GEAUGA PARK DISTRICT For more information, contact the park district…

March 28, 2013

GEAUGA PARK DISTRICT

For more information, contact the park district at 440-286-9516 or visit www.gea

ugaparkdistrict.org.

Sky Dancing For Love

American Woodcock takes center stage in spring. Take a behind-the-bushes look at the courtship antics of the American Woodcock, a goofy, pop-eyed, Pinocchio-beaked bird the size and shape of a football.

Sky Dance: Courtship Takes Flight is April 3 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve, 15681 Old Rider Road, in Burton and Newbury townships, and April 5 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at Frohring Meadows, 16780 Savage Road, Bainbridge Township.

Woodcock courtship is a true rite of spring once experienced, never forgotten.

Walking on the Railroad

One hundred years ago, interurban trolleys were in their heyday in this area. Whether you were a Geauga farmer trying to get your crops to market, a city dweller wanting to escape to the country or a child needing a ride to school, you would most likely have made use of this transportation system.

Today the rails locally have been removed, but there are still remnants of that past era to be found. For instance, The Rookery in Munson Township was once the site of an important junction in that system and Geauga Park District has erected a new outdoor display kiosk to highlight that epic part of our history.

This April, commemorate that colorful era by attending an open house at the park.

What: Tracking Geauga’s Interurban Day

When: April 13, 1-4 p.m.

Where: The Rookery, 10110 Cedar Road, Munson Township

Featuring the use of Geauga Park District’s new EZ Go Cart for those with mobility restrictions, this event will be co-presented by the Park District and the Cleveland & Eastern Interurban Historical Society.

Plan On Prescribed Burns

This spring, Geauga Park District land managers hope to resume their management of Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve, Swine Creek Reservation and Walter C. Best Wildlife Preserve through the use of prescribed burns.

A schedule will begin as soon as weather conditions are favorable between March 18 and April 30 according to land steward Bob Lange. Careful consideration is given to precipitation and wind velocity to ensure safety during the burn. The previous two springs never presented favorable conditions, so prescribed burns were not done in 2011 or 2012.

All burns will be overseen by the park district’s state-certified fire managers: John Oros, director of operations, and Lange. Signs will be posted to notify visitors of the closure of nearby trails, if necessary; neighbors have already been notified through postcards.

Burn sites usually green up within a week and look unaffected within three.

Springtime at Observatory Park

For casual visitors, Observatory Park is open daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. at 10610 Clay St. in Montville Township.

For those wanting a more guided experience, however, the astronomy naturalists are glad to help, and will continue their special program offerings as the weather breaks into lovely spring.

Each Friday and Saturday night Observatory Park buildings will be open from 6-10 p.m. (November – February) and 6-11 p.m. (March October), and staffed with an “astro-nat” for self-guided night sky viewing as weather permits.

Each Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m., enjoy building open houses of the Robert McCullough Science Center and the Oberle Observatory to view the meteorite display and huge Oberle reflecting telescope. These hours also include The Sky Tonight Planetarium Show Sundays at 2 p.m., offering a naturalist-hosted preview of what’s happening in the sky.

More structured programming is available for visitors of all ages and interest groups, as well.

A Solar Day / Summer Solstice Open House will usher in the longest day of the year with some fun solar experiments and sun viewing using special telescopes on Friday, June 21 from 3-9 p.m.

Biweekly Friday programs include Humans in Space on April 12 and 26 from 7-8 p.m.; The Search for E.T. on May 10 and 24 from 7-9 p.m.; and Radio Astronomy: The Listener’s Guide on June 14 and 28 from 7-9 p.m.

Programs to study the full moons are scheduled for Thursday, April 25 (the Pink Moon), from 8-10 p.m.; Saturday, May 25 (the Flower Moon), from 9-10 p.m.; and Sunday, June 23 (the Strawberry Moon) from 8:30-10 p.m.

Registration programs include UFOs in Ohio, which will welcome Thomas Wertman, chief field investigator for the Mutual UFO Network, on Friday, April 19, from 7-8:30 p.m. Wertman will discuss notable sightings and reveal techniques used to investigate them, either to debunk them or consider them unidentified.

Artists at heart ages 10 and up may register for the Celestial Paper Casting Art Workshop on Wednesday, June 19, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., to create a celestial-themed casting with handmade paper pulp, finished with an 8×10-inch mat, and enjoy a planetarium show. A $15 fee covers materials and instruction.

Parents may also register their kiddos ages 3 to 5 for Timbertots: What’s the Weather? on Friday, April 19, from 10-11 a.m. or 1-2 p.m., or Saturday, April 20, from 10-11 a.m.

Finally, April is also a month that features an Observatory Park walk for active seniors in Geauga Walkers, on Tuesday, April 2, from 1-2:30 p.m., and EZ Go Cart Tours at Observatory Park on Sunday, June 23, from 1-4 p.m. Register for your tour today at 440-286-9516.

Only cart tours, the UFO program, the art workshop and the Timbertots program require registration; all others are free to attend and are wheelchair / stroller accessible without registration.

Drink a Beer, Restore an Observatory

It’s a very dark, roasty, creamy ale with a thick, long-lasting head and each pint poured is helping preserve the dark skies over Geauga County.

Chardon BrewWorks & Eatery’s Dark Sky Stout was first brewed last year to raise a dollar a glass for the campaign to create Geauga Park District’s Observatory Park in Montville Township.

Now the stout is back on tap as a fundraiser to assist in the restoration of the Nassau Astronomical Observing Station, formerly owned by Case Western Reserve University, and part of the new Silver Tier International Dark Sky Park.

Think Guinness, only better,” said BrewWorks owner Mike Nedrow of his stout, already available at the brewpub at 205 Main St. in Chardon. Call 440-286-9001 to make sure it’s on tap before your next visit.

Geauga Park District’s restoration of the historic Nassau Astronomical Observing Station is a $1.175 million venture by the Geauga Park District Foundation, the 501(c)(3) fundraising organization working to support the park district.

Renovations will include green restrooms and solar panels; restoration of the Cleveland-made Warner & Swasey 36-inch Cassegrain telescope; an elevator to make the telescope handicapped accessible; the creation of The Museum of Astronomy in Northeast Ohio on the main floor; an adequate entrance with adequate parking; and construction of a trail linking the Nassau station with the main campus of Observatory Park.

The Nassau Astronomical Observing Station is an investment in both formal and informal high-quality science education to support the next generation of science professionals who will be working in an environmentally at-risk world.

Observatory Park’s capital campaign webpage is http://bit.ly/opspecial. For more information or to get involved, contact Emilie Gottsegen at 440-279-0835 or egottsegen@geauga

parkdistrict.org.

Hike at Night

Gather around a blazing outdoor campfire for a story, then journey into the darkness to experience the magical world of nature at night.

What: Spring Campfire and Night Hike

When: April 13, 8-9:30 p.m.

Where: Big Creek Park, 9160 Robinson Road, Chardon Township

Campers will meet at the amphitheater outside the Donald W. Meyer Center, gathering around a blazing outdoor fire to hear a story or two and learn what nature’s up to in the spring. Then they’ll venture into the night to discover some signs of the nocturnal spring season.

This program is suitable for all ages and partially wheelchair / stroller accessible; the hike will not be accessible. Call 440-286-9516 with questions.