Poland park volunteer doing what he loves most

By JORDYN GRZELEWSKI

jgrzelewski@vindy.com

POLAND

Ken Filicky always wanted to be a park ranger.

Instead, he worked for UPS for 37 years.

Since his retirement several years ago, however, he’s gotten a second chance to live his dream.

Since 2008, Filicky has spent countless hours – he estimates thousands each year – volunteering at Poland Township Park.

Now that spring is here, Filicky’s busy time is underway.

“I always wanted to work outdoors, so it’s kind of like a dream come true,” he said during an interview while walking the park’s nature trails. “I come out here, and it’s like my garden.”

Over the years, he has added, or overseen the addition of, a bat station, bird-nesting boxes, a bluebird trail, a butterfly garden, a daffodil trail, a fern garden, new tree species, a hosta garden, improvements to nature trails, wildlife brush piles, wildlife food plots and wildlife feeding stations to the park.

He comes across as an expert, readily spouting details about the intricacies of each wildlife project. He touches knowledgeably on topics from the migration patterns of butterflies to diseases affecting tree species to threats to the survival of the bat population.

His partner in many of his endeavors is his son, Kyle. The two share a love of nature, Filicky said.

Together, they set up a butterfly garden that acts as a feeding station for monarch butterflies, which are a threatened species. They also have planted 5,000 daffodil bulbs along the park’s wooded trails.

They set up informational signs near many of the tree species after working to identify many of them. They continue to work on laying gravel on all the trails.

“He puts in a lot of long hours in there, both he and his son, and they do it all for the love of the park. It is greatly appreciated,” said Ken Conzett, a park board member.

Kyle in particular was interested in diversifying the park’s tree population, Filicky said. Together they planted 44 new species.

Filicky said his inspiration for many wildlife undertakings came from visits to national and state parks with his son.

“I’ve just picked up ideas over the last 30 years,” he said.

He also learned by working as an assistant naturalist at Mill Creek Park in the 1980s under former park naturalist Bill Whitehouse, he said.

These additions to the park are important, he said, for wildlife conservation and to alleviate environmental concerns.

The endeavors also are meant to enhance visitors’ experience.

“Wildlife needs a home, and people need to be able to come and see nature,” he said. “We find that people come out here and have no concept of environmental concerns. ... I just tell them, ‘Stand here, and nature will start to move around you.’”

“We just want to educate the young and the old alike about what the woodland has to offer in Northeast Ohio,” he said.