Nature
Center at Shaker
Lakes Fact Sheet
2600 South Park Blvd.
Cleveland, Ohio
44120
(216) 321-5935
www.ShakerLakes.org
Overview of the Nature
Center at Shaker
Lakes
The Nature Center
at Shaker Lakes
was founded in 1966 as the result of a grassroots community effort to preserve
the Shaker parklands from becoming the route for a new freeway connecting Cleveland's
East Side to downtown. Each year, about 10,000 children
participate in more than 30,000 hours of curriculum-related school programs,
including a strong early childhood program for several East Side
school districts and the Cleveland Public Schools. In addition, an estimated 20,000
walkers, runners, and bird-watchers use the trails and grounds annually for exercise
and enjoyment of nature. The Nature
Center is home to extensive
wildlife and plant species living in six natural habitats in an urban setting,
including lake, stream, marsh, field, forest and ravine.
Mission
The Nature
Center at Shaker
Lakes conserves a
natural area, connects people with nature and inspires environmental
stewardship.
History
The Nature Center
was founded in 1966, within a parkland that had been donated to Cleveland
in the late 1800s by several prominent families. In the mid 1960s, a proposed freeway would
have been built directly through the upper portion of the parkland and the Shaker
Lakes. Concerned citizens spearheaded a grassroots
effort to protect the urban park and its biodiversity. Among the strategies was building a nature
center directly on the site of a proposed interchange. In 1972 state support for the freeway was
revoked and construction plans withdrawn.
Who the Nature Center
Serves
The Nature Center
serves much of Cleveland's East
Side including the Shaker Square
and Buckeye neighborhoods. It also serves eastside suburbs of Cleveland
including Shaker Heights, Cleveland
Heights, University Heights,
East Cleveland, Beachwood and South
Euclid, as well as numerous others. The Nature
Center has 1,500 members across northeast
Ohio and beyond. The Center
reaches more than 10,000 students through school field trips and its Outdoor
Adventure Camp and Outdoor Adventure Classes and thousands more through nature
events and programs. Several thousand more adults and children come to formal
programs.
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes Offerings
Programming
The Nature Center
provides a variety of year-round and seasonal programming. Among its offerings
are weekly Nature Hikes through the Shaker parklands in addition to a monthly
speaker series, photography club and numerous special events throughout the
year for both families and adults. Signature events include the annual
Celebrate the Earth, Breakfast with the Birds, Hike for Nature, Enchanted
Forest and Celebration of Lights
events. In addition, the Nature Center
offers educational programs for both adults and children, including school
field trips and its educational Outdoor Adventure Classes and Outdoor Adventure
Camp for children. The Nature Center
also has early childhood environmental education programs and nature outreach
programs.
Volunteering
The Nature Center
offers extensive volunteer opportunities for the public. Additionally, a
variety of events are held throughout the year for volunteers to get to know
each other and to learn about the Nature
Center and the Shaker Parklands,
and also for the Nature Center
to thank them for their dedication to the environment.
Facilities
The Nature Center
has beautiful indoor and outdoor facilities open to the public and is available
for rentals. The Nature Center
houses classrooms, a meeting room, exhibit areas, the Gorman Family Library,
and the Duck Pond Gift Store. In addition to these spaces, the Jean Eakin Bird Observation
Station and the Murphy Carfagna Wildlife Balcony overlook the Nature
Center's grounds. The indoor
facilities are open Monday through Saturday from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday
from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
In addition to its indoor facilities, the Friends Pavilion
sits among the trees beside the Center, and the All People's Trail and Stearns
Trail wind through the woodlands surrounding the Center. The one-third mile
long All People's Trail is a barrier-free, elevated boardwalk, opening the
wonders of nature to people of all physical abilities. Trails leading to Lower
Lake are accessible by stairs from
the All People's Trail. The Stearns Trail is one mile long and begins at the Nature
Center's Wildflower
Garden. The trail winds through the
grounds and along the south branch of the Doan Brook. The Nature
Center also manages the Rusty
Knight Wildflower
Garden and a butterfly garden.
Currently under construction is the Nancy
King Smith Stewardship
Center. Slated for completion in fall
2007, the Stewardship Center will be gathering place for any citizen wishing to
take action in their local environment and will house equipment needed to help
restore biodiversity to the Shaker Parklands. Constructed of all natural
building materials, the Stewardship Center will also serve as an exhibit,
educational site, visitor gathering spot and focal point for an outdoor
sustainability area.
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes Designations
The Nature Center was named a National Environmental
Education Landmark in 1971 by the National Park Service of the United States
Department of the Interior, making it one of the first organizations to be
recognized as such. The All People's trail received local, state and national
Honor Award for Excellence in Landscape Design by the American Society of
Landscape Architects in 1984. The Center is also designated as a National
Environmental Study Area by the Park Service for the unique educational
opportunities offered by the diverse natural habitats found in its urban
setting. In 2003, the Audubon Society designated it as a worldwide Important
Bird Area. After renovating and expanding its facilities in 2003 using
sustainable building practices, the Nature Center received the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's 2004 Energy Star Award for Excellence in
Energy Efficiency. In 2006, the Nature Center was certified as an official
Wildlife Habitat site by the National Wildlife Federation. The Nature Center is
also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Media Contact
Sara Thorne-Briechle, programs and marketing director,
(216) 321-5935 x 237 or thorne@shakerlakes.org
Stefanie Lader, communications specialist, (216) 321-5935 x 228 or lader@shakerlakes.org
2005 Form 990
