The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
WINTER WALK FOR DISCOVERY
Metro park offers insights into local creatures that weather the winter
Local folks diced some bleakness off of winter months with a brisk hike with a nature-savvy park manager.
The Miller Nature Preserve, 2739 Center Road, Avon, organized a hike Jan. 5 on its trail for some wintertime education on wildlife.
“We like to have people come out here as often as they can,” said Linda Paull, park manager and senior naturalist for the Lorain County Metro Parks. “We try to add as much winter programming as possible. We know how the winter months can be here, but today is a beautiful day for a hike. We have plenty of fascinating plants and animals for folks to see.”
Paull said the park starts the planning for winter events in October.
“You never know how things are going to go, but we like to try and get people out,” she said.
“You couldn’t have asked for nicer weather. We still have plenty of time until spring, however, so I encourage everyone to get out and enjoy this while they can. We know the cold and snow is going to come.”
Paull said the trail features a good amount of birds during the winter months.
"...We have plenty of fascinating plants and animals for folks to see."
— Linda Paull, park manager and senior naturalist for the Lorain County Metro Parks
“Not all birds migrate,” she said. “We have some that are able to adapt to the surroundings.
“They don’t leave because they are cold. They leave due to the lack of food. Some are able to adapt their eating habits and feed on enough to get them through the winter months. The lack of heat affects worms and
things of that nature, so birds then turn to berries and other local sources. We also have some here who migrate from further north to come here for the winter months.”
Paull also pointed out some deer tracks along the trail.
“We get a good number of deer along the trail,” she said. “You can see their tracks throughout the path. They adapt for the weather by having their fur change from a reddish color to
more of a gray and brownish color to blend in with the surroundings.”
Paull said the trail is inspected for safety.
“We do checks of the trails to make sure everything is OK for hikers,” she said. “We always check following a big wind storm. Safety is the first thing we take into consideration when we do anything, so we have the trails inspected. We also act on anything that is reported to us. We have a nice hiking area back here; I encourage people to come check it out.”
Martha Love, an Avon Lake resident, said the hike was fascinating.
“It’s a good workout walking the path and the area is very beautiful,” she said. “I learned a lot about nature, and it’s good to be outside.”
Cathy Rathwell said the
experience was a great one.
“I’m glad I decided to go,” she said. “It was a very informative walk around what is a beautiful trail.”
Peg Sebastian, of Avon, thought the hike was wonderful.
“It’s very interesting to learn about the plants and how wildlife interact with them,” she said.
“I also learned a lot about migration patterns and what birds stay and which ones go south.”
“It’s a good workout walking the path and the area is very beautiful. I learned a lot about nature, and it’s good to be outside.”
— Martha Love, Avon Lake