• Image of bluebells in the spring

    Cuyahoga Valley

    National Park Ohio

There are park alerts in effect.
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  • Tick Alert

    Multiple tick exposures have been reported by visitors to the park. Please be aware that proper shoes, clothing, use of repellent spray, and checking the body for ticks following a visit to the park are the best way to prevent transmission of disease. More »

  • Canal Visitor Center Closure

    Canal Visitor Center will be closed for construction, starting Monday, May 6, 2013. It will reopen with new exhibits in early 2014.

  • Bald Eagle Closure in Effect

    RR tracks, and 30 foot right of way on either side, are closed to all foot traffic from the Rt. 82 Bridge at Station Rd, north to the RR tracks at. The Cuyahoga R. downstream of the Brecksville Dam to the Fitzwater Rd Bridge is closed to water activities.

The Countryside Initiative

Lindley Barn after restoration.

Lindley Barn after restoration.

NPS/Ted Toth

In an era of increasing industrialization, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park serves as an undeveloped island sustaining the preservation of American farm life. The National Park Service's Countryside Initiative program promotes living, working farms that represent the rural heritage of the Cuyahoga Valley, while also protecting the park's resources. Through the Countryside Initiative, the National Park Service keeps alive the idea of the family farm.

 
Oral history audio.
In Their Own Words
Click the topics to hear stories about Cuyahoga Valley life.

Countryside Initiative (3 minutes 26 seconds)
Darwin Kelsey, Executive Director of Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy, describes the organization's history, goals, and how he helped inventory the valley's historic farms.

Sustainable Farming (46 seconds)
Beth Knorr, Local Food Programs Coordinator/Markets Manager, explains how Countryside Conservancy makes sustainable farming more visible.

 
National Park Service educational program at Greenfield Berry Farm.

National Park Service educational program at Greenfield Berry Farm.

NPS/Ted Toth

The Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy was established in 1999 as a nonprofit cooperating partner of the National Park Service. During its first four years, Countryside Conservancy focused primarily on the Countryside Initiative farm rehabilitation program. Eleven Countryside Initiative farms were operational by 2009, and about 14 farms will be operational by 2015. During its first decade, Countryside Conservancy developed numerous educational programs to support new farmers, as well as to engage and educate the general public.

For more information visit the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy website.

Did You Know?

Drawing of a mule driver on the Ohio & Erie Canal.

A young James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States, worked briefly as a mule boy on the Ohio & Erie Canal, an important cultural resource within Cuyahoga Valley National Park.