Icons abound while driving through Mill Creek MetroParks.

Some examples: the lily pond, the covered bridge at Lanterman’s Mill and the silver suspension bridge, also known as the Cinderella Bridge.

To help give more than 15 so-called icons around the park official names, Chris Litton, development director, has helped organize an endowment program.

“Endowments can take in any dollar amount,” Litton said. “That dollar amount stays whole in perpetuity.”

Large-dollar gifts, such as $250,000 and above, are when naming opportunities become available.

Funding from the landmarks will go into a general endowment fund, which would finish capital improvements at Ford Nature Center, Litton said.

About $300,000 remains in the center’s campaign balance.

Over the last several months, Litton has met with more than 120 financial planners and estate planners to give an overview of what people can do with stocks, property and insurance.

Leaving or making a gift to an endowment isn’t designated for weathy people, Litton said. “It could be just about anything.”

In the last year, four transfers of property bequests have taken place, Litton said.

One of those who has donated is Canfield resident Mike Senchak, president and chief executive officer of the Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation.

Senchak explained that when it came time for the foundation to give money back to the community, it was decided that for the health and wellness aspect, the golf courses in Mill Creek would receive $300,000 for an endowment.

“We just felt that the golf courses … were a great place for exercise,” Senchak said.

Additionally, the golf courses are great for folks to spend time together, as well as teach children and grandchildren the game, such as what he’s been doing with his 9-year-old granddaughter.

Growing up on the West Side of Youngstown, Senchak said the park has held a special place for him as he used to ice skate on Lake Glacier, then took his children and now his granddaughter there for various activities.

The endowment is in perpetuity, which means the amount of money or value will stay at that amount forever.

Litton said that is a fact that resonates with those who give to the park.

“People we’ve talked with who have contributed over the last three years since we’ve launched the fund appreciate that the money stays whole and will always be there to take care of the park,” Litton said.

A once-popular gifting option was memorial benches, Litton said. The lifespan of a bench, however, is about 20 years.

Due to the cost of purchasing, installing and maintaining memorial benches, the park discontinued the program in 2018.

For Senchak and his team at the foundation, being able to give back to the park is a great feeling.

“It’s a wonderful feeling because you now you are helping somebody else,” Senchak said, adding: “The Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation endowment for the golf course will be around forever.”

Naming rights for grabs

$750,000

Mill Creek Preserve

Mill Creek Sanctuary

Covered Bridge at Lanterman’s Mill

$500,000

East Newport hike and bike

East Cohasset hike and bike

Lake Glacier boathouse

$250,000

Long mall — Fellows Riverside

North Terrace — Fellows Riverside

South Terrace — Fellow Riverside

Slippery Rock Pavilion

Bears Den Cabin

Birch Hill Cabin

Wall Garden

Yellow Creek Lodge

Full article at vindy.com

If you’ve even glanced out your window, you’ve been hit with the striking colors of the leaves this fall. Our weather team has shown you that peak fall foliage is not far off.

Lynn Zocolo, an educator at Mill Creek Park who knows all about the leaves changing, talks about what causes them to change and which trees bring the brightest colors.

There’s one thing we always have to look forward to in the fall, even in the time of COVID-19: the leaves changing.

“They’re looking beautiful but we’re probably going to have to start raking soon,” Zocolo said.

Right now, we’re in what’s called “near peak,” where we have a lot of pops of color, but some of those green leaves are still hanging on.

Peak reds, yellows and oranges are just a few days away.

“So I’m betting by this weekend, beginning of next, we’re gonna be in peak foliage color,” Zocolo said.

Chlorophyll is what makes the leaves green. When fall rolls around, the chlorophyll goes away, and trees store moisture and energy in their trunks and branches.

“Shorter days, cooler nights. The trees know it’s time to shut off the leaves, time to get rid of them, time to save energy for winter,” Zocolo said.

Are the trees brighter than last year?

“It was a little bit more brown last year and I think it was a little bit later last year as well, but when you average out the hot summer days we had and the amount of rainfall we had, it was the perfect recipe for this beautiful fall,” Zocolo said.

Some of the most vibrant trees are the sugar maple, dogwood and sassafras.

Right now, people are taking advantage of the warm weather and Mill Creek Park being right outside their door.

