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Photo: Stefan Bruch

Celebrate 75 years of Metro Parks

Posted on April 20, 2023May 18, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

It’s been 75 years since Metro Parks first opened its gates at Blacklick Woods, marking 75 years of conservation, exploration and fun! There’s always something new and exciting just around …Read More

Tad Jeffrey Grants’ Hall of Fame

Posted on April 20, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

MELISSA MEYER Development Assistant, Friends of Metro Parks Friends of Metro Parks is the non-profit organization that helps support the Metro Parks through advocacy, outreach and fundraising. But what are …Read More

Brad Sparks’ Big Birding Year

Posted on April 20, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

from the archive In the Spring 2010 edition of Metro Parks’ Parkscope magazine, Brad Sparks wrote about his “Big Year” – the challenge he set himself, to find as many …Read More

The Last 10 Years

Posted on March 15, 2023July 30, 2025 |
  • Park Histories
  • The Metro Parks Blog

VIRGINIA GORDON Communications Coordinator This concluding article in the series of Metro Parks’ park histories focuses on parks that have opened in the last 10 years (Rocky Fork, Homestead, Scioto …Read More

If a Metro Park were a Cookie!

Posted on March 13, 2023May 18, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

KATIE THORPE Outdoor Adventure Programmer Meandering through the woods on a long hike, your mind begins to wonder. Thoughts of the day to day routine might drift in, or the …Read More

Tim Talks: Resource Management projects maintain biodiversity in the parks

Posted on March 13, 2023July 21, 2023 |
  • Resource Management
  • The Metro Parks Blog

In our latest Tim Talks video, Resource Management staff talk about some of the projects and tactics used to maintain biodiversity in the parks, and to keep the Metro Parks …Read More

Behind the Parks: Meet Stephanie West at Blendon Woods

Posted on March 13, 2023February 16, 2024 |
  • Behind the Parks
  • The Metro Parks Blog

Stephanie West Senior Naturalist, Blendon Woods and Rocky Fork Metro Parks Hometown and background I come from University Heights, an eastside suburb of Cleveland. I graduated from Springfield’s Wittenberg University …Read More

Convenient Composting

Posted on March 12, 2023March 16, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

JESSICA TOMASTIK Outdoor Adventure Programmer If you’re like me and you never got around to deciding on a New Years’ resolution, here’s a perfect one to adopt for spring: try …Read More

Permit me, if you please…

Posted on March 12, 2023March 16, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

ANDREW BOOSE Aquatic Ecologist One of the lesser known aspects of Resource Management’s work is the writing of research permits for a multitude of agencies and individuals. These permits keep …Read More

The first Metro Park (Blacklick Woods)

Posted on February 16, 2023July 30, 2025 |
  • Park Histories
  • The Metro Parks Blog

VIRGINIA GORDON Communications Coordinator Seventy-five years ago, this October, the first park in the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District opened its gate to the public for the first …Read More

My perfect day at Metro Parks

Posted on February 16, 2023May 18, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

CAROLINE WAGNER Metro Parks Outdoor Adventure Programmer Visitors often ask park staff what their favorite park is, and that can be an impossible question to answer because each park has …Read More

10 Best Activities to do at Metro Parks Over Spring Break

Posted on February 16, 2023May 18, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

LIZ CHRISTIAN Social Media and Marketing Specialist Spring is just around the corner, and these unusually warm February days have us thinking about spring break! Whether you’re planning a stay-cation, …Read More

Behind the Parks: Meet Eric at Battelle Darby Creek

Posted on February 16, 2023February 16, 2024 |
  • Behind the Parks
  • The Metro Parks Blog

Eric Reiner Maintenance Technician, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park Hometown and background I was born in Columbus, but I spent most of my early years living in Fairfield County. Our …Read More

Attacking the Invaders!

Posted on February 16, 2023July 21, 2023 |
  • Resource Management
  • The Metro Parks Blog
  • Volunteers

ANDREW BOOSE Aquatic Ecologist Invasive management has been the primary focus of Metro Parks Resource Management’s recent activities. Resource Management volunteers have been working away removing invasive plants at some …Read More

Love is in the Air…!

Posted on February 16, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

Metro Parks Naturalist Maria Bergman takes a stroll through Blacklick Woods as nature takes its course and the park’s animals get ready to seek a mate.  

The Prairie Plow through history and today’s Metro Parks prairies

Posted on February 16, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

GORDON MITCHELL and CARRIE MORROW Metro Parks Resource Management THE PRAIRIE PLOW THROUGH HISTORY (Gordon Mitchell) Prairie Sod When the American settlers first arrived at the midwestern prairies in the …Read More

Backpacking Opportunities in Metro Parks

Posted on February 16, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

MELISSA TURPENING Outdoor Adventure Program Coordinator How many of you have “backpacking” on your 2023 adventure goals? There are many great locations to backpack in Ohio, and several in your …Read More

Layering for Winter

Posted on February 16, 2023 |
  • The Metro Parks Blog

TRAVIS CAMPBELL Metro Parks Outdoor Adventure Programmer “Could I BE wearing any more clothes?” -Joey Tribbiani We’ve all heard it before: layers are the key to staying warm and comfortable …Read More

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