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JANUARY 2021

Tobogganing at The Chalet Exhilarating fun for the entire family

Beat Cabin Fever Winter recreation adventures

Securing a Future for Wildlife Holiday lights to help lions

Winter fun starts with snowshoeing in the park ® ® A LETTER FROM BRIAN ZIMMERMAN CONTENTS Resolutions to Enhance Your Life 2 Letter from Brian & Outdoor Education Happy New Year! Winter has officially arrived in our Emerald Necklace and with it are special ways to enjoy nature that only the snowy season can offer us. Now is the perfect time to join 3 Winter is for the Birds one of our expert naturalists to witness the wonders of our parks in winter — from snow-draped trees and frozen waterfalls, to 4 Is Anyone Around & wintry vistas and glimpses of our most resilient resident animals. Animal Tracking 101 Adventure is calling, all you need is a few warm layers and a dry pair of boots! 5 Overflowing with Eagles & Our first edition in the 2021 Emerald Necklace is filled with ways to enhance your next visit Barred Owls to Cleveland Metroparks. From animal tracking to astronomy, our naturalists have tips on how to keep your eyes peeled for surprising sights this winter. If you haven’t yet picked up 6 Invasive Plant Profile & Our Neighbor: Eastern Coyotes birdwatching, or “birding”, there’s no better time to spot birds in our parks than wintertime and our naturalists have gathered great information on winter eagles, owls and more. And if you’re looking for a “new year, new you” suggestion, our experts suggest planning 7 Holiday Lights for Lions resolutions that will enhance your life, instead of deprive it. That means more Cleveland Metroparks! 8 Winter Fun at The Chalet & While we are wrapping up our holiday season at Wild Winter Lights on January 3rd, you Winter RiverFes still have a chance to visit us at Winter RiverFest until January 18. The all-new holiday event at Rivergate Park in The Flats features a synthetic ice rink, festive light displays, an 9 Nature Shops igloo village and more. Of course, you can get your icy thrills at The Chalet toboggan chutes until early March. No snow is required! 10 The Gift of Recreation & 2021 promises to be an historic year for Cleveland Metroparks. We recently surpassed Keep Biking this Winter 24,000 acres across 48 communities and we will continue to look for ways to protect and preserve park land for future generations. Later this spring we will open the Red Line 11 Five Ways Kids Enjoy Winter & Greenway, Whiskey Island Connector and Wendy Park Bridge — reconnecting Lake Erie Faithful Friends in the Sky with downtown communities in a transformative, accessible way. And throughout the year ahead we will continue to look for ways to safely connect with you and with nature 12 Directory & Map through this pandemic and beyond.

Bundle up and I’ll see you out there! Click or touch a section above to access it directly. The home button at the top corner of each page will return you here.

Brian M. Zimmerman NEWEST FEATURE! Click this Cleveland Metroparks CEO icon appearing in articles to Edgewater Pier at Lakefront Reservation view videos on the subject.

Outdoor education and recreation programs have returned! Park naturalists are now leading a variety of • Group size per program will be limited free outdoor programs including birding, to less than 10 people following CDC history, night hikes as well as family-friendly guidelines. hikes as a way to stay active and explore the • Advance registration online is required. No Emerald Necklace. in-person or phone registrations at this time. Outdoor Recreation specialists will also • Facial coverings must be worn by all offer weekend “try-it” sessions where guests participants six years of age and older. can learn a new outdoor recreation skill. Programs will be available for registration two Outdoor Recreation events will require a $5 weeks in advance and all updates will be available equipment fee, such as bicycles or at clevelandmetroparks.com/calendar. watercraft.