“I think a lot of people have rediscovered the park and rediscovered just how much it means to the Valley as a whole,” Zocolo said.

But enjoy it now because peak foliage only lasts about a week, then the leaves fall into your yard and the trees are left bare.

“Get outside even if it’s just for a short walk in the park or your yard and look up, look down, look all around and just enjoy the season, it’s spectacular,” Zocolo said.

Full article at wkbn.com

100 years ago — a large crowd showed up for the dedication of a statue honoring Volney Rogers, the man responsible for saving and creating Mill Creek Park.

Several thousand people showed up for the event on that day. Rogers himself was not there because he had died a year earlier.

The statue still stands today as a memorial to the man who helped preserve one of the area’s natural treasures.

In honor of the anniversary, the MetroParks Foundation awarded the Volney Rogers Legacy Award to David Sabine and the Sand Hill Foundation of California.

Sabine has helped preserve Lanterman’s Mill and the Ford Nature Center.

Sand Hill was a major contributor to the Nature Center’s redevelopment project.

Full article at wkbn.com

WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren Ohio

With the rise of online schooling and social media apps to talk to friends, my husband and I have been facing a conundrum related to our kids and screen time. While schooling and communicating are necessary for them, there are other times they are just playing games or watching videos.

Our children have the entire digital world available to them at any given time, if we allow it. In a digital black hole, minutes add up into hours quickly and the accumulated time looking at screens is not beneficial for their development. Our solution is to put parameters in place and to spend time outdoors as a family.

Naturally, we’ve done our favorite things like hiking, biking, and camping. However, we made a point to try new things as well. One activity we found enjoyable for our whole family is disc golf. Our most recent trip was close to home at the Mill Creek MetroPark farm in Canfield.

Instead of the digital world at their fingertips, they had a variety of polypropylene golf discs resting in their hands. The game has similar rules to traditional golf; most importantly, the lowest score wins.

We started out at the tees which were color-coded red and green. Red was slightly farther away making it more difficult. I was excited to see that we could make accommodations for the age and ability differences in our family. The object is to get the disc to the target in the least amount of throws.

When we started the first hole, I could see a metal pole with an attached basket in the distance. I pictured us leisurely enjoying the beautiful landscape and slowly progressing along the course. While I attempted to watch butterflies in the wildflowers, my boys turned our game into an interesting combination of footrace and disc golf. It appeared to matter to them who got the lowest score the fastest.

In contrast, most people relish the time spent at each hole making calculated throws. I didn’t mind the fast pace as long as they were enjoying themselves outside instead of looking at a screen. The course progressed around the lake and into the woods. The change in landscape made the game technically challenging and interesting at the same time.

Mill Creek MetroPark Farm created two courses in 2019 with funding from an ODNR grant. The front course we played on was the beginner course. Each hole is a par 3 and ideal for learning how to play disc golf. The walk to the championship course is longer past the hike and bike trail.

The 18 hole championship course is a more challenging par 60 course that covers 6,000 feet. This course also has a variety of landscapes with the majority of it taking place in a wooded area. I enjoyed that we were able to catch glimpses of the MetroPark Farm animals and crops as we walked along toward the course.

Both courses contain pond obstacles that made certain holes more difficult and in my opinion more beautiful. While I thought they were aesthetically pleasing, I really didn’t want to go into a lake to retrieve a disc. Luckily, we were able to avoid the ponds and the penalty point for going out of bounds.

My luck did eventually run out when I was stung by a ground bee. Next time, I will replace my sandals with sneakers.

An added appeal for us was that the course is free and open to the public from dawn to dusk. Directions, maps, and score cards are provided by the park to use on the course but not discs. We found our discs at a variety of sources such as garage sales, thrift stores and online vendors. Like traditional golf, different discs are designed to be used throughout the game for varying lengths such as distance drivers, fairway drivers, midrangers and putters. The midrange disc seems to be the best fit for beginners wanting to purchase just one disc. It is less technical and comfortable to hold for the beginner.

Disc golf is growing in popularity and new courses are popping up across the country. We also played at Mosquito Lake in Trumbull County this summer. I would much rather see my kids’ eyes searching across the meadow for their discs instead of the creepy stare that has become synonymous with 2020.

With 6,000 feet to cover in the game, there’s social distancing built into the activity. Go ahead, give it a good throw.

Full article at farmanddairy.com