In the final few months before first snow, the leaves in Wildwood Metropark glow like acid. The fringes of their tips burn with reds and yellows as the chlorophyll recedes towards stems. From 50 foot arbor walls, they fall. The dirt paths and stream-laced hills that course throughout the park are stamped like pages in a well-traveled passport. Fair-weather joggers sneak in their last few trail runs, while squirrels scurry in a zigzagged prance, making their final arrangements for winter. It is stunning, staggering, and overwhelmingly beautiful—when you find yourself out there alone. It is my favorite place to be in Toledo.
Proud of our parks
Wildwood is but one of 11 public parks owned by the Metroparks of the Toledo Area; a public agency with over 150 employees, including 23 park rangers that manage 11,500 acres of preserved natural land in Lucas County. Three million people visit the parks each year to explore, attend one of sixty hands-on programs offered each month, and to see 157 endangered species that live within. “The parks are an essential part of our area’s allure . . . [and] a necessary cornerstone in the reconstruction of our region’s national prominence,” said Fritz Byers, one of three court-appointed trustees of the parks.
Maintaining the Metroparks is a massive, year-round operation. With all of their traffic and use, it is hard to believe that the parks have remained almost completely preserved since the first park, Sidecut, opened with two picnic tables and a drinking well in 1931. “What I am most proud of, is that there have been very few changes here since I was eight [years old],” Toledo Metroparks Director of Public Relations, Scott Carpenter, said. Carpenter chatted with me recently during a Monday evening walk at Farnsworth Metropark. He has held his position for the past 16 years, and displays the loose grin of a man that loves his job. “We preserve nature with public involvement… to appreciate open air,” said Carpenter.
A public trust
A public trust“The people of Lucas County own these parks… so we promise to keep them clean, safe, and natural,” said Carpenter. Farnsworth Metropark is located on the Maumee River, just a mile outside of downtown Waterville. Named after the Ohio state senator that helped establish the initial Metropark funding in the 1930’s, the park was converted from a series of canals and rails into a real-life Bob Ross painting. “It is hard to find a bad spot,” Carpenter admitted. Endless trees and walking paths are insulated (but still easily accessible) from River Road. Farnsworth is a venue as suitable for a carefree powerwalk as it is for an afternoon of deep, transcendental meditation.
The Metroparks are open to everyone—just ask my father, who walks the parks every Saturday with Luke, his German Shepherd. Or ask the long-haired man with a tinge of evil in his eyes that glared at me last summer while half-dressed in a completely unbuttoned oxford shirt and jean shorts. Or talk to the chubby 11-year-old that asked if he could jog with me back to the park entrance, because he could not find his way out after “training” to get into shape so he could impress junior high women. (He jogged for about thirty seconds before he asked if we could slow down and walk). Toledo has, in these parks, a personal Narnia. Little stands between urban life and a wardrobe of wild wonder beyond a short drive and a conveniently paved parking lot. So, get lost. It’s easy. Who knows where you may find yourself?
Dorian Slaybod is 27, a local attorney, and happily living in Toledo