2 Emerald Necklace January 2021 | Vol. 70 #1 FEATURE ARTICLE WINTER is for the BIRDS

he winter blues are real, but so are sparrows, doves, wrens, and juncos There are the winter reds, olives, and tans. are common feeder birds that can be many field TBlue jays, Northern cardinals, and seen from the warmth of your guides that winter wrens are some of the own home. can help with beautiful birds that can be Putting out a few feeders identification. For seen throughout the winter in your yard and beginner birders, make in Northeast Ohio. During watching the visitors sure the guide has good large pictures the winter, birds can be is the easiest way to and shows males and females. Also, seen everywhere from start learning about the narrow the guide down to your area as backyard feeders to city various bird species. much as possible. Field guides for the parks to large wooded The types of bird food Eastern U.S. are good for more advanced expanses. Learning how offered plays a large part birders, so try a guide for just Ohio to identify these birds and in the variety of species you birds. Cleveland Metroparks Fascinated enjoy them in a whole new way attract. Northern cardinals, blue Naturalist Guide on birds is perfect for can bring so much joy to your life. This jays, tufted titmice, chickadees, beginners because it focuses on the may be why bird watching, or birding, and nuthatches feed on most common birds found in and has become one of the fastest growing black oil sunflower seed. around our parks. hobbies in North America. Sparrows, mourning Once winter is over and the Birding may seem overwhelming for doves and juncos will weather has warmed, you many reasons — there are so many eat millet from the will be amazed at how many different sounds, males and females ground or a ground bird species you know just by look different, and birds move very fast. feeder. Woodpeckers enjoying them at your feeder. However, winter is a fantastic time to and wrens are insect Hit the trails with a naturalist start this lifelong hobby. During the fall, eaters and will devour a and keep learning! many birds have migrated out of Ohio block of suet or a peanut leaving fewer species. Woodpeckers, covered pinecone. Goldfinches Natalie Schroder, Naturalist cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, titmice, and rare winter migrants like redpolls CanalWay Center prefer to eat thistle seed.

JANUARY NATURALIST’S ALMANAC

ith snow squeaking under our feet, January is best taken on the trail with a good pair of boots, snowshoes, or a set Wof cross-country skis. Animals have now endured the longest nights of the year as the sun is now beginning its annual transect north. Crisp cold is no match for wintering finches, owls, waterfowl, and songbirds. Flocks of American robins and cedar waxwings brighten gray skies as they descend upon fruiting trees and shrubs, gobbling up calories for long, cold nights. Great horned owls are very Pictured from top to bottom: active in January, searching for a mate, building a nest, or Northern cardinal, blue jay incubating eggs. Listen for their deep, booming calls at night. white-breasted nuthatch and hairy woodpecker.

Great horned owl clevelandmetroparks.com 3 INSIDE OUR PARKS Is Anyone Around? igration, hibernation, brumation, in winter. To conserve energy, they will torpor and diapause…words often hunker down, looking for food only Myou may not be familiar with… during warmer daylight hours. You may words that describe how the local wildlife cross paths while hiking through the survive the cold Ohio winters. Everything forest. from a light sleep to a sleep so deep that BEAVER: Spending most hours in their it drops vitals to all-time lows, to just lodge is not an issue for this animal. straight up leaving the area for warmer Before winter, beaver store fresh branches weather, many animals have adapted underwater, giving them access all winter over time. But is there wildlife that stays long, even after the pond is frozen. local and active during these months? Lodges with snow melted on top may Although it is cold and snowy, there indicate someone is home. are quite a few animals that are less MINK: Actively hunting year-round, look affected by the extremes. Many of our for mink along river and pond banks. As warm-blooded species, those that can their winter diet shifts to aquatic prey, maintain a body temperature higher you may also notice tracks going across than their surroundings, seem to thrive. the frozen water. Primarily mammals and birds, some will A large black and be noticeable; out and about as they PILEATED WOODPECKER: white bird with a bright red mohawk-like explore the park system. Others will crest is quite noticeable against a snowy more readily take shelter, only leaving backdrop. High up in dead trees are great their tracks behind for you to find. Keep places to look. Listen for the laughing your eyes open…you may be lucky call (“cuk-cuk-cuk”) or the echoing enough to see some of the following: drumming. WHITE-TAILED DEER: Stored body fat Valerie Fetzer, Manager and a winter coat help keep deer warm Rocky River Nature Center cking 1 Animal Tra 01 inter can be a quiet time for example, rabbits usually make a clean, nature lovers. Between the 45-degree angle bite when nibbling on Wbeauty of fall and the mad dash the branch of a shrub, while deer leave of spring, it feels as though there are the tips somewhat ragged and torn. no animals about and not much to see. And don’t forget that what goes in must However, learning what to look for can come out. Every animal’s scat looks a increase your enjoyment of this season. little different due to its diet, body size and shape, and can be very useful for types of weather once you start paying Animals leave many clues behind. The identification. attention. most obvious animal sign is footprints. There are many animal track guides in A great time to look for animal signs is on Following the trails of wildlife in your yard virtual and print format. Reading these a mild winter morning, after a light snow. is a great activity for people of all ages. can help you learn about which animals If it’s too cold or snowy, the animals Winter may be the time you discover a would be active during the winter, what will be huddled up at home, leaving no raccoon family nearby or mouse tunnels in habitat they prefer, and how they move signs for you to find. As the day goes on, the snow. Keep your eyes peeled and your through their terrain. human footprints can muddle the scene mind curious! and make it hard to pick out who went Signs of animals eating can help you Selby Majewski Bean, Naturalist where. You’ll begin to notice clues in all identify what wildlife are in the area. For North Chagrin Nature Center

