PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
June 14, 2019
Public Health Advisory Remains for Chippewa Lake
Water samples collected from Chippewa Lake on June 11 show toxin levels of 3.15 parts per billion due to a harmful algal bloom. A Recreational Public Health Advisory remains in effect.
Algal blooms occur due to a combination of factors including water temperature, rainfall, and nutrient runoff within the watershed. The Chippewa Lake algal bloom is the result of a microscopic organism called cyanobacteria. Its blooms can produce harmful toxins that may make people and pets sick when they come into contact with the water.
Per Ohio’s Harmful Algal Bloom Response Strategy for Recreational Waters, a Recreational Public Health Advisory is issued when toxin levels reach 6 ppb. It warns children, pregnant or nursing women, individuals with certain medical conditions, and pets to avoid contact with the water. When toxin levels reach 20 ppb, an Elevated Recreational Public Health Advisory is issued, warning all persons and pets to avoid all contact with the water. Warnings remain in effect until two consecutive tests taken at least one week apart show levels have dropped below these thresholds.The park district will continue to monitor toxin levels as needed.
June 11: 3.15 ppb--Recreational Public Health Advisory Remains
June 4: 10.5 ppb--Recreational Public Health Advisory Remains
May 28: 13.6 ppb--Recreational Public Health Advisory Issued
May 21: 16.1 ppb--Elevated Recreational Health Advisory Remains
May 14: 21.8 ppb--Elevated Recreational Health Advisory Issued
May 7: 17.8 ppb--Recreational Public Health Advisory Remains
April 30: 9.49 ppb--Recreational Public Health Advisory Issued
April 22: 5.74 ppb--No advisories in place
March 19: <0.14 ppb--No advisories in place
February 19: <0.14 ppb--No advisories in place
January 22: <0.14 ppb--No advisories in place
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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
June 13, 2019
Park Board Meeting
Medina County Park District Board of Commissioners will meet in regular session on Wednesday, June 19, at 8:30 a.m. at Park District Headquarters, located at 6364 Deerview Lane in Medina. The public is welcome to attend.
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Please contact Director Nathan D. Eppink with questions or concerns.
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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
June 6, 2019
Special Park Board Meeting
Medina County Park District Board of Commissioners will meet in special session on Monday, June 10 at 8:30 a.m. The board will convene in executive session to discuss
land acquisition. The meeting will be held at Medina County Park District Headquarters located at 6364 Deerview Lane in Medina.
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Please contact Director Nathan D. Eppink with questions or concerns.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
May 23, 2019
Young Naturalist Camps
At Young Naturalist Camp, children ages 7-12 are encouraged to get their feet wet, get their hands muddy, and experience the excitement of discovering the world of nature. New this year is Family Camp Day on July 27, when campers get to invite their parents and siblings along to share in the fun.
Medina County Park District’s three-day Young Naturalist camps feature a different park or preserve each day. Camps are scheduled for June 18-20, June 25-27, July 9-11, July 16-18, and July 23-25. Each camp session offers a choice between a morning option (10 to 11:30 a.m.) or an afternoon option (1 to 2:30 p.m.). Campers are free to pick the camp with the combination of programs that interest them the most. This year’s choices include:
- Everybody Scats
- Insect Investigation
- Frogger
- World of Squirrels
- Cavity Nesters
- Burrowers and Builders
- Life in a Stream
- Fields and Forests
Every Young Naturalist camper receives a t-shirt that he or she can bring to Family Camp Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 27 at Wolf Creek for tie-dying.
Registration can only be made online at the park district’s website: www.medinacountyparks.com. Click on the Programs tab, then on Program Registration, and then click on the green Register for a Program icon. Online registration for camp can only be paid with credit card/debit card at the time of registration. A receipt and confirmation will be emailed upon registration submission. The camp fee is $10 PER CHILD plus a credit card convenience fee of five percent of the total registration fee (but not less than $2 per transaction). Only one scheduled camp week per child is permitted.
Be sure to visit the website for a complete camp schedule, registration deadlines, and important information including what to wear and what to bring to Young Naturalist Camp. Questions? Please contact the park office at 330-722-9364 or 1-844-722-9364 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
May 23, 2019
Leash Rules Protect People, Pets, and Wildlife
With Memorial Day weekend heralding the unofficial start of summer, more visitors will be enjoying Medina County parks with their four-footed friends. It’s a good time for a reminder that dogs (and cats) are permitted in the parks only if they are controlled at all times on a leash no longer than eight feet. It’s a rule strictly enforced by park rangers.
While a dog’s owner may know his/her pet is friendly, a loose dog can be unwelcome and even alarming to other park guests -- especially to a child. Even when it seems like there are few other visitors in the park, and it’s tempting to let a dog off its leash for just a while, pet owners never know when another hiker will unexpectedly round the corner into their path.
Leash rules also protect park residents. No matter how good-natured a dog may be, it’s always going to be perceived as a threat by wildlife. All it takes is one encounter between a dog and a bird searching for a nesting site to send that bird flying elsewhere. A loose dog can scare away migrating waterfowl and songbirds looking for a place to rest and refuel before continuing their journey. That means fewer birds and other animals in the parks, leading to fewer visitors traveling to see them. Because Medina County parks are popular destinations for photographers and birders from around the region, fewer visitors can even have a negative impact on the local economy.
Leashed dogs are permitted at all Medina County Park District sites with the exception of wildlife sanctuaries. Currently, that applies only to Alderfer-Oenslager Wildlife Sanctuary, the home of Wolf Creek Environmental Center.
Don’t forget there’s one place where pets are welcome to run leash-free: the dog park at Carolyn Ludwig Mugrage Park. There’s a six-acre fenced area for big dogs and a separate one-acre fenced section for small dogs. Pets can play in the pond and follow their noses through the woods to their heart’s content.
It’s easy to rationalize that there’s no harm in letting one dog run loose in one park. What visitors may not stop to consider is the cumulative negative effect on visitors and wildlife when multiple pet owners do the same thing. The park district asks dog owners to respect the park experiences of others by properly leashing -- and cleaning up after -- their pets.
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