MetroParks sponsors winter hike

February 29, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

It’s easy to reflexively equate late February with bleakness, dreariness and few signs of outdoor life, but a recent trip around one of Mill Creek MetroParks’ most-popular spots easily dispelled those associations.

“It has green and purple leaves and is one of the first plants to pop out in spring,” Hillary Lenton explained, referring to the cluster of young skunk cabbage, a low-growing, often foul-smelling plant that is common near bodies of water and wetlands.

Lenton, a three-year MetroParks’ naturalist, pointed out the new growth, which was one of many signs of early spring an estimated 25 adults and children saw as she led Sunday’s Lily Pond in Winter hike.

The two-mile, 90-minute afternoon walk began at the Ford Nature Center, off Old Furnace Road, on the South Side.

Thanks to bright sun and a 62-degree temperature, some participants at times beamed about what they didn’t see – namely, a frozen Lily Pond as well as treacherous, snow-covered hiking trails.

As the group left the nature center, Lenton spotted a hazel tree that already was showing small, yellow blooms. Near the Lily Pond, a few walkers spotted a honey bee, the likes of which fly when the temperature is at least 50 degrees, she noted.

Instead of a dormant landscape surrounding the 3.25-acre, 120-year-old pond, attendees were treated to a few red-eared slider turtles sunning themselves on a branch in the water, a school of blue gills, plenty of birds and signs of woodpecker activity. In addition, bark was stripped from the lower parts of a few trees, indicating beavers had been in the vicinity.

Some walkers also saw for the first time the wooden observation deck, two new boardwalks to the encircling trail and new signage, all of which are among the more than $250,000 worth of upgrades to improve accessibility to the area. The project got underway last October.

Before reaching the pond, participants stopped at the old Mill Creek blast furnace adjacent to Pioneer Pavilion, which was at its heyday during the 1820s or 1830s.

“It used to produce three or four tons of iron ore a day,” Lenton said.

Among those pleased with the park’s offerings was Diane Blaney of Canfield, who often walks during the summer on part of the bike trail near Western Reserve Road in Canfield.

“It’s a real asset,” Blaney said. “I think it’s a great community asset.”

Sharing such sentiments was Meg Glines of Boardman, which is a big part of the reason she and a few others were upset about how they say the recent elimination of 13 full- and part-time positions was handled. Park officials contend the dismissals were necessary as part of an internal reorganization plan to save $13 million over the next 15 years to make up for a projected $15 million capital-improvement shortfall.

“It’s just abhorrent,” said Glines, who has been a regular park visitor for about a year and was angered that the job losses came mere months after voters had approved a 15-year, 1.75-mill renewal levy coupled with an additional 0.25 mill for capital improvements.

Glines added that she enjoyed many hikes led by Ray Novotny, who was an outdoor-education manager and a 31-year naturalist before he was dismissed earlier this month. She also lamented that the MetroParks system will lose Novotny’s sense of park history, along with that of Keith Kaiser, the former horticulture director.

“We’re losing a wealth of knowledge. He was exuberant and always wanting to share his knowledge,” Glines said of Novotny.

Nevertheless, she said, she has no intention of staying away from the park nor a desire to back efforts to repeal the levy that passed last November.

A major source of many people’s anger at the situation was poor communication between park officials and the community partly because the park system has relied heavily on public support for years, said Phil Kidd, a longtime activist and the associate director of Youngstown CityScape, a nonprofit community-development organization.

Instead of trying to repeal the levy, which likely would cut critical funds and do further damage to the park, a special meeting should be scheduled to enhance dialogue between Aaron Young, Mill Creek MetroParks’ executive director, and county commissioners, Kidd explained. Such a move also can allow people to vent their feelings and add their input, he continued.

“They can still be angry about the situation, but they don’t have to boycott the park,” Kidd said.