4 Emerald Necklace January 2021

INSIDE OUR PARKS Is Anyone Around? WinterOverflowing with Eagles at OECR

ald eagles are considered an species list in 1996. Today, a short trip to of eagles often form near American icon; however, they Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation can give the Southerly Wastewater Bwere once listed as an endangered you a glimpse into the ongoing successes Treatment Plant outflow species. Years of persecution from farmers, of these conservation efforts. where the fresh, warm degradation of habitat, and the devas- waters, invite Each year, from late November to early tation from a now outlawed pesticide, countless fish February, Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation referred to as DDT, led to a massive and waterfowl, as sees double-digit densities of bald decline in population numbers. Thank- well as along a scenic stretch eagles clustering along the Cuyahoga fully, conservationists worked of river affectionately referred River in search of food and courtship. tirelessly to reestablish to as Bald Eagle Bend, which Juvenile and young adult eagles seek bald eagles throughout encompasses the site of the first bald out the Cuyahoga to take advantage the United States and eagle nest in Cleveland in over a century. of the plentiful fish and waterfowl that successfully earned Even though there are hotspots, you are they intend to make their next meal, their removal from the likely to spot individuals in the skies or while a nesting pair capitalizes on the endangered overlooking the river along any length long stretches of river that provide of the trail, so stay sharp! Maps of Ohio unimpeded sight lines and protection & Erie Canal Reservation can be found from human disturbance. on clevelandmetroparks.com. Email So, what do you need to do to see these [email protected] for eagles en masse? Take a walk, run, or more details or questions. bike on the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Jake Kudrna, Naturalist Trail along the Cuyahoga River! Clusters CanalWay Center Eagle photos by Jen Goellnitz, Fairview Park Barred Owls: The Silent Stalker eech-maple forests, wetlands, and BARRED AND BEAUTIFUL hooting call is said to resemble the cool, hemlock-lined ravines are Stocky, grayish-brown and round- phrase, “who cooks for you, who cooks Bhome and hunting ground for one headed, these owls lack the conspicuous for you all?” Mostly active at night, barred of Ohio’s most common nocturnal birds feather tufts or “horns” found on our owls are also known to hunt during of prey, the barred owl. Any wooded two other common year-round resident daytime. Barred owls have a varied diet habitat with large, hollow trees for owl species, the Eastern screech owl of fish, frogs, snakes, birds (including roosting and nesting and ample prey can and great horned owl. Barred owls are smaller owls), mice, flying squirrels and be home for these mid-sized owls. Often named for the intricate barred markings more. Their velvety-soft, rounded wings thought of as the nocturnal equivalent on their upper chest. Their creamy-white allow them to fly silently beneath the of the red-shouldered hawk, barred owls belly feathers are marked with dark forest canopy as they make their twilight tend to occupy similar habitats and these brown streaks. From a distance, their hunting excursions, unheard and unseen. two raptor species may even share a enormous, dark brown eyes can appear Jeff Riebe, Naturalist territory. to be almost black. This gives them a North Chagrin Nature Center somewhat “friendly” appearance that is quite different from the fierce, yellow- eyed glare of their larger cousin, the great horned owl. VOCAL VIRTUOSO Barred owls are often heard before they are seen. They have a raucous and expressive vocabulary of maniacal cackles, plaintive wails and hair-raising shrieks, and their classic, signature

