Appreciating the Parks

Last week, Emma and I drove out to Cuyahoga Valley National Park for a day hike. As many parks as I've been to, it wasn't until this day that I realized just how much I have taken for granted. When most people walk along a trail, they may appreciate the beauty of nature, but they do not always recognize the amount of work that goes into building the trail itself. Even after a trail is built, there is a lot of maintenance that needs to be done to ensure that the trail can continue to be used in the future. 

After actually getting to build waterbars the previous week with the crew at Lake Metroparks, I found them much easier to spot...

Waterbar!

We also found it much easier to spot washouts and flagging...

We also got the opportunity to work with a Natural Resource Specialist from Lake Metroparks, who showed us how to flag areas like wetlands and how to use a GPS to log important data. Even though I have often seen flagging while out for a walk, I never really gave it any more thought.

Flagging a wetland

Using the GPS

Emma is excited by the GPS!