Mill Creek MetroParks presents Jewels of Winter Orchid Exhibit

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Mill Creek MetroParks will be hosting the Jewels of Winter, a wonderful celebration and display of orchids at Fellows Riverside Gardens during their normal hours of operation from February 6 – March 11, 2018. Orchids are the crown jewels of the plant world, full of color and allure. Let them dazzle you with their brilliance and splendor! Bring your camera, as there will be a kaleidoscope of flowers to photograph. Fellows Riverside Gardens is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For questions and more information, please call 330.740.7116.

Judge Rusu announces new Mill Creek MetroParks board members

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Judge Robert N. Rusu Jr. of Mahoning County Probate Court has appointed Jeff Harvey and Paul Olivier to fill two open seats on the Mill Creek MetroParks board.

Harvey and Olivier replace two board members who did not seek reappointment when their terms ended last month.

Harvey is a local business owner, president of Audubon Society of Mahoning Valley, and longtime park volunteer.

Olivier is senior vice president/chief network integration officer at Mercy Health.

View the full article at vindy.com

Local runner raises money to donate back to Mill Creek Metroparks

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A Niles runner has recently fulfilled a 20-year dream.

Bo Marchionte celebrated his 20 year anniversary on January 4, for running the trails every day in all weather conditions.

Mill Creek officials say Marchionte logged 10 or more miles a day.

About two weeks before his anniversary, Marchionte’s wife and friend decided to raise money and donate it back to Mill Creek MetroParks Foundation in honor of his love for the trails. 

“I am amazed at the long-term effort and dedication brought forth by Bo. We are honored to accept this donation on his behalf. With the MetroParks newly established endowment fund, this donation will aide in the continued enhancement of the MetroParks trail system for the enjoyment of our park visitors,” says Aaron Young, Executive Director of Mill Creek MetroParks. 

The Primanti Brothers in Niles held a fund raising event from January 4-7, where a percentage of sales were donated.

In just two weeks, the family was able to donate over $5,000, breaking the original goal of $2,500.

On Thursday, Marchionte and his family presented a check in the amount of $5,258. The check is the first contribution to the Trail Endowment Fund at Mill Creek MetroParks. 

Park officials say the purpose of the fund is to provide the maintenance and care of the trails.

“I love the park and running the trails there. I am thrilled the contributions on my behalf will be the kickoff of this endowment”, says Marchionte.

View the full article at wfmj.com

Local Runner Raises Money for Mill Creek MetroParks Trails

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Niles resident, Bo Marchionte, had a vision 20 years ago to run every day without missing a day. He ran in the park 90% of the time through all the weather elements logging 10 miles or more on most days. With just 2 weeks to go until his 20 year anniversary date of January 4, 2018, his wife Wendy and longtime friend Tony Perrone wanted to do something special to mark the day. With Perrone’s expertise in fund raising they decided to raise money and make a donation to the Mill Creek MetroParks Foundation in honor of Bo’s love for the trails in Mill Creek. Also, the Primanti Brothers, Niles location, held a fund raising event from January 4 – 7 where a percentage of sales were donated. In just 2 short week’s donations from family, friends and local businesses tallied up to $5,258.91, breaking their original goal of $2,500. On January 18, 2018, Marchionte, along with family and friends, presented a check in the amount of $5,258.91 to serve as the first contribution to the Trail Endowment Fund at Mill Creek MetroParks. “I love the park and running the trails there. I am thrilled the contributions on my behalf will be the kickoff of this endowment”, says Marchionte.

“I am amazed at the long-term effort and dedication brought forth by Bo. We are honored to accept this donation on his behalf. With the MetroParks newly established endowment fund, this donation will aide in the continued enhancement of the MetroParks trail system for the enjoyment of our park visitors,” says Aaron Young, Executive Director of Mill Creek MetroParks. “This is a great example of setting a goal and working hard to make an impact with friends and family supporting you along the way.”

The purpose of the Trail Endowment Fund is to provide for the perpetual maintenance and care of MetroParks trails. Those wishing to contribute to the Trail Endowment Fund can contact Chris Litton, Director of Development at Litton@millcreekmetroparks.org.

Mill Creek MetroParks PGA Director of Golf recognized by the PGA of America

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Mill Creek MetroParks PGA Director of Golf, Brian Tolnar, becomes the 136th Certified PGA Professional in the country. The Certified Professional Program (2.0) is a valuable achievement in a learning strategy aimed at improving PGA Professionals proficiency and advancing facility opportunities. The program is the PGA of America’s career enhancing educational curriculum that supports the goals of the PGA members who are committed to continuously improving their business skills to meet the increasing demands of the golf industry. The PGA of America currently offers four certification career paths: Player Development, Golf Operations, Golf Facility Management and Teaching & Coaching. Each career path consist of 35+ business courses, industry related project and a thesis capstone paper submission for program completion.