clevelandmetroparks.com 5 CONSERVATION & SCIENCE Invasive Plant Profile: Eurasian Watermilfoil hink of a plant that is evergreen. A pine grow explosively tree flecked with January snow. A holly in the spring Tbush with sharp leaves and red berries. and make a mess Eurasian watermilfoil with green leaves like a of thick weeds in a bird’s feather, delicate and defined, growing marina. It can take years slowly under the ice of Lake Erie. and cost thousands of dollars augers to prevent the spread of aquatic It is true. Our invasive plant profile in to remove Eurasian watermilfoil from a lake. invasive plants. When winter freezes January is a water weed that stays green Ohio’s waterbodies, the threat of the and growing even during winter and Humans have unknowingly helped spread of aquatic invasive species does spreads even more quickly come spring. spread Eurasian watermilfoil to new not go away. Researchers suggest Eurasian watermilfoil waterbodies because it can grow new Mark Warman (Myriophyllum spicatum) was introduced to populations from just an inch-long Aquatic Invasive Species Project Coordinator the United States over 100 years ago — as fragment of stem, as well as from seeds. early as 1888. It is native to Europe, Asia, Boats, trailers, and other watercraft and northern Africa. Over the century it has play the largest role in introducing spread across most of North America, even fragments to new waterbodies, but it up to Alaska! can also hitch a ride on fishing poles or even the tread of boots and waders. Eurasian watermilfoil has thick stems that Careful inspection is needed to find all can jam boat propellers and snag fishing the seeds and fragments trying to hitch line, making water recreation difficult. This a ride to a waterbody. winter-hardy aquatic invader has dozens of Even in January, it is crucial to inspect varieties — some blend in with the native Eurasian watermilfoil aquatic plant community, while others can and clean lines, hooks, scoops, and ice Our Neighbor: Eastern Coyotes

any preconceived notions exist and compost. Additionally, some to remember a few key facts and follow about our region’s top predator — people intentionally feed wildlife. park guidelines. Typically, coyotes are very wary of Mthe coyote. Most concerns can be 1. Coyotes are good parents and protect people and would prefer not to be alleviated when we understand facts about their young just as humans do. Respect near us. However, these abundant food this species and their natural role in our their space by staying on trails. ecosystem. resources can attract coyotes (and many other animals) right to our backyards. 2. Coyotes can view dogs off leash as Eastern coyotes are common across Ohio a threat and view cats roaming freely in Cleveland Metroparks has a public and North America. In our area, adults our parks as competition for prey. Please reporting system to gather information average between 32-37 pounds. Their protect your pets and our wildlife by about coyote sightings. Visit smaller stature means they can survive on keeping cats indoors and dogs on-leash. other food besides natural prey. Humans clevelandmetroparks.com and type unintentionally provide food via garbage, “coyote report” into the search bar. 3. Avoid potential conflict by not pet food, bird feeders, fruit trees, gardens, We also use motion sensor cameras feeding wildlife. Avoid competition to monitor activity patterns. This with pets by not leaving pet food out information helps us understand how overnight and consider other food coyotes use our parks and interact sources you may have in your yard. with other animals. Park staff have also When we understand facts and how we tracked coyote movement using GPS can prevent conflict it helps people and collars. Our monitoring and research wildlife co-exist in Cleveland Metroparks. show that coyotes will change their activity to avoid humans as much as Jon Cepek, Wildlife Ecologist possible. However, we ask park users

