseshoe Lake since it was drained are delighted to see what is now growing in the floodplain. Native plants such as blue vervain, common milkweed and boneset are abundant. They are beneficial to the insects and birds that we so desperately need today.

Like other communities, we also need to address the non-native species that are overrunning Horseshoe Lake park, such as the dreaded Japanese knotweed and privet. An overarching plan to steward the parklands is essential.

Lets re-use the locally quarried rocks lining the pedestrian bridge at Horseshoe Lake to build a low wall along South Park Boulevard or in the front yard of the Shaker Historical Society, where passers-by can sit under the shade of oak trees.

We can honor the past while moving into a healthier ecosystem. How will OUR history of the parklands be written?

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History is an ever-evolving, living thing even at Horseshoe Lake: Peggy Spaeth - cleveland.com