(Youngstown, Ohio) The lecture, Beyond Beauty: Magnolias Around the World, will be held at Fellows Riverside Gardens on Thursday, March 28, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Magnolias are among the most recognizable, ornamental flowering trees in the world. In addition to beauty, their primitive origins, unique ecological interactions, and conservation value render them as much more than “another pretty face” in the garden. These factors allow them contribute to gardens on many levels that are not often considered. Join Peter Zale, Associate Director, Conservation, Plant Breeding and Collections at Longwood Gardens, as he discusses these factors in a photographically rich exploration of magnolias around the world, as well as a short discussion of the best new magnolia hybrids for the garden.

The lecture is offered through the John S. & Doris M. Andrews Memorial Lecture Series and is a free public event. Registration is requested, not required. To register, contact Fellows Riverside Gardens at 330-740-7116 or learn more by visiting www.millcreekmetroparks.org.

The YSU Army ROTC will be performing training exercises on March 7, 21, 28 and April 5, 2019 at the McGuffey Wildlife Preserve in Coitsville Township. On each scheduled date, training will begin at approximately 3:00 p.m. and conclude at approximately 4:30 p.m. Members will be in uniform and 2 – 3 government vans will be on site.

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 January 29  – March 3, 2019. This year’s theme will showcase orchids interspersed among Valley artifacts, paying homage to its industrialist roots. 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, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. For questions and more information, please call 330.740.7116.

The next Regular Meeting of the Board of Park Commissioners, of Mill Creek MetroParks is scheduled for Monday, January 14, 2019, at 6 p.m. in McMahon Hall, at the MetroParks Farm, on Rt. 46 in Canfield. The agenda will be available on the website after 2 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

The Florence Simon Beecher & John D. Finnegan Foundations have combined to contribute $500,000 towards the $3 million renovation of the Ford Nature Center at Mill Creek MetroParks. The contribution will directly benefit the work needed to renovate the carriage house currently located on the property (840 Old Furnace Rd., Youngstown) of the Ford Nature Center. Once completed, the carriage house will serve as an education building, a central hub of all school based and group tours of the Ford Nature Center. The MetroParks Board of Park Commissioners have approved naming the structure, The Beecher Finnegan Education Building.

“Our grateful appreciation goes out to the Florence Simon Beecher & John D. Finnegan Foundations for their generous contribution to the new Education Building at the Ford Nature Center. This building will serve as the gateway to learning about the natural wonders of the world for thousands of local school children each year. Its impact on not only the Ford Nature Center but the entire MetroParks will be felt for generations to come,” says Chris Litton, Mill Creek MetroParks Director of Development.

The project has currently raised $1 million of the $3 million goal. The Sand Hill Foundation of Menlo Park, California has generously offered a challenge grant which will match new donations raised after November 1, 2018 up to $1 million.