6 Emerald Necklace January 2021 ZOO NEWS Recycle Your Holiday Lights For Lions

y family them to support our lion conservation them when they visit throughout the likes to partner, Ruaha Carnivore Project in winter season. Lights will be collected Mlight up Tanzania. Not only is there a sustainable through January 31. We’re also partner­ the holidays. I mean business portion of this effort, there ing with the Cuyahoga County Solid literally light them is a real conservation impact through Waste District and the lights that get up. Instead of using one of our closest and most trusted recycled there will be part of this harsh overhead conservation partners. While our program as well! lights, we illuminate program is really just getting started, Conservation doesn’t have to always be our evenings with last year alone we were able to generate about what you can’t do. Sometimes it’s strings of LED lights that are the color of over $500 for lion conservation AND finding the opportunity that you can do. the closest holiday. Valentine’s Day red, keep 1.7 TONS of holiday lights and Visit Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s Make a St. Patrick’s Day green, Halloween yellow, electrical cords out of the landfill, all Difference webpage at FutureForWildlife. Thanksgiving orange… even white lights because the people of Northeast Ohio org/­makeadifference to find out how all summer long. care about the environment. you can help secure a future for wildlife. I really like the subtle lights at night, but it I’ve already recycled a string of orange Christopher W. Kuhar, Ph.D. bugs me that these lights have a limited lights that we’ve been using each Executive Director lifespan. In a world where so much of Halloween for years. I’d replaced bulbs Cleveland Metroparks Zoo what we purchase is manufactured with and fuses over the seasons, but the “planned obsolescence” in mind, these string finally just stopped working. The lights only last for a few years. Once recycling was a simple process. I took Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is continuing upon a time, you had to just throw the them to the Zoo and put them in the to follow guidelines and best practices lights away and start again. At Cleveland Lights for Lions container at the main from the state and CDC to help prevent Metroparks Zoo we wanted to offer a entrance. That string by itself is not the spread of COVID-19. Guests are new, more environmentally-friendly way worth a lot of money, but it’s good to required to wear facial coverings during to dispose holiday lights. keep it out of the waste stream and their visit.* Cleveland Metroparks Zoo there’s strength in numbers. I’m hopeful For the last two years, we have conducted hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. that people will bring their lights with a program called Lights for Lions. From November through January, we offer the opportunity for you to bring your old or broken light strings to the Zoo. We Meet Kendi! take those strings and turn them over to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo named its our recycling partner, Demilta Iron and new giraffe calf “Kendi” following a Recycling Company in Willoughby, OH. successful donation drive to support Demilta provides us cash in exchange for those lights and they then recycle the wildlife conservation. Kendi was born lights to earn revenue which means the on October 13 to mom Jhasmin, and light strings do not end up in the landfill dad Bo. Thank you to everyone who and a local business is supported. made a donation to help secure a future But that’s not the best part! We then for wildlife. take those funds from Demilta and use

* Facial coverings are not required for children under 6 years of age, or any individual who cannot wear a face covering because of a physical or mental condition.

clevelandmetroparks.com 7 at Cleveland Metroparks

Tobogganing at The Chalet Sledding hills Snowshoe rentals‡ Experience the icy thrill of tobogganing! The BIG CREEK RESERVATION ROCKY RIVER RESERVATION twin, 700-foot refrigerated ice chutes operate Engle Road Sledding Hill Big Met Golf Course • 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. with or without snow through early March, Memphis Picnic Area Last rental 4 p.m. • 440-331-1070 weather permitting. All riders must be 42” or BRECKSVILLE RESERVATION HINCKLEY RESERVATION taller to ride. Chutes open under 50°; snow not Sleepy Hollow Golf Course Hinckley Lake Boathouse and Store needed. Children, ages 14 and under must be Call for reservations • 330-278-2160 EUCLID CREEK RESERVATION accompanied by an adult. All riders must wear Prices vary by location, call for details. gloves or mittens. Facial coverings are required Kelley Picnic Area for guests 6 years and older. HINCKLEY RESERVATION ‡ Sledding hill off State Road (night lighting) Cross-country ski rentals 2021 Toboggan Hours – MILL STREAM RUN RESERVATION ROCKY RIVER RESERVATION Reservations Required: Pawpaw Picnic Area (night lighting) Big Met Golf Course • 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. • Fridays: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Last rental 4 p.m. • 440-331-1070 NORTH CHAGRIN RESERVATION • Saturdays: Noon – 9 p.m. Weekday Rates Old River Farm Picnic Area (night lighting) • Sundays: Noon – 5 p.m. Adults – $10 first hour – $5 each additional hour Rates: ROCKY RIVER RESERVATION Juniors (12 & Under) – $7 first hour – $3 each Sledding hill north of Barrett Road additional hour Adults – $12 all-day ticket Children (11 & under) – $10 all-day ticket Big Met, Little Met and Mastick Woods Weekend Rates Golf Courses Adults – $12 first hour – $5 each additional hour One-ride ticket – $6 Juniors (12 & Under) – $8 first hour – $3 each SOUTH CHAGRIN RESERVATION additional hour Reserve your spot for toboggan fun! Sledding hill at corner of Sulphur Reservations are required. Springs Dr. and Chagrin River Road ‡ Hours of operation are weather dependent of at least four inches of compacted snow. Visit clevelandmetroparks.com/tchutes Sledding hill off Hawthorne Parkway or call 440-572-9990 for more information. south of Solon Road

