We wrapped up our last Bass League tournament on Wednesday, May 18 at Sharon Woods Lake. Fishing conditions were rough on our anglers due to a cold front moving in and blue skies without cloud coverage. These were tough conditions, and a lot was on the line. The top team in points would be prized with a […]

Canada geese are a pretty common site in Great Parks. Lots of lakes and greenspace provide a perfect spot for these large gray-bodied birds to raise their young. But the geese aren’t completely protected, and still have to be on the watch against cars, people, predators and other dangers. Each spring, Canada geese break into […]

The anglers who participate in Great Parks’ Bass Series tournaments are some of our most loyal visitors to the lakes. These guys not only compete in multiple tournaments every year, but they spend countless hours honing their bass catching skills on Miami Whitewater Forest, Winton Woods and Sharon Woods Lakes. For the second time this year, Mother […]

In 2013, Great Parks began a park-wide assessment of habitat quality through plant surveys. FQAI, short for Floristic Quality Assessment Index, allows us to compare habitats in different parks, as well as to other preserves outside the parks. Why do we do this? Because being able to compare areas helps Great Parks determine where to […]

My first full-time position with Great Parks was in Landscape Operations way back in 1984. Even after many, many years in park and golf course maintenance, I can still say with total honesty (and a significant amount of pride) that those months I spent on the landscape crew involved some of the hardest, most challenging […]

For some it may be difficult to remember the exact moment that shaped their career choice, but for me it was in the third grade. It was during a reading of Dr. Seuss’s book The Lorax that I realized my calling to try to make the world a better place. For those of you unfamiliar […]

Most people consider wildflowers to be the sign of spring. I, however, listen for the sound of “gobbling” on the wind to herald the season of renewal in Ohio. By this I mean, it’s time to talk some turkey! The wild turkey is one of Ohio’s largest bird species and can stand up to four […]

Last week, I decided to join the volunteer program with Great Parks. My first task was standing next to the trail at Winton Woods with all my birding gear, including a powerful spotting scope and field guides. Standing in front of the great blue heron colony, called a rookery, I was on the trail to […]