#MENTOR SENIOR CENTER: SENIOR HIKING GROUP, SEPT-OCT 2012 ORCHARD HILLS PARK

The hikers meet every Thursday morning at 9 AM at a different park or natural area in Lake County.

Nick Standering, Recreation Coordinator, organizes the walks, and Tom Yates, retired Holden horticulturist, hikes with us and acts as an informal interpretive guide—they don’t come any better.

     Tom Yates pointed out Blue Cardinal Flowers among the traditional Red.

It was great weather for hiking in this little jewel of a park in Geauga County—clear, sunny and cool.

In fact, one of our hikers was so overcome by the perfection of the weather and the ambiance and the company that she jumped into the lake, came out with a stick in her mouth,

and then rolled around on it for the sheer joy of it all.

My Take on Northeastern Ohio parks:  They’re priceless.  Vote for Lake Metroparks’ replacement operating levy on November 6.

Thank you Tom for creating the September/October schedule!

9/6:  Mentor Lagoons (Marsh Trail) 8365 Harbor Drive, Mentor

9/13:  Pete’s Pond Preserve:  2255 Rockefeller Rd.  Wickliffe, Lake County Metro Park

9/20:  The West Woods, 9465 Kinsman Rd. on State Rt. 87 just east of State Rt. 306;  Geauga Park District

9/27:  Whitlam Woods, 12500 Pearl Rd.  Hambden Township, Geauga Park District (near Big Creek Park)

10/4:  Hidden Valley Park North, 6500 River Rd.  Madison (Lake Metro Parks)

10/11:  Thompson Ledges Take I90 to State Route 528 in Lake County. Head South on 528 to Geauga County Thompson Road in the community of Thompson. Head East on Thompson Road approximately one half mile to park entrance on the right.

10/18:  Hach-Otis Preserve, 37142 Skyline Dr. Willoughby Hills  State of Ohio Preserve.  (Great Trails and vistas)

10/25: Chapin Forest West: 10381 Hobart Rd. Kirtland

The center will not cancel the hikes due to inclement weather; we leave it up to each individual participant if they feel it’s safe.

Please bring plenty of water to stay hydrated as July looks to be pretty steamy!

Contact Nick Standering, Mentor Senior Center Recreation Coordinator at  standering@cityofmentor.com for a monthly schedule of interpretive walks.

Photos © Carole Clement

THE WILDERNESS CENTER IN WILMOT, STARK COUNTY, OH

The Wilderness Center (TWC) owns 967 acres scattered in Stark, Wayne and Holmes Counties.  It’s a self-supporting, 501 (c) 3 nature center, founded in 1964 by members of the Canton Audubon Society.

The Center’s mission is “. . .to connect people of all ages, conserve natural resources and practice environmental stewardship.”

They support their mission through membership fees, fundraising events and sales, program fees, grants, donations, and through what they refer to as “ecopreneurism.”

The physical Center consists of an Interpretive Building, Astronomy Education Building, and picnic shelters.  The visitor is free to wander nearly 10 miles of trails through woods and prairie, along creeks and streams and past Wilderness Lake and ponds.

Fires are not permitted in picnic areas, and dogs are permitted only in certain areas.  The trails are cut but are neither paved nor graveled.

Their parking area is unique in that cars are sheltered from sun, rain and snow by huge solar panels that power the Center’s facilities.

It’s a beautiful campus that teaches environmental stewardship through classes and clubs and–through example.

Here are some of the pretties a friend and I enjoyed at TWC last week:

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Bee Balm

The Hummingbird Moth

Two photos of the Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly

The Eastern Wood-Peewee

I took several photos of the bird, and in each one he’s looking over his shoulder in the direction where we’d last seen two hawks circling in the sky.

The Eastern Bluebird

Wild Phlox and Cardinal Flower

You can get directions, hours and more information about TWC at http://www.wildernesscenter.org/

Thanks to Susan Wiedmann of Lake Metroparks for IDing the damselfly and to Jim McConnor of Blackbrook Audubon Society for IDing the Peewee.

Photos © Carole Clement