The Cleveland Metroparks is a wonderful collection of green spaces in NE Ohio. They are well-supported by the citizens. Although they provide a lot of recreational opportunities for people, they are also important areas for wildlife. And, they also have many educational programs to teach the people in the area about the importance of wildlife. They especially reach out to children.
The park recently announced a plan to create small islands off the shoreline using dredged soil from the lake and river. The parks would be for people, but they would also benefit wildlife.
If you look on a map for Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve, it is a park that juts out into Lake Erie. It was totally created from dredged soil from the lake and river. For a long time it was just barren soil until some local government agencies cooperated and turned it into a park. The Cleveland Metroparks now manages it. It is on the planning map on that web page.
The Metroparks has taken over some city parks and purchased areas like golf courses, and turned them into parks. The city parks that they have taken over and cleaned up are so much better than before. They are clean, safe places for people in the area to visit and experience some bit of nature.