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Mill Creek MetroParks hosts Explore Mill Creek event
By TIM CLEVELAND
Mill Creek MetroParks spent June and July hosting Explore Mill Creek event for children to help them learn about the history of the park, as well as learn about conservation and the environment.
The event for children ages 10, 11 and 12 was July 8-10 at Ford Nature Center. The event for children ages 5 and 6 was in June, and later in July was the event for ages 7, 8 and 9.
Six children attended the 10-12 age group event.
“We like to do summer camps for the children,” Ford Nature Center naturalist Marilyn Williams said on July 10. “We have different age groups, so this is our oldest group, ages 10, 11 and 12. This is the third day and I wanted them to learn about Mill Creek itself. You talk about Mill Creek Park and people forget that the creek running through here is Mill Creek.
“The first day was the past, so we emphasized the history of the area, starting when the early settlers came to Ohio and how the habitats and the landscape has changed. We walked from Ford Nature Center to Lanterman’s Mill. Yesterday was the present. We talked about the wetlands. We were in Newport Wetlands and we hiked back to the mill. We talked about how important wetlands are to wildlife habitat, and how to reduce erosion and sedimentation. Today is the future, so we’re going to emphasize conservation and how we have to really keep our waterways clean. We’re going to have someone from the Soil and Water Conservation Division come and do the EnviroScape where the kids see how fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides and oil from the parking lots all can run into the creeks and waters.”
Williams added that the children learned about how Phineas Hill and Isaac Powers built the first grist mill and saw mill at the park that helped bring people into the area, and how riding his horse along the creek inspired Volney Rogers to found the park in 1891.
During the final day of the 10-12 age group event, the children made paper picture frames and put pictures in the that had been taken the prior two days. They also made journals that were filled with the history of the park and questions about it. They hiked to lily pond and then used pizza boxes and solar power to make S’mores.
Two of the attendees were Justin Reedy and Marcel Leone. They both said they had fun during the event.
“I just enjoy nature and being close to it,” Reedy said.
“I learned about Volney Rogers, a lot about the past, a lot about nature,” Leone said. “I also really like the crafts.”
Williams said that the children not only get an education, they also get out in nature and stay active.
“It’s great to get them outside. They certainly have fun,” she said. “They make new friends and they learn a lot along the way, whether it’s about wildlife, the habitats, about our past, present and future. We do emphasize the natural world and how important not only to conserve it but also to appreciate and enjoy it.”