GetConnected! Metroparks of the Toledo Area 2011 Annual Report Forested areas the park district. They measured direct and indirect sources, including Green exhaust from the vehicle fleet, utility consumption and solid waste produc- and Getting Greener tion, among other things. Being green is an important operat- reduction is that rangers now spend a The result: the benefit that Me- ing principle for Metroparks. In recent minimum of 45 percent of their shift troparks provides to the environment years, the park district’s employees on foot, bicycle or in an electric cart is nine times greater than the carbon have worked to make day-to-day opera- rather than driving their patrol cars. footprint produced for park operations. tions increasingly friendly to the envi- ronment, with measurable success. • Working with the Lucas County “Metroparks is currently wearing a Solid Waste District, Metroparks has size minus-9 shoe,” said Joe Faus- • Electric consumption has been established recycling stations at most naugh, park services manager. reduced by 25 percent since 2006 parks. As a result, the park district through improved operations and em- recycles five times the amount of Note: This annual report, Metroparks ployee behavioral changes. refuse that it sends to the landfill. magazine and other Metroparks publi- cations are printed on recycled paper • The operations fleet has been re- Metroparks greatest contribution with biodegradable ink in a printing duced by 31 vehicles, many of which to the local environment, however, plant partially powereded by wind. were replaced by electric utility carts. is preserving open space. Forested By carefully selecting new vehicles, areas absorb carbon dioxide, the No. Electric cart the average fuel efficiency for the 1 greenhouse gas that contributes to remaining fleet has increased by 3 climate change. Green space offsets miles-per-gallon – the equivalent of CO2 produced by human activity, 7,000 gallons of fuel. and provides filtration and increased absorption of stormwater. • The annual number of miles driven also has decreased, from 546,849 Students of Dr. Defne Apul’s civil miles in 2007 to 444,113 miles in 2011. engineering class at the University of The 120,736-mile reduction equals Toledo recently measured Metroparks a savings of approximately 10,000 “carbon footprint,” or the amount gallons of fuel. One reason for the of CO2 produced while operating Connecting With The Land Metroparks purchased the 30-acre Removing non-native, invasive spe- Granger Island in the Maumee River cies that were introduced to local near Waterville, just south of the SR natural areas is another important Land Acquisition 64 Bridge. The park district owns function of land management. Left 2011 was the ninth year of a 10-year several islands between Maumee and unchecked, these outside influ- plan to acquire property for future Waterville. ences would overtake native species, parkland, funded by a 0.3 mill levy drastically changing the landscape of and grants from a variety of sources, An additional 27 acres of the Keil northwest Ohio. including the Clean Ohio Fund. Farm property at Reynolds Road and Metroparks has acquired 76 percent Hill Avenue were acquired with fund- In the past few years, the devastating of the property it set out to acquire. ing from a $1.08 million grant from the effects of the emerald ash borer, an Following are total land purchases to Department of Housing and Urban invasive insect from Asia, has occu- date. Development’s Economic Develop- pied much of the Land Management ment Initiative, secured through Department’s time. With funding from Target area – Acres preserved Congresswoman Kaptur. the American Recovery and Reinvest- ment Act, the park district has been Zone Total Metroparks also purchased 2.5 acres removing dead ash trees that pose a Oak Openings Corridor 1,867 that are now part of Side Cut in Mau- hazard to people or property. Lake Erie Coastal Zone Area 987 mee. Maumee River Corridor/ A June 2010 tornado further compli- Fallen Timbers 101 Land Management cated land management efforts at Oak Swan Creek Corridor/ The goal of land management is to Openings by downing or damaging Westside Corridor 117 sustain the health and diversity of thousands of trees over a 150-acre Other: Nona France, Keil Farm 350 natural areas. Often, the task is to section of the nearly 4,000 acre ToTaL 3,422 help nature take its course by remov- preserve. Over the winter, thousands ing or mitigating unnatural influences. of stumps were removed in the Highlights At Oak Openings, for example, fires affected area. While tornadoes are Metroparks grew by 216 acres in 2011, started by lightning or native Ameri- natural, there is so little left of the Oak bringing total land holdings to 11,169 cans were historically a part of the Openings that it is important to man- acres. natural process. Today, prescribed age those lands that remain for their burns controlled by trained profession- maximum habitat potential. The Oak Openings Greenway, which als simulate this