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.  

Christmas Tree Recycling

Since the early 1970s, tens of thousands of Christmas trees have been dropped off by local residents and chipped into mulch, used by crews to beautify Summit Metro Parks. 

You, too, can enjoy your Christmas tree well beyond the holiday season. 

Annually, live Christmas trees – cleaned of all decorations, garland and tinsel – can be dropped off at the following locations, December 26 through January 31: 

• Firestone Metro Park / Little Turtle Pond: 2400 Harrington Rd., Akron 
• Furnace Run Metro Park / Brushwood Area: 4955 Townsend Rd., Richfield 
• Goodyear Heights Metro Park / Main Entrance (rear parking lot): 2077 Newton St., Akron 
• Nimisila Reservoir Metro Park / South Main 2 Lot: 5531 S. Main St., Green 
• Sand Run Metro Park / Treaty Line Area: 995 Treaty Line Rd., Akron 
• Silver Creek Metro Park / Big Oak Area: 5199 Medina Line Rd., Norton 

Visitors should look for the small signs that identify the drop-off locations. 

On average, about 1,000 trees are collected each year. The resulting mulch is spread out near trailheads and used to create landscaping compost. 

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.