16200 Valley Parkway Mill Stream Run Reservation Between Rts. 42 & 82 in Strongsville A new way to enjoy winter fun in Cleveland Metroparks

• Ice skating • Festive light displays • Igloo village • Food & beverages Through January 18

Merwins Wharf | 1785 Merwin Avenue | Visit clevelandmetroparks.com/WinterRiverFest for dates and times

8 Emerald Necklace January 2021 Visit our website for a great at selection of park apparel and Cleveland Metroparks general merchandise! Shop online at Winter Wonderland Specials! clevelandmetroparks.com/shop ONLINE SPECIAL ONLINE SPECIAL DECEMBER JANUARY DEAL OF THE MONTH DEAL OF THE MONTH

FREE Mask 5 For $5 ea. or Bandanna With any $50 online merchandise purchase. Mix or Match Offer Valid 12/1/20 – 12/31/20. Offer not valid with purchase of gift cards. Enjoy some of our best sellers for $5.00 each. Some exclusions apply. While supplies last. Discount varies by item. Enter Code FREEMASK or FREEBANDANNA at checkout. Offer valid 1/1/2021 —1/31/2021 while supplies last. Shop online at clevelandmetroparks.com/shop Shop online at clevelandmetroparks.com/shop

Visit our holiday shop Visit our Hinckley Lake this winter season at Boathouse & Store. Merwin’s Wharf. Snowshoe rentals available with 4+ inches of compacted snow. Please call The shop will be located in the Lock ahead for reservations and weather 44 Room during Winter RiverFest. conditions 330-278-2160. For hours visit clevelandmetroparks. Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Cleveland com/WinterRiverFest. Sunday: Noon – 5 p.m. Metroparks Gift Cards Now Available! Redeemable for Zoo, golf, tobogganing, merchandise and more. Available at our online store.

clevelandmetroparks.com 9 OUTDOOR RECREATION The Gift of Recreation New Year’s Resolution Endeavors to Set Your Sights hile you might feel bogged same trail and recreate in the same ways. down by the chilly trails and Challenge yourself to experience more by W cloudy skies of the long winter touring the trails of the Emerald Necklace, months, the new year is actually a great switching up reservations or ditching the time to set your sights on your 2021 hiking boots in favor of wheels on the outdoor adventure to-do list. All Purpose Trail. If you decide to stick with your favorite reservation, consider The path forward may be paved with Visit clevelandmetroparks.com/or scouring a trail map to visit different good intentions; however, choosing for inspiration. routes. Simplistic resolutions can include a lasting resolution can be easier said a pledge to get out more days each than done. This year, ditch resolutions 3. Undertake an adventure week, or for families to experience new requiring deprivation to achieve a Plan a year-long adventure such sledding hills. healthier lifestyle and consider a as section-hiking the Buckeye Trail, resolution geared towards enhancement. paddling the Lake Erie Water Trail, biking 2. Embrace the “New” in New Year’s the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail Make this year about getting outdoors Resolution and choose nature as a prescription for from Akron to Lake Erie, or simply taking an achievable resolution. Consider one of Experience your favorite trails in a new on the Cleveland Metroparks 2021 Trail these adventure-centric ideas to get your way. Explore them on snowshoes or Challenge presented by Cigna. New Year’s resolution juices flowing: cross-country skis, or try a different time of day by way of moonlight. Join No matter what undertaking you choose, 1. Explore more a program and check off a bucket list a year in nature is its own reward. item to learn a thrilling new activity like Ashley Rossetti As creatures of habit, we often hike the mountain biking or rock climbing. Outdoor Recreation Specialist Keep Biking this Winter!

