conservation initiatives

Conservation is rooted in everything we do. Teams of professionals carefully oversee several initiatives to encourage healthy ecosystems and protection of cultural heritage within Summit Metro Parks. 

Cultural Resources Management 

Did you know that Summit Metro Parks has cultural as well as natural resources?  Cultural resources are historic structures and archaeological sites—and every park in our district has them!  Some of them are things you can see, like the canal locks along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, but some of them are hidden beneath the surface of the ground, like an archaeological site at the Big Bend Area. 

Summit Metro Parks is the only county-level park system in the state of Ohio with cultural resources staff! They are archaeologists and historians who protect and manage the cultural sites in our parks. 

Our cultural resources staff do all kinds of interesting things, like carry out research on known archaeological sites, create 3D models of historic structures, manage a collection of historic park-related artifacts (we are 100+ years old!) and conduct oral history interviews.  They also work with the University of Akron’s Anthropology Department to offer a field school for archaeology students during the summer.  Their most important job, though, is making sure that the cultural sites in Summit Metro Parks are preserved for our park users—and for generations to come. 

Free the Falls: Removing the Gorge Dam 

Partners at the local, state and federal level are working together to “Free the Falls” for a healthier Cuyahoga River. The 420-foot-wide dam in Gorge Metro Park will be removed in the coming years, which will lead to a drastically improved river and surrounding area inside the park and beyond.  

Deer Management

Summit Metro Parks has managed deer populations in its parks and conservation areas since the early 2000s, in areas where the archery program isn’t possible. Due to the absence of natural predators and the elimination of habitat, deer populations have soared above acceptable, natural levels of five to 20 deer per square mile. In some cases, we previously estimated up to 200 deer per square mile. 

The damage caused by excessive deer browse is well-documented, and at those population numbers, the deer themselves can suffer. Our program is designed to restore balance and maintain biodiversity. 

Venison is donated to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, providing nearly 500,000 meals since the start of the program.