Established in 1974, the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (CVNRA) preserves 33,000 acres along 22 miles of the Cuyahoga River south of Cleveland, Ohio. The nature preserve encompasses over 200 miles of perennial and ephemeral streams (21 in all) and more than 100 ponds and small lakes. Except for the ephemeral streams, all of these waters represent potential mussel habitat.