This year...give the gift of nature!

A Lake Metroparks gift card is the perfect fit for everyone on your gift shopping list! Lucky recipients will enjoy time in the parks…

Click here to purchase Lake Metroparks gift cards online in denominations of $10, $25 and $50. 


You may order a gift card with a customized amount by calling 440-358-7275 or visiting the Lake Metroparks Registration Department in person (8am - 4:30pm Monday – Friday at 11211 Spear Road in Concord Township). 

Lake Metroparks gift cards are also available to purchase in person at our gift shops at Farmpark and Penitentiary Glen and at our golf pro shops located at Pine Ridge Country Club and Erie Shores Golf Course.

Gift ideas
Gift cards may be used to pay for summer day camp, program registration or events, a one-day visit to Farmpark or a year-long membership. Use it to swing a round of golf at one of our two courses, or select something special at one of the park gift shops or golf pro shops. It's a wonderful way to share nature with a loved one or friend! 

Adopt an Animal
Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center
 
Injured, orphaned or sick native wildlife need humane and intense care for recovery and release. Medical treatment, food and shelter can be costly. Your donation will help defray these costs. Sponsorships make a great gift for children, family and teachers and are a unique opportunity for classrooms and scouts.
 
Maple SugarExperience/Adopt a Tap
Lake Metroparks Farmpark
 
Help Lake Metroparks introduce the story of maple sugaring to residents of Lake County and Northeast Ohio. You can receive maple products and be recognized as a supporter of the educational mission of Farmpark when you adopt a tap. At the higher level you and your guests can help tap a tree, gather sap and take part in the process of making sap into syrup! Assist in the making of maple candy and take home both some syrup and candy to celebrate the sugaring season. 

Barnyard Parent
Lake Metroparks Farmpark Back a Breed Program 
 
By becoming a “Barnyard Parent,” you’re helping defray the cost of food, housing, care and medicine for animals at Lake Metroparks Farmpark. More importantly, you’re becoming a member of the animal care family.

Click here to order your Lake Metroparks gift card(s).
Contact the Lake Metroparks Registration at 440-358-7275 for more information.

A shipping and handling fee applies per card mailed. Your card(s) will be mailed to you within three business days. 
 

Quilting workshops enhance skills and appreciation for the art of quilting

Bonnie McCaffery - featured artist at Quilts 2014

 

Quilting workshops and lectures are offered to heighten an appreciation for the art of quilting throughout Quilts 2014. Workshops led by featured and regional quilt artists offer people of all ages and quilting abilities a chance to discover and improve on a wide variety of quilting techniques.

 

The Quilts 2014 program guide provides important information pertaining to all aspects of the show. Included is the listing of the Featured artists' workshops, dinner/lectures and regional artists workshops. Also included are the Quilts 2014 Exhibitor Calendar and Entry Form.

 

Register today for quilting workshops and dinner/lectures during Quilts 2014.

 



UPDATE: Paving project at Chapin Forest Reservation

Entrance and first parking lot at the Rt. 306 entrance to be paved 11/14 - 11/15.
Access to park closed to Rt. 306 entrance during project

The entrance and first parking lot at Chapin Forest Reservation, located at 9938 Chillicothe Road (Rt. 306), will be paved Thursday, November 14 and is scheduled to be completed Friday, November 15. There will be no vehicular access to the park through the Rt. 306 entrance while work is in progress. The entrance and parking lot is scheduled to re-open on Saturday, November 16, weather dependent.

Visitors may park and enter Chapin Forest Reservation through the Hobart Road entrance at 10381 Hobart Road. This entrance offers trails that reach all destinations in the park including the scenic overlook. The picnic areas, shelters, and playground located off the Rt. 306 entrance may also be accessed by trail.

Hobart Road Entrance: Take I-90 to Rt. 306 south. Go four miles and turn right (west) onto Chardon Road (Rt. 6). Go one mile and turn right (north) onto Hobart Road. Go ½ mile to the park entrance located on the right (east).

For more information or to check access updates, visit lakemetroparks.com or call 440-639-7275.

