CLEVELAND — In its 106th year, the Cleveland Metroparks announced the expansion of their footprint in Northeast Ohio to more than 25,000 acres across 49 different communities.
Starting from a small, three-acre plot in the early 1900s, the Metroparks reached the current milestone with the addition of over 100 acres in West Creek Reservation in the Parma area,
"Cleveland Metroparks continues to prioritize strategic acquisitions that connect communities and protect our region’s natural resources in the vision of the Emerald Necklace that was established more than a century ago," Cleveland CEO Brian M. Zimmerman said in a statement. "With this significant expansion of West Creek Reservation thanks to the support and partnership of the West Creek Conservancy, Cleveland Metroparks has passed a major milestone 106 years in the making with the protection and conservation of more than 25,000 acres of parks across 49 communities."
Since Zimmerman's arrival to the Metroparks in 2010, the organization says it has grown upwards of 18%, or more than 4,000 acres. Specifically, the new additions in West Creek will bring with them a planned expansion of the reservation's trail network as well as a future greenway link to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
By the end of 2023, the Cleveland Metroparks will have added a total of 500 acres across 11 park reservations, including:
- Approximately 154-acre Ironwood Golf Course added in Hinckley Reservation
- Approximately 48-acre Gordon Park South added to Lakefront Reservation
- Approximately 3 acres in The Flats added to Lakefront Reservation
- Approximately 150 acres of the former Hawthorne Valley Country Club are expected to be added to South Chagrin Reservation.
"We love seeing the growth and expansion of West Creek Reservation and ultimately the Greenway, which was one of the original dreams of this organization’s founders," West Creek Conservancy Executive Director Derek Schafer wrote. "From all of us at West Creek Conservancy, we extend our most sincere appreciation to Cleveland Metroparks, a critical partner not only in West Creek, but throughout Northeast Ohio. Importantly, I’d like to also recognize the instrumental support from Mayor DeGeeter, the City of Parma and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District – Progress Through Partnerships."
Editor's note: The video above is from previous coverage of a Cleveland Metroparks event.