“I’m excited to bring some of the skills I have acquired in the education program back to Mill Creek this season. It is always a positive anytime an opportunity presents itself to expand a skill set. This gives me the ability to advance offerings and services, along with keeping on top of industry trends. Our golf staff works very hard to keep our programming fresh and exciting and I’m looking forward to assisting them in the continual growth and popularity of our golf programs,” says Brian Tolnar, PGA Director of Golf. This makes Tolnar 1 of only 2 golf professionals certified in the state of Ohio for Player Development in the PGA of America.

Ford Nature guests make bird feeders and hike

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Participants visited the Ford Nature Center on Dec. 28 for the “Joy to the Birds“ program, where they made small bird feeders and took a small hike.

Marilyn Williams, a naturalist with Mill Creek Metroparks, welcomed the guests to the center and demonstrated the two types of bird feeders they made during the day.

They began the event by creating starting at one of the two stations to make the bird feeders. For one of the feeders, they tied a string to a pine cone so that it could hang from a tree. They then could spread peanut butter, lard or both on the pinecones. They added sunflower seeds, which stuck to the peanut butter and lard.

The other bird feeder had the guests put food on a pipe cleaner and bend the pipe cleaner in a ring, so the feeder will hang on a tree. The types of food offered to place on the pipe cleaner included Cheerios, grapes, nuts, apples and cranberries.

While the participants worked on their feeders, Williams told the visitors some other ways to help animals during the winter. The overwinter birds need shelter and water along with their food, so one could make a brush bile for their shelter and heat their bird bath to keep the water going through the winter.

After the group finished making the feeders, they went outside to place the feeders on their evergreen tree outside. All guests made multiple feeders, and some chose to take some of their creations home with them to feed the birds out there.

They finished the day off with a small hike down the East Cohasset Hike & Bike Trail. Everyone wore heavy coats and gloves to stay warm on the hike.

View the full article at vindy.com

Sebring Woods parking lot provides access to hiking trail

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As part of the MetroParks’ ongoing capital improvement initiative, Mill Creek MetroParks is pleased to announce the completed construction of a 20-vehicle aggregate parking lot at the Sebring Woods facility in the Village of Sebring.

The new parking lot is located on North Johnson Road and provides access to a 0.7-mile primitive hiking trail loop. The primitive trail loop features two natural creek crossings and meanders through a variety of habitats, including wooded wetlands and upland forests.

Along with future projects to be completed in early 2018, the addition of the parking lot provides visitors easier access and enhances the overall user experience at Sebring Woods.

Sebring Woods is the MetroParks’ westernmost facility in Mahoning County. Situated at the intersection of Courtney Road and North Johnson Road, the 39-acre preserve was established in 2010 with a grant through the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund.

Sebring Woods consists primarily of floodplain forest and wooded wetlands interspersed with open marsh and upland habitats. Fish Creek, a tributary to the Mahoning River, meanders through the property and helps create and maintain the wet conditions throughout the year.

In May 2010, staff and volunteers from the MetroParks, Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Northeast Ohio Naturalists performed an inventory of Sebring Woods and discovered three plant species that had not been previously documented in Mahoning County. Other rare plants and insects were also observed, as well as a large variety of more common wildflowers and songbirds.

To explore, experience and enjoy Mill Creek MetroParks, visit www.millcreekmetroparks.org or call 330-702-3000. Like metroparks on Facebook at (Mill Creek MetroParks) and follow on Twitter (@MillCreekMetro) and Instagram (millcreekmetroparks).

View the full article at salemnews.net

Mill Creek MetroParks completes parking lot in Sebring

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Mill Creek MetroParks announced the completion of a new 20-vehicle aggregate parking lot at Sebring Woods in the village.

The new lot is located on North Johnson Road and provides access to a 0.7-mile primitive hiking trail loop, according to a news release. The loop features two natural creek crossings and goes through a variety of habitats.

View the full article at vindy.com

Mill Creek announces completion of new parking lot in Sebring

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A new 20-vehicle aggregate parking lot is now complete at the Sebring Woods facility in Mill Creek Metroparks.

The new parking lot is located on North Johnson Road in Sebring and now provides access to a 0.7-mile primitive hiking trail loop.

Officials say the new parking lot will provide easier access to Sebring Woods, at the intersection of Courtney Road and North Johnson Road.

Sebring Woods consists of forest wetlands, fish creek, the Mahoning River and hiking trail loops.

View the full article at wfmj.com

New Aggregate Parking Lot at Sebring Woods

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As part of the MetroParks’ ongoing capital improvement initiative, Mill Creek MetroParks is pleased to announce the completed construction of a 20-vehicle aggregate parking lot at the Sebring Woods facility in the Village of Sebring. The new parking lot is located on North Johnson Road and provides access to a 0.7-mile primitive hiking trail loop. This primitive trail loop features two natural creek crossings and meanders through a variety of habitats, including wooded wetlands and upland forests. Along with future projects to be completed in early 2018, the addition of the parking lot provides visitors easier access and enhances the overall user experience at Sebring Woods.