Happy New Year! We enter 2025 with gratitude for an exceptional year behind us and enthusiasm for what is ahead.
In 2024, among many improvement projects, Summit Metro Parks opened an extension of the popular Jogging Trail in Sand Run Metro Park, installed new Parcours Trail stations at Sand Run and Goodyear Heights Metro Parks, and, after several years of grant-funded restoration, we were proud to open new amenities at the Valley View Area of Cascade Valley Metro Park where visitors can now hike two new trails, enjoy natural play spaces and an open-air river shelter as well as river access for paddling the Cuyahoga.
As the year begins, we look forward to exciting movement in the nationally significant effort to “Free the Falls” in Gorge Metro Park (Akron). Soon, the process to remove sediment from behind the dam will begin, setting the stage for future dam deconstruction. We will also continue to develop new opportunities, based on public input, at both Munroe Falls and Silver Creek Metro Parks and share ways to practice sustainability in our everyday lives.
Thank you to our visitors and supporters for your trust in our organization to conserve and sustainably manage more than 15,000 acres of greenspace in Summit County. We are grateful to you and to the many partners who help us advance our mission. We can’t wait to see you in the Metro Parks and hope you’ll enjoy your favorite way to connect with nature this year.
For more stories like this, check out Green Islands magazine, a bi-monthly publication from Summit Metro Parks. Summit County residents can sign up to receive the publication at home free of charge.