Hey, just so you know ... this post is now about 14 years and 10 months old. Please keep that in mind as it very well may contain broken links and/or outdated information.

Cleveland may still be waiting for that next sports championship, but at least some things are looking up. Today is the 40th anniversary of the Cuyahoga River fire that sparked (sorry, bad pun, I know) the “Mistake on the Lake” moniker that residents (including myself) had to endure for so long.

Today, the Cuyahoga is home to more than 60 species of fish, said Jim White, executive director of the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization, a nonprofit group that coordinates cleanup efforts. Beavers, blue herons and bald eagles nest along the river’s banks. Long sections of the Cuyahoga are clean enough that they no longer require aggressive monitoring, regulators said.

“We’re very impressed with the progress made in the Cuyahoga,” said John Perrecone, a manager of Great Lakes programs for the E.P.A.

Thanks for the link, mom!