Top 5 color hikes in Lake Metroparks

 

Hiking is one of the most popular forms of outdoor leisure—surveys suggest that one in three Americans rate it as one of their three favorite forms of outdoor recreation. Hiking combines several pursuits—interests in scenery, wildlife, discovery and solitude—all in a low-impact form of healthy activity.

Lake Metroparks has more than 50 miles of trails spanning Lake County. These trails provide countless opportunities for walkers to enjoy the beautiful fall scenery. Get out and soak up the beauty while it lasts!

Chapin Forest Reservation
Lucky Stone Loop Trail to the scenic overlook at the historic Sperry Quarry


With a panoramic view of everything from Lake Erie to the Cleveland skyline, the view of fall colors may be the best in Lake Metroparks. Best accessed via the Rt. 306 entrance.

Indian Point Park
Lookout Ridge Trail
This trail takes you to a spectacular view over the Grand River. The forested hillside comes alive with colorful leaves. Best accessed via the upper parking lot. 

Hell Hollow Wilderness Area
 Beechridge Loop Trail
Standing on top of a 200-foot cliff, a breathtaking view of hills and valleys stretches out before you.




Hogback Ridge Park 
Hemlock Ridge Loop Trail
From the start of the loop to the finish, fall colors will surround and envelop you. Access via the main entrance (south).
  



Hidden Valley Park
River Breeze Trail 
This riverside trail has excellent views of the forested hillside and the display of colors never ends along the entire half-mile trail. Access via the south entrance.


Click here for complete list of trail maps available to download.

$100K Grant from the Cleveland Foundation’s Lake-Geauga Fund Elevates Plan for Lake Metroparks Tower

Lake Metroparks has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Cleveland Foundation for the construction of an impressive observation tower at the agency’s newest park – Lake Erie Bluffs in Perry Township. The new park provides visitors with access to almost two miles of undeveloped Lake Erie shoreline through two access points off of Lane Road and Clark Road.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Cleveland Foundation, the addition of this 50-foot coastal observation tower will serve as a cornerstone of this amazing 600-acre Lake Erie Bluffs Park,” said Paul Palagyi, executive director of Lake Metroparks. “This tower will give visitors an impressive panoramic view of Lake Erie, the shoreline and the landscape of central Lake County.”

The 50-foot high observation tower will be situated overlooking the lakeshore with multiple viewing platforms along a staircase that will culminate in a deck featuring 360-degree views. The height and location of the tower will provide visitors with a unique view of the lake and the surrounding woods, fields and wetlands along with the associated wide-range of wildlife – particularly the large number of bald eagles that are regularly seen at the park. The south shore of Lake Erie is known worldwide as an important corridor for bird migration. As songbirds migrate north in spring and south in fall, large concentrations of birds can be witnessed migrating around the smallest of the Great Lakes, sticking close to the shoreline.

“The view of the lake and this amazing park is about to be raised to new heights,” said Frank Polivka, President of the Lake Metroparks’ Board of Park Commissioners. “Thanks in large part to the grant from the Cleveland Foundation, visitors to the park will have an amazing view our greatest natural resource – Lake Erie.”

“The Lake-Geauga Fund of the Cleveland Foundation values its long-standing partnership with Lake Metroparks,” said Robert E. Eckardt, executive vice president of the Cleveland Foundation. “This is the second centennial grant made by the Lake-Geauga Fund in recognition of our upcoming 100-year milestone in 2014. We are pleased to support all efforts that celebrate and preserve the unmatched natural resources and beauty of this region for future generations.”

Construction of the tower is scheduled to begin next spring. Total cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $200,000-$250,000.

Lake Erie Bluffs: A successful modern conservation project

 

Many Northeast Ohioans recognize the value of Lake Erie.
Now they have a park that features this natural wonder
in Lake County’s front yard.

Lake Erie Bluffs is nationally significant: The 600-acre Lake Erie Bluffs property will permanently protect a significant amount of wetland, meadow and mostly undeveloped lakefront habitat used by rare and common plant and animal species.
 
Amazingly, the property remains largely unspoiled by previous development. The mix of 40-foot high beach bluffs and open sandy and cobble beach across 9,000 feet of shoreline are the site’s dominant features. The beach area hosts trees, shrubs and small plants including the majority of the park’s rare plants.



