The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Raptors to take center stage
Lorain County Metro Parks holds ribbon cutting on outdoor amphitheater at Carlisle Visitor Center
The Lorain County Metro Parks unveiled the centerpiece of its outdoor programming with the Raptor Center Amphitheater with a ribbon cutting ceremony May 2 at the Carlisle Visitor Center in LaGrange.
The amphitheater will enhance the raptor program at Carlisle by bringing forth more outdoor education opportunities.
Lorain County Metro Parks Director James Ziemnik said the program which features seven raptors – wild hatched birds that cannot survive in the wild – is a barometer of our ecological health.
The parks district is dedicated to educating the community in fostering respect for these birds.
Mary Ewers Joyner, the avian program curator for the Lorain County Metro Parks, debuted one of their newest raptors, Luna, a barn owl who was born in West Virginia and has been under their care since she was 10 weeks old.
Having been in the care of people since just three days after birth, she has imprinted on humans and would not be able to survive in the wild, Ewers Joyner said.
Ziemnik said the experience of the novel coronavirus pandemic over the past year has really gotten Lorain County Metro Parks and their board to dig deep in remembering why they do what they do.
“I think in some ways, this was, in and of itself, a renaissance for us to say, ‘Who are we?’ We’re a metro parks. We’re about parks; we’re about people and we’re about doing activities outside relative to that.”
From the start, Ziemnik stressed that local and federal health authorities have said being outside is one of the safest activities you can do.
“Certainly it’s not a secret that our park visitation is just off the charts and continues to grow and expand, because people want to be outside and we want them to be outside. We want to welcome them. And so, it’s opportunities like this that we can find to bring more people in and enjoy the parks and yeah, it’s about, you know, walking and photographing
“Certainly it’s not a secret that our park visitation is just off the charts and continues to grow and expand, because people want to be outside and we want them to be outside. We want to welcome them.” — James Ziemnik, director of Lorain County Metro Parks
birds. But it’s also about the programs that we can do, and if we can do them outside then let’s do them,” Ziemnik said.
With Luna and other raptors serving as wildlife ambassadors, the parks district is set to debut two new programs at the Raptor Center using the new amphitheater:
“Wildlife Up Close” will take place from 2-3 p.m. each Sunday from Memorial Day through Labor Day and will feature wildlife program ambassadors at Carlisle including raptors and reptiles.
“Raptor Center Lunchtime” will take place between 11-11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays in June, and Wednesdays in July, and on Thursdays in August and will feature how resident raptors participate in their own daily healthcare and training sessions.
“These programs are aligned with the Raptor Center’s mission. The Raptor Center is a facility dedicated to the professional care and management of non-releasable raptors, while maintaining the highest level of welfare possible,” Ewers Joyner said.