Nature Center at Shaker Lakes

Fall Bird Banding
2024-08-21 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-08-23 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-08-26 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-08-28 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-08-30 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-02 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-04 07:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-06 07:30 - 11:00 (America/New_York) and 5 more dates | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Meet Julie West at the table near the right side of the driveway to observe migratory birds as they are banded. Generally, the timing is around 30 minutes after sunrise and goes until 12PM. Weather permitting. Free. All ages and abilities welcome.

SUMMER WEDNESDAYS: Serenity in the Sun
2024-08-21 17:00 - 20:00 | Ohio
Join us for an evening of wellness and relaxation with yoga, sound healing, and delectable vegan and vegetarian bites sourced from local restaurants!
Activities include:

FREE Yoga Class with Cari Hickerson – REGISTER
Sound Bath Performance by Cassandra Woods – 6:00-7:00pm
FREE Qigong Class with Ana Maria Carrillo* – REGISTER
Vegan and vegetarian bites from local restaurants: Jillian Spencer, personal chef

Spicy Asian Quinoa & Spinach Toss: nutty quinoa & red mung beans tossed in a spicy dressing with fresh cilantro, bean sprouts & carrots
Roasted Brussel Sprout Salad: brussels sprouts roasted with sweet shallots and dried cranberries tossed in an avocado vinaigrette

Banana Bread: baked with walnuts and golden raisins

(everything is created with love from local organic ingredients for all to enjoy)

Dathan Little, A Little Goes a Long Way

Support for Summer Wednesday’s is provided by the Nord Family Foundation

Take to the Lake
2024-08-24 10:00 - 16:00 | Ohio
Started in 2013 as a memorial to Lester Stumpe, an avid paddler and early Doan Brook Watershed Partnership board member, Take to the Lake gives participants a chance to enjoy some time by the lake for a day, and gain a new perspective on the lakes, the Doan Brook and their place in our watershed community. In addition to boating lessons and rentals, water themed yoga, and a hike, a number of education tables to engage participants in watershed science and Lower Lake history.
REGISTER HERE

Qigong: Movement & Mindfulness
2024-08-27 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-09-03 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-09-10 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-09-17 10:00 - 11:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Tuesdays, August 27 through October 1 | 10:00AM – 11:00AM | Nature Center
Qigong is an ancient Chinese practice that combines gentle, slow, and powerful movements with breath, self-massage, and meditation to bring multiple benefits at physical and emotional levels. Qi means internal life force energy and gong is work or skill. Qigong moves and works with internal energy to facilitate health, wellness, and calm.
AnaMaría Carrillo has personally practiced Qigong and Tai Chi for many years and is certified to teach both. Her certifications include Holden Qigong (200 hours Tier 1 Teacher), Tai Chi Easy Practice Leader, and Satori Qigong-Flow Form. AnaMaria has been teaching group and individual classes both in person and virtually in Shaker Heights and Beachwood for 5 years. She can be contacted at carrillo.anama@gmail.com
The emphasis of the class at the Shaker Nature Center will be on Qigong and will be suited for people of all ages and skill levels. No special equipment or clothing is necessary although comfortable clothes are preferred. Participants will learn:

Proper alignment and posture

Breath

Tapping and stretching to stimulate adequate blood and energy flow

Gentle, easy to learn and practice flows to benefit body, mind, and emotions

Simple, yet powerful, coordination of breath and movement to maximize benefits

Basic self-massage

Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/Ppc8D7

Botanical Monoprinting Workshop
2024-08-27 17:30 - 19:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Botanical Monoprinting Workshop – SOLD OUT
Tuesday, August 27, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Get added to the waitlist! If you are interested in being contacted if a spot opens up, please email turner@shakerlakes.org
An evening workshop wherein participants will be taught about the process of Monoprinting, a form of printmaking in which an image is made by using plexiglass to layer ink onto paper. After a short demonstration, registrants will be given the materials necessary to create a series of up to eight unique pieces of artwork that incorporate botanicals sourced from the park surrounding the Nature Center.
This workshop will be taught by Lilly Ross, senior Printmaking and Painting major at the Cleveland Institute of Art. The workshop is offered in conjunction with the upcoming Art on View group exhibition, Up a Creek, featuring work by current and former CIA students about humans and their nuanced relationships with the environment.
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/1Qm1Qx

SUMMER WEDNESDAYS: Farewell to Summer
2024-08-28 17:00 - 20:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Bid farewell to the summer with a party at the Nature Center!