The development of Lake Erie Bluffs was made possible with help from a wide range of committed partners. Working together, this collaborative effort secured more than $10 million in local, state and federal competitive grants and donations to purchase the $11 million property. More than 1.6 miles of undeveloped shoreline and nearly 600 acres of diverse and important natural habitat are now protected by Lake Metroparks thanks to the help of many valuable partners.

 

Over the past several years, Lake Metroparks worked with various local conservation partners to complete a detailed study of the Lake Erie Bluffs site and together they produced a conceptual master plan that illustrated how conservation, recreation and economic development can all be sustained within and around the project area. The shared vision and commitment to promote and integrate the value of conservation efforts within existing local and regional planning groups and agencies was a result of funding from the Cleveland Foundation’s Lake-Geauga Fund.

Visitors will now enjoy low-impact recreational activities such as hiking and fishing at both locations accessible to the public. Improvements made to enhance public use include parking lots, restrooms and installation of gravel trails with a scenic overlooks and a grand access point to a natural beach along Lake Erie at each location.



Lake Erie Bluffs provides public access to Lake Erie and protects habitat used by rare species including:

• Bald eagle • Merlin • White-eyed vireo • Least flycatcher
• Willow flycatcher • Yellow-breasted chat
• Purple sand grass • Fringed gentian • Seaside spurge
• Smallmouth salamander • Hairy-necked tiger beetle
• Various other rare plants

Walk the stalk: Wind your way through the three-acre corn maze at Farmpark

 

Do you have a good sense of direction?  Here’s a chance to test your skill as you ”walk the stalk” through a multitude of twists and turns through a three-acre corn maze at Lake Metroparks Farmpark.   Trivia questions are posted throughout the maze to help guide you along the way. Answer the questions correctly and you will proceed on the correct path.  Outside the main entrance to the maze is a kids play area. Take pictures of your children throughout the maze and in the farm-themed character cutouts and tag Lake.Metroparks on Facebook and @Lake_Metroparks on Twitter.

 

The three-acre corn maze at Farmpark is open 11 am to 4 pm daily through October 13, weather and field conditions permitting.  To check the conditions of the maze call Farmpark at 440-256-2122 or 800-366-FARM.

 

The corn maze is included with regular daytime Farmpark admission.   Admission to Lake Metroparks Farmpark is $6 for ages 12 to 59; Seniors 60 and over, $5; for youth 2 to 11, $4; children under 2 and Farmpark members are free.

 

The corn maze is also included with admission to the following events at Farmpark:

• Lake Metroparks Senior Day (September 12)
• Village Peddler Festival (September 14 & 15)
• Fall Harvest Festival (September 21 & 22)
• Barnyard BBQ Bash (October 5)
• Corn and Pumpkin Harvest Weekend (October 12 & 13)

The maze will be open weather and conditions permitting.



Summer Fun for Everyone at Lake Metroparks

LAKEMETROPARKS.COM

Have you ever seen a Queen snake?

Queen snake

The Queen snake is a small, harmless snake that lives along rocky ponds and rivers, including the Grand River in Lake County.  They have the most specialized diet of any snake in Ohio, eating only crayfish.  These have become uncommon in Ohio, and they are protected as a Species of Concern. 

River Jamboree

Hidden Valley Park

Sunday, July 14 • 1 to 4 pm

To learn more about Queen snakes and the other reptiles and amphibians that live in the Grand River, swim, hop or slither down to the river at Lake Metroparks' annual River Jamboree. This year we will get up-close and personal with some of the Grand River’s more intimidating creatures: snakes, turtles, frogs and salamanders.

Head down to the river to look for

• Northern Water Snake
• Snapping Turtle
• Green Frog
• Bullfrog
• Pickerel Frog

Other activities:

• Live reptile and amphibians on display
• Get your feet wet on a guided search to find wild snakes, frogs and more
• Reptile and amphibian related games and activities
• Receive a FREE reptile or amphibian guide
• FREE Public Access of Waterways (Rivers edition) 
• Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Admission

Admission is free. Pre-registration is required. 

Cick here to register online or call registration at 

440-358-7275 or 800-669-9226.