es! You read that correctly — keep items like warm bike gloves and bike biking this winter! You only have shoe covers are good additions for Ytwo options to bike in the winter. fun, successful winter riding as nobody Either inside or outside; let’s start with likes riding with cold fingers and toes! biking outside. Bikes can be adapted for Cleveland’s winter conditions by adding fenders, inside can be made more appealing. If you ride outside this winter, you’ll most which help keep you dry and your bike First, riding inside requires a bike trainer likely need to ride during the day or cleaner. If you are mountain biking, or bike rollers, which turns your bike invest in bike lights. As daylight dwindles, wait until the trails are open, which into a new stationary bike! Many people having a light to see, and be seen, is a typically means the ground freezes. If use computer apps to stay connected good idea. In addition to lights, layers you are really into riding this winter, and motivated with a screen in front of of warm clothes are needed. Specialty grab a snow bike with fat tires that them allowing them to challenge other helps you float over the snow. riders in a video game-like environment. If riding in place isn’t your thing, check If all this talk about snow and cold out Ray’s Indoor Bike Park. This indoor has dissuaded you, keep biking this mecca for riding is located by Cleveland winter by staying inside! This might Metroparks Zoo. No matter how you do initially sound less appealing as some it, keep riding this winter! elements are lost — no wind in your Dan Sahli face, no beautiful scenery, no sense Outdoor Recreation Specialist of freedom and adventure. But, riding

10 Emerald Necklace January 2021 OUTDOOR ADVENTURES Five Ways Kids Enjoy Winter Outside

any times during the winter, I while hiking. Examples are pinecones, by the Ohio Division of Wildlife hear parents talk about how pine needles, animal tracks, old bird is free and downloadable. challenging it can be to get nests, and birds. M IDENTIFY ANIMAL TRACKS – Many outside with their kids. However, with DECORATE A TREE FOR WILDLIFE – animals are active in the winter. the right clothes, plan, and attitude Learning to appreciate wildlife Foxes, beaver, songbirds, mice, everyone can have a great experience 4. 2. can lead to a lifelong commitment and deer can be found throughout outside. Waterproof mittens or gloves, of conservation. A fun way to learn the entire season. Grab a field guide boots, snow pants, hats, coats and scarves about wildlife is to decorate a tree in and a hula hoop before going on your are must-haves for healthy and safe your yard for them. For ornaments, adventure. The hula hoop is to place winter play. When children are dressed cover pinecones in peanut butter and over the track, so no one steps on it. appropriately, they can play outside for dried mealworms; also buy or make suet hours even in cold weather. Outdoor play BLOW FROZEN BUBBLES – Blowing and use cookie cutters to make pretty enables children to enjoy the natural bubbles is not just for warm shapes. For garland, string dried fruit on world while developing age appropriate months. When the temperature is yarn or twine. social and emotional skills. 5. around 10° F bubbles will freeze. IDENTIFY EVERGREEN TREES – Trees It is an amazing way to talk about – It WINTER SCAVENGER HUNT are fascinating and there are an solids and liquids. Make sure to have can be hard to keep young 3. incredible number of species right plenty of solution on hand. To make this 1. children engaged when going in Cleveland Metroparks. It is a great activity even more fun, add a little bit of on a winter hike. To make it time to learn about these trees since food coloring to the bubble solution. fun for the whole family, turn it into a they retained their needles throughout scavenger hunt! Print out a list (with Natalie Schroder, Naturalist the winter. The Trees of Ohio field guide pictures) of items for the children to find CanalWay Center

