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. 
 

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

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.

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.