New harbor view platform installed on the beach at Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park

Harbor view platform provides new access to the beach for those with mobility impairments.

A new harbor view platform awaits visitors to the beach at Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park this season. The T-shaped beach-level wooden platform extends from the parking lot toward Lake Erie. Wooden benches are available at both ends of the platform for visitors to sit and enjoy the view of the harbor.

“This platform allows seniors and others with mobility impairments to get from the parking lot down to beach where they can see the sunset and lighthouse,” said Lake Metroparks Executive Director Paul Palagyi.

The idea for the harbor view platform came from a group of Metroparks staff members that analyzed all of the agency’s programs and properties to look for ways to increase accessibility to the parks for seniors and the mobility impaired. The beach-level platform is being built by Lake Metroparks employees.

 “We expect to have it done by Memorial Day,” Palagyi said.

Lake Metroparks successfully releases rehabilitated American bald eagle to the wild

An American bald eagle was brought to the Lake Metroparks Wildlife Center by ODNR Division of Wildlife officer Scott Denamon April 1, 2013. The eagle was found in the Chagrin River at Pleasant Valley Park Willoughby Hills. The eagle’s injuries included soft tissue damage in the right wing. It also displayed a wing droop in the same wing.

Lake Metroparks Wildlife Center trained staff provided professional supportive care, physical therapy and exercise in flight cage. The eagle recently performed well during a recent creance (flight in field using tether), and the staff felt confident that his release would be successful.

 

Lake Metroparks Wildlife Center is currently caring for three American bald eagles, which underscores the success story of the improving numbers of this once Federally Endangered species.  The other injured bird has a broken wing and still recovering from surgery. 

The third bird is our permanent resident, Apollo, a juvenile eagle, not yet white in the head and tail, with a permanent wing injury He was hatched from a Lake County nest on private properly and is not able to be released due to his wing injury. Apollo is on display in the wildlife center yard at Penitentiary Glen Reservation daily.

Click to watch release of Bald Eagle on YouTube

Wildlife Center caring for orphaned bobcat

This cute 3-week-old bobcat is receiving care by
wildlife specialists at Lake Metroparks Wildlife Center.

On May 13, the Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife (DOW) contacted the Lake Metroparks Wildlife Center to arrange care for this orphaned bobcat. It was found by the side of a road in Athens, Ohio (southeast of Columbus) not far from a dead female bobcat. DOW transported the baby bobcat to the Wildlife Center on May 14.

"That ODNR Division of Wildlife would choose to entrust care of this orphaned bobcat to Lake Metroparks demonstrates confidence in our Wildlife Center," notes Paul Palagyi, Lake Metroparks Executive Director. "This affirms the Center's excellent reputation and the high level of care that our professional, educated and experienced staff provides."

A local veterinarian performed a full physical exam on the animal and determined he was fairly healthy except for being slightly malnourished and needing treatment for parasites. Wildlife Center staff anticipate to remedy both conditions. The bobcat is fed formula every two hours for 16 hours a day and making steady improvement. Young bobcats can survive alone in the wild around six to nine months of age. The goal is to release the bobcat back into a suitable habitat as determined by the DOW sometime this fall.

The bobcat is a native, threatened species in Ohio, and is very rarely seen. For more bobcat facts from ODNR, click here.

Park improvement project at Chagrin River Park

Parking lot at Reeves Road entrance to be paved.

The parking lot located at the Reeves Road entrance to Chagrin River Park will be paved beginning this week. Work will begin tomorrow, Tuesday, May 7, and is scheduled to be completed Tuesday, May 14. There will be limited to no access to the park through the Reeves Road entrance throughout this project.  Dates this entrance is scheduled to be closed are Thursday, May 9, Friday, May 10, and Tuesday, May 14.

Chagrin River Park will remain open for visitation. Visitors may park and enter Chagrin River Park at one of the two other entrances.  These are located at 1000 Rural Drive (Eastlake) and 37699 Erie Road (Willoughby).  Each entrance offers trails that reach all destinations in the park including the picnic areas, shelter and playground located off the Reeves Road entrance. A picnic shelter and picnic areas are also available at the Rural Drive entrance.

