Several improvements are slated to add a bit of color — and plenty of practicality — to many people’s favorite Mill Creek Park landmark.

ne project entails upgrading the outdoor restroom at Fellows Riverside Gardens for year-round use, Justin Rogers, Mill Creek MetroParks’ planning and operations director, said after the park’s board of commissioners met Monday at the MetroParks Farm.

The work, estimated at $147,000, should get underway in the summer, though Rogers was unable to provide a timetable. To make it able to be used all year, the facility will receive a new roof and entrances; it also will be heated and insulated, Rogers said.

The restroom improvements are important also because the facility is an anchor to the nearby Elizabeth Fellows Education Building and the future revamped children’s garden, he said.

The park entered into a 75-day contract with Claysville, Pa.-based Graham Construction for the project, Rogers said.

Also Monday, Debbie Metzger, who sits on the Friends of Fellows Riverside Gardens’ board, said the annual Mother’s Day plant sale last month brought in $4,175. Proceeds will go to the Youngstown Foundation, with a request the funds be used to enhance the rose garden portion of Fellows, she said.

Such a move is important because the pedigree roses are expensive to plant and require a lot of care. In addition, that section of the botanical gardens is popular among brides and others, Metzger said.

In other business, Gavin Switzer, who owns Youngstown-based Next Nature LLC, discussed with commissioners a proposal to restore a small pond at the McGuffey Wildlife Preserve in Coitsville.

The William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society contracted with Switzer’s company to “get the pond back to a deep water habitat,” Switzer said.

Specifically, the proposed restoration effort will entail using specialized equipment to dredge the body of water to remove accumulated sediment and convert it to a functional kettle bog habitat with minimal environmental impact, Switzer said.

Kettle bogs are water-filled, circular or elliptical depressions formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters that are usually deeper than they are wide. They also are typically fed by precipitation instead of streams or groundwater.

The dredging will entail five phases: assessment and planning, such as environmental-impact studies, dredging and initial habitat establishment, vegetation planting and habitat structuring, monitoring and managing to ensure ecological stability, and installing a boardwalk and signage to inform visitors about the restored habitat’s environmental and historical significance.

The ecological benefits of such a restoration will be an increased biodiversity, improved water quality and vital ecosystem components that include flood mitigation and a viable habitat for pollinating insects and other species, the proposal states.

The pond has been a source of controversy in recent years because some historical society members and others have accused the park of neglecting to properly maintain the body of water and allowing it to degrade.

Read the original article at The Vindicator.

New partnership brings E-Bikes to Mill Creek Park.

Watch the original video at WFMJ.

The weather cooperated, and several thousand animal lovers and their children gathered at the MetroParks Farm in Canfield for the annual animal baby shower on Saturday.

Children were able to pet live farm animals and learn a little bit about their lives. Animals on display included pigs, goats, baby chicks, peacocks, cows and a pair of llamas. Many of the adult animals are owned by the MetroParks Farm. The baby animals were on loan from local farmers.

Most of the visitors were families with small children, but a number of teenagers happily took part. The event was free to the public.

The baby shower has been held every year since 1992 with the exception of a couple years during the coronavirus pandemic. The goal has always been to bring people together, according to Jaime Yohman, community engagement director for the Mill Creek MetroParks.

“We want to bring families out here to the MetroParks farms and all that it has to offer, and to see all the different animals we have here on site,” Yohman said.

New features that people might be interested in include additional hiking trails and a small archery range on the farm, Yohman said.

The baby shower was staffed largely by volunteers from the community.

Seated by a metal washtub in which a half-dozen baby chicks milled about and cheeped, Ashton Albrecht, 16, a student at Canfield High School, said he volunteered because his parents used to take him to the baby shower when he was younger.

Albrecht gently lifted chicks from the tub and placed them in the hands of parents and sometimes children so they could actually see the baby animals up close.

“I just want to do something for the community,” he said.

One of the small children who held a chick in her small hands was Serenity Divencenzo, 6, who was there with her mother, Jessica, of Warren. Serenity appeared to be enchanted by the tiny, peeping animals.

“She gets to see what is going on and how the things that she eats at home are coming from all the animals she is seeing here,” Jessica said. “It’s really fascinating.”

The display in the room included a working demonstration of the chicken’s lifestyle, beginning with an incubator holding live eggs.

The rabbits on the other side of the room remained quietly in their cages as small children looked on.

Emory Close, 14, of North Benton, was another volunteer. A 4-H Ms. Junior Dairy Princess award winner, Close also volunteered to help teach about the farming lifestyle. She sat on a milking stool with children and taught them how to milk a live cow while parents took pictures with their cell phones.

