Metroparks to host Best of the Bluffs

Event set Aug. 19

Lake Metroparks announced that “Best of the Bluffs: A Natural Beach” event will return this year from 1 to 4 p.m., Aug. 19, at Lake Erie Bluffs in Perry Township.

Free for all ages, this year’s event will focus on the natural beach, which is the zone from the water’s edge to the edge of the bluffs.

The actual bluffs are the cliffs that face Lake Erie that create sunny habitats for rare plants such as fringed gentian and Oakes evening primrose.

At their base, waves pile up heaps of driftwood. People often wonder why the Metroparks don’t “clean” the beach and remove the driftwood, but the wood helps stabilize the shore and provides shelter for plants and animals such as inland beach pea and Fowler’s toads, the release stated.

Lake Erie Bluffs is 592 acres of protected natural area on the shores of Lake Erie. Between forests, fields and wetlands, the park offers abundant and diverse habitats for wildlife including deer, coyotes, cottontails, bald eagles, an array of songbirds, snakes and pollinating insects.

For visitors, there are three miles of trail, a 50foot observation tower, a picnic shelter, and multiple points of beach access.

To highlight the many special features of the park, Lake Metroparks has held the Best of the Bluffs event each summer since 2015.

While the event is free, registration is required. To register, visit goto.lakemetroparks.com/bestofbluffs2018 or call 440-3587275.

Lake Erie Bluffs is located at 3301 Lane Road.