Rural Drive entrance: Take Rt. 2 to Lost Nation Road and go north. Turn left onto Reeves Road; pass the Reeves Road entrance and follow to Rural Drive. Turn left and the entrance is located at the end of Rural Drive.

Erie Road entrance (From the east): Take Route 2 to the Lost Nation Road exit and go south to St. Clair Street (directly across from the east-bound Route 2/Lost Nation exit ramp). Follow the St. Clair Street detour south on Lost Nation Road to Erie Road. Turn right onto Erie Road. Chagrin River Park is located beyond the St. Clair Street intersection on the right.

Erie Road entrance (From the west): Take Route 2 to the Lost Nation Road exit. Follow the St. Clair Street detour south on Lost Nation Road to Erie Road. Turn right onto Erie Road. Chagrin River Park is located beyond the St. Clair Street intersection on the right.

For more information or to check access updates, visit lakemetroparks.com or call 440-639-7275.

Spend the night in the parks

Lake Metroparks introduces tent camping in five parks

In an effort to provide more opportunities to enjoy our parks, Lake Metroparks is expanding its camping opportunities to include tent camping so campers may experience unique natural features and the great outdoors. Staff created sites to highlight different natural resources, thus providing a variety of camping experiences.

These new opportunities offer a “primitive” experience for small groups of up to eight people staying in tents. Campers must hike about ¼-mile to more than a mile or paddle to the campsites. 

Each location is different, and there is only one campsite per park to provide a quiet, intimate natural experience—much different than crowded campgrounds. There is a lakeside site on Hidden Lake, a site high on the bluffs over the Grand River, a creekside site along Big Creek and two different riverside sites along the Grand River.

The paddle-in sites may require a 3- to 8-mile paddle by canoe or kayak to reach the campsite. The idea is to paddle a stretch of the Grand River  spend the night under the stars and then paddle another stretch the next day. Imagine paddling 27 miles and spending two nights on the wild and scenic Grand River  That is now possible in your Lake Metroparks.

Each site has a designated area to pitch a tent, a place to build a fire, a grill and a picnic table. The sites do not have restrooms, running water or trash cans. Campers are expected to practice a “leave no trace” camping ethic including carrying in and carrying out all supplies and trash, with the goal of leaving the area better than it was found. 

Sites are available from May 1 until October 31 and subject to temporary closure due to high water or extremely wet conditions.

Click here for a list of campsite locations, reservation procedure and the rules and regulations for tent camping in Lake Metroparks.

Lake Metroparks celebrates Earth Day

Lake Metroparks Farmpark and Penitentiary Glen Reservation

Sunday, April 21 • Noon to 4 pm 

We are all responsible for caring for our natural environment. This has been the concept of Earth Day since its beginning in 1970.  Lake Metroparks continues that focus with its Earth Day events to celebrate our successes that help the Earth, and make a commitment to learn and use new ways to make our planet a healthier place.  

LAKE METROPARKS FARMPARK

Discover earth-friendly ways to make an earth-friendly difference at home. You can learn how to start your own garden compost, investigate new ways to conserve energy at home, and how alternative energy works. Enjoy a family day in the country with fun games and crafts for the kids. 

• Check out the high gas mileage and electric micro SMART USA that embodies innovation and efficiency.
• Discover how we harness solar and wind power at our renewable energy display
• Interact with with local conservation agencies at an eco-fair.
  
• Bring your bike to Farmpark for a Children's Bike Safety Clinic (noon to 2 pm)

FREE admission for Lake County residents and Farmpark members (Valid ID required)

PENITENTIARY GLEN RESERVATION

Discover what you can do to help the environment and learn valuable tips as you participate in hands-on activities during this free Earth Day event that features:

• ECO-FAIR, where you can interact with representatives from 16 local agencies, organizations, and groups focused on conservation and the environment.
• Did you know that Earth without Art is just “Eh”? Learn more as you help make this craft. Artwork will be pieced together to be displayed in the Nature Center in the near future.
• Take a walk on the new I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TRAIL, a self guided with informative and fun stations geared towards learning what you can do to help the environment. A free tree sapling will be given to those who complete the trail.
• Visitors can help paint a rain barrel using the pointillism technique. The winner of a free drawing gets to take the rain barrel home!
• Meet native Ohio wildlife in our Wildlife Center yard and along the train line. A naturalist will share interesting animal stories and answer questions in the Wildlife Center yard.
• Haircut-a-thon – Ladies & Gentlemen Salon & Spa will be on site to give $10 haircuts, first-come, first-served. The money raised will benefit Penitentiary Glen Nature Center.
• WELW 1330 AM will be on site for your entertainment.
• Explore nature in the park – self-guided on our trail system (some trails suitable for strollers).
• Ride the miniature trains provided by the Lake Shore Live Steamers between 1 and 3 pm, weather permitting.