“(The demonstration) shows them where their milk comes from and what they eat,” Emory said, “and shows them why it’s so good to take care of animals.”

“We have a lot of young volunteers that have come out from YSU to help us with this event,” Yohman said, “and also a lot of members from the 4-H area clubs that brought their animals. They wanted to be part of this event and we so appreciate them.”

Jimmy Frohman of Austintown brought his family to the farm in part, he said, to teach his children kindness.

“I want my kids to be compassionate towards animals and learn empathy toward animals,” he said. “I want to help them learn that all life is fragile and all animals deserve love.”

When Frohman asked his daughter, Claire, 4, what her favorite animal was from the day, she whispered very softly, “Cat,” and pointed to the facepainting of a happy kitty cat on her cheek done by MetroParks volunteers.

The baby shower also provided motorized wagon rides for $2 and a chance to interact with live cows. Children were able to walk up to the cattle and pet the animals.

Other amusements included a photo booth, fake tattoos, face painting and a gift shop.

Food was provided by several food trucks.

Read the original article at The Vindicator.

The Mill Creek MetroParks Police headquarters has relocated from its Glenwood Avenue location to a new spot in Canfield.

In a statement from Mill Creek MetroParks Community Engagement Director Jaime Yohman, the police headquarters has made the move to 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road. The reason for the move is that it allows for a more centralized location, the release states.

“This move also greatly improves the office working conditions and facilities for the men and women of the MetroParks Police Department,” the release continues.

The building at 810 Glenwood Avenue which previously functioned as the office space for the police department is set to be demolished. The historical stone structure at 816 Glenwood Avenue will remain and continue to operate as a police outpost.

The release says park visitors will not be impacted or see any change in service as a result of the move.

Read the original article at WKBN.

Two local parks benefited from the $19.2 million in project funding doled out by the Ohio Public Works Commission this week.

Trumbull County MetroParks has been awarded $449,358 for improvements to the Champion Wetland Connector property, and the Mill Creek MetroParks is receiving $150,000 for Wildlife Sanctuary expansion improvements, according to an OPWC news release.

The funding is a part of the commission’s Clean Ohio Conservation program.

MILL CREEK METROPARKS

Mill Creek MetroParks Natural Resources Manager Nick Derico said the Wildlife Sanctuary, which is located in Beaver Township, was acquired in 2021 using funds through the same program.

“Now we’re coming back to the same fund asking for improvement dollars,” he said.

Derico said the primary use of the funds will be to provide better access to the property.

He said the metroparks plans to expand the current entryway to the sanctuary, install a gravel parking lot and install a trail system.

“Beyond that, there will be a number of ecological improvements funded through the same grant,” Derico said. “That will include some invasive species management, basic plant management. We will be doing a native prairie restoration in a former agricultural field, and we’ll also be doing some reforestation and tree planting in that same agricultural field.”

Derico said it is going to be a “transformative year” for the wildlife sanctuary.

According to the OPWC news release, the Clean Ohio program is dedicated to environmental conservation including acquisition of green space and protection of rivers and streams. Grant recipients agree to maintain the properties in perpetuity so they can persist for future generations.

“These projects are critical for protection of Ohio’s natural resources, biodiversity, and habitats,” Linda Bailiff, OPWC director, said in the release. “It’s a great time of year to get out and explore the many parks and preserves throughout our great state.”

TRUMBULL COUNTY METROPARKS

Zachary Svette, executive director of Trumbull County MetroParks, said the park system plans to use its funding for the “acquisition, restoration and improvement costs” regarding the 117-acre property.

The property contains 54 recovering wooded acres that include wet meadow, marsh, shrub / scrub, and forested wetlands, and the remaining 63 acres are agricultural fields. The site also contains three streams, including a portion of Center Creek, and wetland habitat makes up approximately 35 acres of the property and was assessed as a category 3 wetland.

“The forest is recovering from a selective-cut that took place in the last five years, and the 63 acres of agricultural fields will be restored with prairie pollinator habitat,” Svette said in an email.

Svette said the metroparks plans to manage the property as a passive public park and protect the natural resources with Clean Ohio deed restrictions.

“TCMP will manage the property for public access with initial emphasis on access for hunting and development of a trail and parking area. Acquisition, protection and restoration will prevent development of the property, benefit water quality, support recovery of the forested habitat, and provide public green space adjacent to the Western Reserve Greenway Trail,” he said.

Read the original article at The Vindicator.