Grand River facts

Original name: the Geauga, after the Native American word for "raccoon."

Length of mainstem: 98.5 miles from Parkman to Fairport Harbor.

Area of drainage basin: 712 square miles in Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula, Trumbull and Portage counties.

State wild and scenic designation: 1974.

Wildlife: 80-90 bird species, 76 fish species, 49 mammal species, 18 reptile species, 10 amphibian species. Also more than 60 rare plants in the watershed. River otters recently reintroduced to the watershed by the state.

Natural areas: Headlands Dunes, Mentor Marsh, Pallister Swamp, Grand River Terraces, Morgan Swamp, Grand River Wildlife Area, and other ecologically significant swamps and parklands.

Plant responsible for luxuriant meadows along the river's edge: Emory's sedge.

Rock-forming cliffs of the Grand River gorge: Chagrin shale from the Devonian Period.

Prehistoric settlements: Earthen embankments at Hogback Ridge Park in Madison Township and Indian Point Park in Leroy Township.

Sources: Cleveland Museum of Natural History, NOACA

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