Click here for more information about Earth Day activities at both parks.

Hidden Lake now open for fishing and hiking without permit!

Lake Metroparks has opened to doors to the 111-acre Hidden Lake property in Leroy Township. Previously only accessible by permit, the beauty and wonder of Hidden Lake is now available to explore and fish, without reservations.

The park features nearly a mile loop trail, a nine-acre pond and a pier extending into the pond for fishing and wildlife observation. Please note there is limited parking at this location.

Lake Metroparks stocks Hidden Lake
More than 500 pounds of fish were stocked into Hidden Lake on April 9:

• 400 lbs. Largemouth Bass 12+"
• 600 ea. Channel Cats 9-12"
• 500 ea. Bluegill 2-4"
• 500 ea. Bluegill 4-6"
• 50 lbs. Fathead Minnows
• 50 lbs. Golden Shiners

Click here to see more pictures.


Lake Metroparks encourages catch and release fishing, which helps to maintain fish populations and ensure many park goers the same opportunities to enjoy fishing. An Ohio fishing license is not required to fish at Hidden lake.

Click here for more information about Hidden Lake.

Deer exclosure at Veterans Park

If you have driven past Veterans Park on Hopkins Road recently, you probably have noticed a large fenced area in the woods adjacent to the parking lot. This 10 x 20-meter structure is a deer exclosure, one of seven that are monitored by Lake Metroparks throughout the county. This area was selected after so many of the mature trees were taken down by the devastating winds of Hurricane Sandy.

If you are looking for a white-tailed deer inside the exclosure, you won’t see one. The space is designed to keep deer out to monitor the plants inside versus the plants on the outside. this will provide an index of what the impact of browse is by the white-tailed deer on that plant community.

The deer exclosure will have an important interpretive value to the public as, literally, they will see the structure from the parking lot and learn from it what impact it has on protecting the plant life within.

A small deer herd only makes a small impact, but too many deer consume the seeds of a forest’s future growth. Over time, these impacts create a visible browse line in the forest (see above).

Tom Adair, Parks Services Director, in an interview on the "Around Town" program on Mentor TV, said with the elimination of plant life, we will see a related loss or decrease in the diversity of insect life, bird life and mammal life as it relates to Veterans Park.

"Lake Metroparks has monitored the growth of white trillium in this area over the past 10 to 15 years and we have records that showed us that there were over 1,000 white trillium on a small plot, a 10' x 10' area," said Adair. "That site within the past two to three years has yielded no more than a dozen white trillium."

Plants inside the fenced area at Veterans Park are now protected from deer. Over time, this will show us how a healthy forest in Northeast Ohio can recover.

Click here to watch the video. The deer exclosure is the first segment of the program.

Lake Metroparks loses a great friend and advocate

Ted Klammer
Former Lake County Probate Judge and
Lake Metroparks Commissioner

On March 13, 2013, Lake Metroparks lost a great friend and advocate for the parks and conservation with the passing of the Honorable Ted Klammer.

Ted Klammer was an environmental advocate, evident by his ten years of volunteer service on the Lake Metroparks Board of Park Commissioners. Klammer then served as Probate Judge for 11 years. One of his duties was to make appointments to the Board of Park Commissioners, a three-member board of citizens which governs Lake Metroparks.

