In early July, Mill Creek MetroParks commissioners decided park employees would now operate and maintain the Vickers Nature Preserve, ending 25 years of the preserve being run by a group known as the Buckeye Horse Park.

One month later, MetroParks administrators are already looking to the future and developing a master plan for Vickers.

Thursday afternoon at the Vickers Nature Preserve, located along Route 224 west, Brienna Donaldson and Houston Burbridge, both of Austintown, saddled up their horses for an afternoon ride.

“It’s a nice place. It’s close. It’s convenient,” Burbridge said.

“The trails could be marked a little bit better, they get confusing when you’re on them,” Donaldson said.

“Do we want to keep each and every component? Do we want to change it? Do we want to upgrade it? Do we want to renovate?” asked Steve Avery, director of planning and operations for Mill Creek MetroParks.

Avery is responsible for putting together the master plan for the Vickers Nature Preserve of the future. He already has several ideas.

“We have a pond… well, let’s let fishing in here — there’s a recreational use that we can have happen like that. And if we add a dock or a fishing pier, that actually improves accessibility,” he said.

Avery wants new restrooms, especially since the lone restroom at Vickers is an outhouse. Another possibility is a playground with an equestrian theme. He would also like to build a second pavilion on site.

“So you could just come, ‘Hey, I just want to come here with my family,’ and rent that. I don’t want to rent the ring — yeah, you could do that,” Avery said.

But the ring, the barns and everything else horses can be rented, too.

Although there were no big horse shows this year, there could be some in the future, just like there were in the past.

Donaldson suggests creating areas for advanced riders.

“Different obstacles, like, different things that the horses can do, like bridges, maybe some water they can cross over, something to make them think a little bit about what they’re going to do,” she said.

Currently, Vickers is geared toward horses, which will continue to be the focus. But it could change, at least a little bit.

“I mean, we’re not going to put a soccer complex here. So you gotta think through some things and play off what you already have,” Avery said.

Avery has no timetable yet for when any work would get done.

Mill Creek has some drawings of what’s being proposed on its website and is also looking for public comments on the Vickers master plan, which must be submitted by Friday, Sept. 13.

Full article at wkbn.com

These Mill Creek Park roads will be closed to vehicular traffic as well as cyclists and pedestrians from approximately 7 a.m. until noon Sunday for the 10th annual Panerathon road race: Price Road, Price Road entrance of Fellows Riverside Gardens, West Glacier Drive, West Drive and Slippery Rock Bridge.

Full article at vindy.com

The Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation’s American Junior Golf Association Junior All-Star Tournament at Mill Creek Golf Course, held the week of June 16, brought $358,458 to the area economy, Mill Creek MetroParks reported. The three-year total impact of the tournament has been $1,486,472.

The economic impact includes lodging for families and AJGA representatives, car rentals and entertainment spending. In addition, an $11,000 donation was made to the Mill Creek MetroParks Foundation and AJGA Ace Grant, which came from moneys raised for the AJGA tournament and junior-amateur event on the Monday prior to the main event. To date, the golf association event has also raised over $43,000 for local charities.

This year’s tournament hosted 132 junior competitors, including six junior players who earned their spot in a regional qualifying event form a field of 100 players.

Over 150 volunteers, 37 college coaches and a dozen staff and interns from the AJGA were also in attendance.

Sophia Sarrazin, of Westport, Conn., was the female champion coming in at one over par and Jackson Finney, of Louisville, Kent., was the male champion with a score of seven under par for the week.

Full article at businessjournaldaily.com

On Sunday, Nature Live came to the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm in Canfield.

The free event allows visitors to get an up-close look at live reptiles, insects and plants.

Nature Live also provides kids with a bio hunt where they can look for each insect and animal.

Education Manager Mandy Smith said some stations even allow them to hold the bugs and reptiles.

“That just develops this appreciation for nature and really gets you to relate with animals and nature itself.”

Smith said the MetroParks’ main goal is to create events where the whole family can enjoy nature.

Full article at wkbn.com

The Mill Creek MetroParks hosted the Explorers Kitchen Chemist Camp for children ages 7-9.

Brenda Markley, a naturalist with the Metro Parks, hosted the camps from July 15-19.

“Our goal from Monday through Friday was to discover where the different parts of our pizza come from,” Markley said.

She said that each day children explored a different area of food, from wheats and grains, veggies, fruit and dairy.

During the week children toured the MetroParks Farm and met the animals and saw the plants.

Children also toured different parts of the park, according to Markley, and learned about the history.

“We learned how popcorn popped, we got to see all the animals, they even made homemade cheese,” Markley said.

She said that each day the camp kicked off with a craft done by the students.

They painted ornaments of farm animals, created pizza themed sand art, and colored pictures.

Markley said that they also read a number of books throughout the week that fit with the theme.

Children were also given a notebook to answer questions in and draw in that they got to take home at the end of the week.

“We really want to teach them at a young age to appreciate the food they have and to understand where it comes from,” Markley said.

The camp concluded on Friday with a pizza party.

For more information on park events, go to www.millcreekmetroparks.org.

Full article at vindy.com