Keep up on Nature

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• Nature Blog: Read and comment on current environmental issues

Need a great place to hike?

• Butternut Loop trail at Malabar Farm State Park
• Beechwoods Trail at Geauga Park District's Big Creek Park
• Bacon Woods Trailsat Lorain County Metroparks Vermilion River Reservation
• Dripping Rock Trail at Columbus Metro Parks Highbanks Metro Park
• Boardwalk Trail at Johnson Woods State nature Preserve in Wayne County, Ohio

Want to sharpen your outdoor skills?

• Orienteering: Finding your way with a map and compass
• Winter Tree ID: How to recognize Northeast Ohio trees in winter
• Listening: Drills to help you hone your listening skills in nature
• Low impact hiking: How to hike lightly upon the land.

Looking for a park to explore?

• Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio's National Park
• Cleveland Metroparks, the oldest Park District in Ohio, located in and around Cuyahoga County
• Columbus and Franklin County Metroparks, the largest landowner among Ohio's park districts, with over 22,000 acres of park land around Columbus Ohio
• Portage Park District, a fledgeling park district in Northeast Ohio that has efficiently been able to protect hundreds of acres of park land and miles of bike trails with very limited funding

Understand the components of Nature

• The Atmosphere-Learn about the thin veil of gas that surrounds the Earth, and how its composition makes life possible on our planet
• Wildlife-Explore the diversity of animal life found in Nature, how it relates to other aspects of Nature,and what it means to you
• Energy-Without energy, Life could not exist. Explore the driving forces behind Nature and how they influence the lives and success of plants and animals
• The Earth-The setting for the great play we call Nature, the substrate upon which all lives and communities are built, including bedrock and soils.
• Plants-Autotrophic life in Nature. learn about plants, the great variety of different types of plants, their relationships, and what their presence may tell you about a particular area.
• Water-An essential ingredent of life, water is at the same time abundant and scarce here on planet Earth. Explore water in nature, be it wetlands, streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, or ground water.

Go Outside!

Nothing is more valuable to your mental and physical health than a refreshing hike. Recharge and stretch those muscles with a brisk walk in a park. Spring will be here before you know it.

Children have a natural sense of wonder and benefit from nothing more than family time spent outdoors.

Peel yourself and/or the kids away from the tv and computer, and go see the Greatest Show on Earth! No, We aren't talking about the circus. We are talking about the wonders of Nature. Check out this essay by Naturalist William Hudson.

We hope you'll follow our lead and get outside and Explore Nature! Your body will thank you for it, and someday, your kids will too.

Visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park

One of only 55 National Parks around the United States of America, northeast Ohio's Cuyahoga Valley boasts some great natural and cultural treasures that you should not miss. From waterfalls and sandstone ledges, to tall forests along the the Ohio and Erie canal, Ohio's National Park is a great place to visit for an hour, a day, or a week.
Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

A pastoral landscape where newly established sustainable farms coexist with the natural landscape, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a true gem. Read more here: Cuyahoga Valley National Park.