Citizen Science

The park district's Citizen Science program is one of the largest and most active in Northeast Ohio. Each year, hundreds of volunteers dedicate thousands of hours to the collection of biological data. Participation gives volunteers the opportunity to learn, gain a stronger appreciation for the natural world and give back to the parks they enjoy.

Bio Blitz 2008
More than 25 volunteer biologists participated in the park district's third annual blitz, held at Liberty Park's Bond Brook South, June 27 and 28. The 24-hour event yielded nearly 300 different types of plants and animals in the 250-acre parcel adjacent to Liberty Park in Twinsburg.

Fourteen rare species were documented including smooth green snakes, state listed sora, Virginia rails and 11 plants. New locations were found for the Ohio endangered Bush's sedge. The weak sedge, which was not previously known to Pond Brook South, was documented for the first time during the blitz.

Results from the 2008 surveys:
Amphibians | Bio Blitz | Bird Houses | Coyotes | Creel Survey | Insects | Owls | Salamanders | Snakes | Streams

Results from the 2007 surveys:
Amphibians | Bats | Bio Blitz | Bird Houses | Coyotes | Hawks | Insects | Owls | Salamanders | Snakes | Streams

Results from the 2006 surveys:
Amphibians | Bio Blitz | Bird Houses | Coyotes | Hawks | Owls | Snakes | Streams

High-five for the Buckeyes
The leaves of our state tree - the Ohio buckeye - have five to seven leaflets arranged like fingers on a hand.

In the Dugout
The tuliptree has one of the most perfectly straight trunks in the forest. American Indians often used the wood to make dugout canoes.