"The River that Caught Fire" - A Brief History of the Cuyahoga River

> > > Earth Day is April 22nd, 2019 < < <

The Cuyahoga River is (in)famous for having burned in 1969, an event which helped spur the environmental movement in the United States, including the establishment of the first Earth Day. This year is the 50th anniversary of the fire.

In the 1950's and '60's the Cuyahoga River was a severely polluted river that infamously caught fire multiple times, most notable in 1969.  That seminal event along with the Santa Barbara oil spill in California earlier that year gave rise to the American environmental movement, the creation of the Clean Water Act (CWA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Former senator Gaylord Nelson has cited the Cuyahoga River fire as the inspiration for the creation of Earth Day which began less than a year after the river fire. 

Steve Tuckerman will give a brief history of the Cuyahoga River, including its use by indigenous peoples as well as being the birth place of the rubber, steel and petroleum industries that culminated in the infamous 1969 fire. Steve will provide a first-hand account of the monitoring and cleanup efforts and the restoration successes as well as current environmental challenges.