Park District Foundation Seeking 2012 Environmental Conservation Awards Nominations
The 14th Annual Portage Environmental Conservation Awards Dinner will take place Saturday April 21st and will feature a reception with live music by Mitch Reed, hors d’oeuvres featuring local foods, a buffet dinner, guest speaker Gordon Ober, Chairman of the Robinson Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, and a celebration of the 2012 Environmental Conservation Heroes.
The dinner steering committee is seeking nominations for potential awardees to be honored at the event. Nominations for this year’s awards will be considered based on their contributions to Portage County’s environment through education, green business, green development, stewardship and environmental activism. Nominations should include the nominee’s name and contact information along with a paragraph describing their contribution to Portage County’s environmental conservation.
Click here to see the many, many people who have previously been awarded this prestigious recognition of their selfless contribution to environmental quality in Portage County.
Download the nomination form here. Send nominations by March 1st to Portage Park District, 705 Oakwood St, Suite G-04, Ravenna, OH 44266 or email ccraycroft@portageparkdistrict.com.
Fundraising proceeds will benefit the Portage Park District Foundation, whose mission is to support the Park District's critical work of conserving Portage County's natural and cultural heritage. The dinner will be held April 21st at the Kent American Legion, 1945 Mogadore Road from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Call the Park District at (330) 297-7728 for more information.
Please give us your support to help build and maintain a park system that will last for generations, yielding invaluable health, environmental and economic benefits — not to mention beautiful memories along the way.
Stunning Berlin Lake Trail Open -- and Already Popular!
The opening dedication on October 22nd was attended by over 50 people who had a chance to walk or ride the trail for the first time.
Park District Executive Director Christine Craycroft gave an overview of the trail development project and introduced State Representative Kathleen Clyde who spoke about the value of the Clean Ohio program and the importance of parks and trails to our communities for healthy recreation and for attracting and retaining residents and businesses. Tim Taylor, President of the Berlin Lake Association that spearheaded the trail, told of the organization’s fundraising work and plans to install benches, including one honoring the late Ed Egan who helped initiate the project. Deerfield Township Trustee Randy Wilburn expressed appreciation for the new park and its value to the local community.
The trail was initiated by the Berlin Lake Association back in 2006, when members with a vision for the future approached the Portage Park District to partner in its development. The Park District was granted a sublease on the trail from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, who leases the land from the US Army Corps of Engineers. Key to the project was receiving a Clean Ohio Trails Fund grant in the amount of $348,280, which was matched by several contributors, including the donated engineering services of Deerfield resident Terrence Hohnhorst, P.E., donated labor and materials from Deerfield Township, parking lots by ODOT, entrance gate donated by Atlas Energy, marker posts and side trails by Eagle Scout Alex Landgraf, sign work by park board members, and especially $40,000 of cash and volunteer support by the Berlin Lake Association. The general contractor is Workman Industrial Services with primary subcontractors H. Luli Construction, Great Northern Fence Co., Keith Misner Construction and Graphic Expressions --all Portage County businesses who did a terrific job.
The Berlin Lake Trail is open dawn to dusk, year round for walking, cycling, access to shore fishing and just enjoying nature. Motor vehicles are prohibited, except as permitted for handicapped accessibility.
C'mon! Take a hike on the "BLT"!
We sure hope you "took the challenge" in
2011!
Stay tuned for details on the 2012 Wild Hikes Challenge coming this spring. Get ready to earn your 2012 badge!
The Portage Park District will once again present the popular “Wild Hikes Challenge,” a program designed to encourage healthy recreation in our parks and trails while showcasing Portage County’s rich natural and cultural heritage.
Just walk, hike, skip, jog or run on the designated trails to earn your “2012 Wild Hikes” tag. First year hikers will earn a beautiful, locally sourced, volunteer‐produced hiking staff.
Stay tuned here for opening date and Challenge trails.
Portage County Racing Fun to Come in 2012 in the Crooked River Adventure Race Series!
Headwaters Adventure Race. Black Squirrel Adventure Triathlon. Brady's Leap Adventure Race.
Sponsored by the Portage Park District Foundation. Watch for more information.
Kent State Students Partner in the Parks.
KSU Conservation Biology, Wetlands Ecology, Soils and Conservation of Natural Resources classes are getting a chance to apply their knowledge and skills with hands-on field experience while helping the Park District gain important information to assist with the property's long-term stewardship.
They're at the 504-acre Morgan Preserve in Shalersville Township,conducting inventories of stream life, invasive plants and deer, and will monitor the changes in different ecosystems over time.
Students find and document life in the stream for comparison before and after restoration.
Long term plots are established to monitor changes in vegetation over the years.
Due to funding limitations, the Morgan Preserve is only open for specially permitted purposes, including student research and occasional guided nature hikes.
Pitch In for Mother Earth!
These young volunteers made quite an impact in cleaning up Seneca Ponds Park in Streetsboro -- THANKS!
