Take action

Mimi Vanderhaven • March 10, 2025

Small, smart choices add up. Learn how your actions can help the planet at Lake Metroparks’ Earth Day celebration.

A park staffer assists a child using a makeshift fishing pole to reach into a blue plastic kiddie pool outdoors.

The Earth Day celebration at Lake Metroparks includes nature-inspired games, hands-on educational stations, miniature train rides, an eco-fair with conservation organizations, live wildlife programs and an Earth Day Marketplace with locally made items.


Darlings, no one frets more than Mimi when it comes to the dire daily news about the deteriorating condition of our planet.


That’s why the theme of the Earth Day celebration this year at Lake Metroparks is so meaningful: Take action.


Thousands are expected to flock to Penitentiary Glen Reservation in Kirtland on Sunday, April 27, from noon to 4 p.m. 


“We show people that their decisions make a difference to the future of our natural world,” says Caitlin Ambrose, Deputy Chief of Outdoor Connections. 


The afternoon includes nature-inspired games, hands-on educational stations, miniature train rides, an eco-fair with conservation organizations, live wildlife programs and an Earth Day Marketplace with locally made items. An interesting addition this year is local artist Bill Starcher, who creates fantastic animal sculptures from recycled tires.


“This celebration is an opportunity for those who want to explore things like composting,” she says. “Or if you’d like to create a butterfly garden, we can guide you to the best native plants to use.”


As a nice incentive to take the nurturing spirit home, each family attending will receive a free seedling for either an elderberry shrub or paper birch tree, while supplies last.

To spread awareness about habitats and local species, this year the featured animal will be the salamander.


“People can explore an immersive exhibit that explores the life cycle of this fascinating animal,” says Caitlin. “Since many species of salamander do not have lungs and breathe through their skin, they are especially susceptible to polluted water.”


Caitlin says the experts at Lake Metroparks invite people to come in any time of year and utilize them as a resource to the natural world.


With a little guidance from those in the know—and each of us taking action—every day can be Earth Day.


Presented by Sylvan Learning of Mentor, Aqua Doc Lake & Pond Management and Ken Ganley Subaru Wickliffe, Earth Day takes place at Penitentiary Glen Reservation, 8668 Kirtland Chardon Road in Kirtland on Sunday, April 27, from noon to 4 p.m. This is a free event. For more information, visit LakeMetroparks.com.


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