Green Space + Parks
Perk Park - Photo Bob Perkoski
Public parks offer more than convenient refuge from the pressures of urban existence; they create a sense of community by bringing people of various backgrounds together in an informal setting. For that reason, parks matter now more than ever, some could argue. As large public works projects finally begin to take shape in and around Cleveland -- from the Medical Mart and Convection Center to the Lakefront and Flats East Bank projects -- its imperative that meaningful public spaces be part of the local conversation. "The quality of open spaces is a measure of the desirability of a city," Greg Peckham of LAND studio notes. "Parks and park systems really matter to people."
Many positive changes have occurred at the Cleveland Metroparks since Brian Zimmerman took over as CEO in 2010, with many more projects ongoing and on the horizon.
Diego, a one-year-old bobcat, arrived the CMNH's Perkins Wildlife Center in March. He is adapting well to his new home and getting to know fellow bobcats Bob and Bitty.
Cleveland Metroparks is gearing up for summer, with its Summer Concert Series at various Metroparks waterfront locations. starting May 18, and opening its summer operations and lifeguarded swim areas.
Arbor Day is tomorrow, Friday, April 28. In honor of the day set aside for the planting, upkeep, preservation, and celebration of trees, Holden Forests & Gardens has a bunch of activities planned.
After more than a year of planning and community meetings on the Euclid Beach Mobile Home Park, Western Reserve Land Conservancy in February told the residents they must move out and the property will become a part of the Cleveland Metroparks and a larger revitalization project for North Collinwood and Lakeshore Avenue.
The Cleveland Metroparks 2023 Trail Challenge is underway! Find out how to enroll and read about Erin O'Brien's experiences on the 2022 Trail Challenge in this recap.
Spring has arrived in Northeast Ohio, and Cleveland Metroparks has planned plenty of April activities to get out and enjoy the weather.
The Cleveland Metroparks Police Department welcomed two new K-9 officers-in-training to its force in December. As they begin training, they need names.
The Holden Arboretum will receive $335,000 in Congressionally directed spending to help preserve and expand Northeast Ohio's tree canopy, thanks to Senator Sherrod Brown.
The Cleveland Metroparks has slated four 2023 projects that will naturally clean millions of gallons of stormwater and expand the park system's stewardship of our fragile fresh water.
In the spirit of the Halloween season, FreshWater writer Erin O'Brien ventured out to Squire's Castle at the Cleveland Metroparks' North Chagrin Reservation to investigate whether the property is really haunted. Read what she discovered on this leg of the 2022 Trail Challenge.
The Doan Brook Watershed Partnership is hosting two free family-friendly events this month that will get the entire family out for fun learning experiences in the autumn air.
The Student Conservation Association Cleveland Metroparks Trail Corps program gets students and young adults involved in parks and land conservation efforts while they learn about environmental issues, build and repair trails along the Emerald Necklace, and spend a summer in the parks system.
Writer Erin O'Brien has taken the Cleveland Metroparks Trail Challenge and has been chronicling her challenges. In her eighth installment, O'Brien traveled to the Hinkley Reservation to test her kayaking skills for the first time.
This weekend, the Cleveland Cultural Gardens will host the 76th Annual One World Day to celebrate and honor Cleveland’s diverse cultural and ethnic makeup that represnts more than 30 countries around the world.
As the Cleveland Cultural Gardens continues to expand, plans are in various stages to install 10 new gardens. John Grabowski and Lauren Pacini look to the future in this fourth and final installment of this four-part series.
The 1965 Hart-Celler Act widened patterns of U.S. immigration beyond Europe. With that pattern came the origins of more than a dozen Cultural Gardens that represent Asia and Eastern Europe. Lauren Pacini chronicles this period of Cleveland Cultural Gardens history in this third installment of this four-part series.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has extended the Asian Lantern Festival and is bringing back Wild Ride, a one-night event at the close of the festival when guests can ride their bikes through the Zoo for one last look at the illuminated lanterns.
Only five Cultural Gardens were created in the last part of the 20th Century, compared to the 14 created between 1930 and 1940. Lauren Pacini chronicles this period of Cleveland Cultural Gardens history in this second installment of this four-part series.
In 1916, The Cleveland Cultural Gardens was established in Rockefeller Park in University Circle when the Shakespeare Garden was dedicated. Lauren Pacini chronicles the history of the Botanical Gardens in this four-part series.