His years of leadership as commissioner enabled Lake Metroparks to currently protect more than 8,000 acres of open space and waterways in Lake County for current and future generations to enjoy, while providing extensive education and recreation programming services to county residents. Several of the outstanding parks and facilities opened while Klammer was on the park board include:

• Chagrin River Park
• The Greenway Corridor
• Pine Ridge Country Club

Judge Klammer understood the importance of the parks not only for the present, but the future as well. He really loved the parks and saw how much people appreciated them. During Klammer’s tenure as a park commissioner, and under his guidance, Lake Metroparks received many prestigious awards, including:

• National Gold Medal Awards Finalist, 2002 & 1997
• Lake County Environmental Improvement Awards, 2003
• Great Lakes Region Partnership Award, NE Ohio Regional Parks Consortium, 2002
• Ohio Museum Association Award of Excellence, 2000
• Partnership in Elderly Services Award, 1999 (Lake County Council on Aging)

Ted Klammer was a great champion for conservation and will be missed.

The Nature Among Us

On display in Forest Hall
Penitentiary Glen Reservation
March 9 through May 5, 2013 • 9 am to 5 pm

Website

Thomas Koch is a local artist from Euclid, Ohio. He specializes in graphic design and illustration yet experiments with all types of media in an effort to exemplify his love and appreciation of nature. Check out “The Nature Among Us” and see how Koch has transformed your favorite animals and local park scenery into wonderful works of art! Artwork available for purchase; proceeds benefit the Penitentiary Glen Nature Center.

“The Nature Among Us” will be displayed in Forest Hall in the Nature Center at Penitentiary Glen Reservation in Kirtland. The show opens March 9 and runs through May 5. Hours are 9 am to 5 pm daily. 

Click here to view more images and to learn more about Penitentiary Glen Reservation.

Visitors are invited to meet Thomas Koch at a free opening reception on Saturday, March 9 from noon to 4 pm.

Penitentiary Glen Reservation is located at 8668 Kirtland-Chardon Rd in Kirtland. Take I-90 to Rt. 306 south for about one mile. Turn left onto Rt. 615. Turn right (east) onto Kirtland-Chardon Road and continue for two miles. Penitentiary Glen Reservation is located on the right (south) side of the road.

Discover Maple Syrup

By Christina Bellas, Farmpark Interpretation & Education Manager

What is a harbinger of spring that comes from a maple tree? What special edible liquid is boiled to more than 200 degrees and comes from a maple tree? What has the same calcium content as whole milk and comes from a maple tree? Maple syrup! In our program Discover Maple Syrup, offered mid-February to mid-March, children in kindergarten through fifth grade discover the science behind the maple tree and how we use its sap to produce maple syrup. 

Learn more about Lake Metroparks education programs.

Did you know that a maple tree can’t lie about its age, its tree rings or growth rings give its age away? Children are able to investigate a tree cookie (a slice of the tree trunk) where they can count the rings and discover other interesting features of the tree’s life. Tree cookies can show harm done by weather or bugs many years after the damage occurred. By looking deeply into the tree itself and studying a tree trunk diagram, the children find that maple trees produce sap as food for themselves. How we gather and process that sap is where a visit to the Woodland Center sugar house comes in. There they see how technology plays a big part in the production of maple syrup, from the spile in the tree where the sap comes out, to the tank that holds the sap, to the equipment that boils it into the sweet golden syrup we all love.

While touring the Woodland Center students learn sugar making terms. We “tap” a tree to gather the “sap;” we hope for just the right weather forecast, cool nights and sunny days, so the sap will ”run;” and the “sugar house” is where all the “boiling” takes place. A “reverse osmosis” machine removes water from the sap and our wood fired “evaporator” holds the sap while it’s boiling into syrup. A computer monitors the evaporator and draws off the sap when it becomes the right syrup consistency.

The students learn that it’s all about the trees when making syrup. Farmpark is located in an exclusive section of the world where maple trees grow and thrive. The land of maple sugaring is limited to the northeastern section of North America, occurring only in the late winter/early spring of the year and production depends greatly on just the right weather conditions. In a classroom, it’s sometimes hard to describe to the students about the flowers, leaves and seeds of the beautiful sugar maple tree, but at Farmpark they can see the maple tree in action. Though we might not have the goose that lays the golden egg, we do have the trees that provide the golden syrup.

Links

Lake Metroparks

Lake Metroparks Farmpark

Lake Metroparks Education

Maple Sugaring Experience Program

Maple Sugaring Weekend