Photo by Chris Mentrek, Naturalist Our Faithful Friends in the Winter Sky Geauga Park District Spending time admiring the night sky adventure. Early astronomers such as has become a fading practice in the Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo and Newton last few generations. It is somewhat made scientific discoveries that are understandable, due to light pollution foundational to our understanding and so many evening activities vying today. for our attention. But the enduring January is a perfect time to identify a Orion’s Belt appeal of the night sky is that it has not few reliable winter constellation friends: changed much since the first humans Orion (Hunter) — One of the easiest walked this earth. Canis Major (Greater Dog) — To constellations to find, look to the southeast find Orion’s dog, draw a straight line The predictability of constellations horizon in early evening for three bright through his belt to the left to locate the and planets over the seasons and stars in a straight row. This is Orion’s belt. brightest star in the night sky, Sirius. years has kept cultures for millennia Look for a reddish star up from the belt. That Sirius helps constitute the constellation astonished, centered, perplexed and is Betelgeuse. Just lower from the belt is a Canis Major, Orion’s legendary hunting curious. Mayans, Babylonians, Chinese, bright star called Rigel. It has a blue tint that companion. Greeks, Arabs and East Indian cultures indicates it is very hot. created rich connections with the Taurus (Bull) — To find the bull that These faithful friends will always be there, night sky. Like a faithful friend, the Orion is hunting, draw a line through just as they were for our ancestors and night sky has also guided our ancestors his belt to the right to find the bull’s early astronomers. They are still waiting for in navigation, planting, harvesting left eye. Look for the ‘V’ that makes us to peer upward, admiring their reliable and has even provided cosmic up the bull’s face/horns. Aldebaran is positions in the winter sky. entertainment through storytelling the brightest star in the constellation Foster Brown, Naturalist to make sense of our grand earthly Taurus. North Chagrin Nature Center

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Emerald Necklace® Directory Published monthly by: Board of Park Commissioners Cleveland Metroparks Rental Facilities Cleveland Metroparks Bruce G. Rinker Dan T. Moore Administration Offices 216-635-3304 216-635-3200 President Vice President 216-635-3200/24-hour info clevelandmetroparks.com Debra K. Berry Brian M. Zimmerman Vice President Chief Executive Officer 4101 Fulton Parkway Outdoor Experiences and Cleveland, OH 44144 Education clevelandmetroparks.com 216-881-8141 Park clevelandmetroparks.com/oe Nature Center Cleveland Metroparks Police Nature Centers: Golf Accidents or Emergencies 440-333-4911 Zoo Brecksville Nature Center 9000 Chippewa Creek Drive Swim Area Cleveland Metroparks Zoo & Brecksville, OH 44141 The RainForest Brecksville Reservation 216-661-6500/24-hour info 440-526-1012 3900 Wildlife Way Cleveland, OH 44109 CanalWay Center FutureForWildlife.org 4524 E. 49th Street RIVERGATE Cuyahoga Heights, OH 44125 Cleveland Metroparks Golf Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation Golf Services/440-232-7247 216-206-1000 (course info & inquiries) clevelandmetroparks.com/golf North Chagrin Nature Center 401 Buttermilk Falls Parkway The Chalet Recreation Area Mayfield Village, OH 44094 16200 Valley Parkway North Chagrin Reservation Strongsville, OH 44136 440-473-3370 Mill Stream Run Reservation 440-572-9990 Rocky River Nature Center 24000 Valley Parkway Lakefront Reservation North Olmsted, OH 44070 Administration Building Rocky River Reservation 8701 Lakeshore Blvd. 440-734-6660 Cleveland, OH 44108 216-881-8141 Watershed Stewardship Center 2277 W. Ridgewood Drive Volunteer Services Parma, OH 44134 440-331-8237 West Creek Reservation clevelandmetroparks.com/ 440-887-1968 volunteer Cleveland Metroparks does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age or disability in employment, services or access to programs or activities. Cover photo: Snowshoeing activities at Cleveland Metroparks Emerald Necklace is also available online at clevelandmetroparks.com Additional photos courtesy of Cleveland Metroparks photo archive, unless © Registered trademarks of Cleveland Metroparks. otherwise noted.