process. will eventually connect the two largest Metroparks, Oaks Openings Preserve and Secor, grew by 144 acres. Land purchases were made using grants of $151,000 from the Clean Ohio Fund and $200,000 from the Water Re- source Restoration Sponsor Program in partnership with the city of Toledo. A long-time goal of local organiza- tions to acquire an 11-mile stretch of railroad property known as the Westside Corridor became a reality in 2011. The land was purchased with a $5.6 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration secured by U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur. The corridor connects north and south Toledo and crosses the Maumee River into Wood County, where it connects with the Wood County Park District’s Knight Preserve. Metroparks owns the last 1.4 mile stretch of the cor- ridor in Lucas County, from Glanzman Road to the Maumee River. The property includes a railroad bridge over the Anthony Wayne Trail that is scheduled to be demolished and, eventually, replaced. Consider making planned giving one of your Metroparks connections. Meet Our Monitors ou will find Metroparks spe- Ycies monitors in the field installing bluebird boxes, wading into vernal pools or taking stock of plants, raptors or frogs. These volunteers gather data and re- cord observations that help track the health of individual species and habitats. A long-term butterfly monitoring project, in partnership with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Ohio Lepidopterists Society and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, documents long- term Nature Camp trends, which is essential to revealing population declines before their final stages. Connecting With The The National Center for Nature Pho- tography at Secor continues to grow Likewise, the breeding raptor Community in popularity with well-attended gallery research project documents exhibits and opening receptions, as the nesting success and habitat Programs And Special Events well as capacity attendance at work- use of all nesting raptor species Educational programs, special events, shops. The Center has also reached (hawks and owls) in the Oak attractions and educational outreach into the community with special ex- Openings Region. Other volun- are ways Metroparks connects with hibits at venues such as Main Branch teers monitor rare plants, bats, the community. In 2011, 62,930 Library in downtown Toledo, One Gov- frogs and cavity-nesting birds. people attended programs and special ernment Center, Maumee Bay State events, including more than 10,800 Park, Magee Marsh State Wildlife Area The Vernal Pool Monitoring Pro- students in Lucas County schools. and The Andersons corporate offices in gram raises public awareness Maumee. of the existence of vernal pools Summer camps provide children and their importance in local bio- with a memorable day or weeklong, Volunteers diversity. It allows people to par- nature-based experience. In 2011, 370 More than 3,000 people, including 79 ticipate in a field-research based children attended a Metroparks camp. groups, contributed 40,447 volunteer program to learn more about New themed camps are added each hours in 2011, helping to keep the these periodically wet areas that year, and in 2012, camps are being Metroparks clean, safe and natural. are bursting with living things. offered at Oak Openings Preserve as They included individuals, families and well as Wildwood Preserve, providing organizations such as Adelante, The These “citizen science” pro- additional options for families. Latino Resource Center, ZooTeens, grams offer an opportunity for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter nature lovers to become more At Providence Metropark, where the Day Saints, the law firm of Spengler familiar with the Metroparks Miami & Erie Canal comes to life Nathanson, First Solar and Lourdes while they collect information through interactive living history expe- University Women’s Basketball Team. that will be valuable long-term riences, about 10,000 people, includ- in making important natural re- ing students from 52 schools, toured Volunteer Trail Patrol hours continued source management decisions. the Isaac Ludwig Mill and/or boarded to increase. More than 200 dedicated The Volunteer canal boat for an educa- volunteers walked the trails and as- tional journey back in time. sisted park visitors, contributing over 10,000 hours of volunteer service! Nearly 29,000 people visited the Wildwood Manor House for tours or Friends of Pearson, Side Cut and the events. Holidays in the Manor House, Lathrop House, as well as the Manor a Toledo tradition, had a record year House Volunteers, continued to make with more than 18,000 visitors in eight significant contributions to their area days. of interest, including financial or in- kind donations and advocacy for their important to them. Advertising, as in 2011. Most of Metroparks larg- part of a larger communication plan, est events are made possible in part has been successful in attracting thanks to The Andersons.