Shaker Heights Public Library Bonfire Storytime

Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library – Cricut Water Bottle Sticker Craft

Archery – Unleash your inner archer at Summer Wednesdays with Archery in the Forest! Come check out the Nature Center’s range, learn archery skills, and challenge yourself to hit bullseyes! Fun for all ages! REGISTER

Cleveland Kid’s Book Bank Activity

Food includes:
Pop Culture Cleveland Food Truck
Summer Raspberry Fizz and other drinks available for purchase

Support for Summer Wednesday’s is provided by the Nord Family Foundation

Verbingo with Verbena Free Spirited
2024-08-30 18:30 - 20:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Friday, August 30 | 6:30PM-8PM | Nature Center
Come join us to celebrate the end of summer with the Verbingo you know and love- at the Nature Center! We’re partnering with Verbena Free Spirited to bring you a night of connecting with others in a healthier, more meaningful way- and without alcohol. Ticket includes 5 rounds of bingo with prizes, handheld charcuterie cups, and one complimentary drink with additional drinks available for purchase!
$25 per person. Members enjoy a $5 discount. Registration required.
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/Q5sAhj

A “Dazzle” by David Rankin: A Transparent Watercolor Demonstration
2024-09-05 18:30 - 20:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Thursday, September 5 | 6:30PM-8PM | Nature Center
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes invites you to a special event:
A “Dazzle” by David Rankin: A Transparent Watercolor Demonstration
Join us Thursday, September 5th, as nationally known watercolor and wildlife artist, David Rankin creates one of his masterful paintings. As David says, the distinctive and elegant blends coupled with the translucent washes of watercolor allow artists to create magical visual effects that bring subjects to life. With David’s use of a strong, dramatic color palette and excellent design he is widely recognized as one of the very best. Join us as David dazzles us with watercolor. Q&A at end of demonstration. Free. Registration required.
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/ZlJSBw

Paint the Grandeur of Winter with David Rankin
2024-09-06 10:00 - 16:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Friday, September 6 – Sunday, September 8 | 10AM-4PM | Nature Center
Join David for a 3-day transparent watercolor workshop where you will paint Fall and Winter images. As the trees still glow with the last remnants of the fall color palette, they make way for stark and dramatic winter colors. The forest, gradually losing its leaves and vegetation, exposes its underlying structure. Its grandeur is made increasingly stark and enchanting with the arrival of snow. David Rankin, a master of transparent watercolor, will share the techniques he uses to capture the grandeur of winter.
This hands-on workshop will run from September 6-September 8 from 10AM to 4PM each day. $350/person for this 3-day workshop. Supply list will be sent upon registration.
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/davidrankin24

Container Gardening Workshop
2024-09-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Fall Container Gardening Workshop with Meadow City Nursery
Tuesday, September 10th, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
No yard, no problem!
Many native plants thrive in outdoor planters, where they can still provide food for birds and pollinators. In this hands-on workshop, we will put together a container garden with three native plants, which can live on a porch, a balcony, or in your yard.
Included in the cost of the program are:
Your choice of planter/bring your own planter (see below)
Growing media to fill planter
Your choice of 3 native plants (in 4″ pots)
Guidance/materials on plant selection and maintenance

Choose your planter (photos below): Wooden whiskey barrel planter, black fabric planter (can stand alone or be placed inside a larger decorative planter), or bring your own. If you bring your own planter, we recommend one with a minimum diameter of 15″ and with drainage holes.

If you are planning to use a ceramic pot, choose a high-quality glazed pot with a wide opening and tapered base. This gives water space to expand when frozen and reduces the risk of your pot cracking over the winter. Terra cotta pots are particularly susceptible to cracking.

REGISTER: https://givebutter.com/Ve5XD2

$45-$65 per person, depending on planter chosen. Registration required.
Thank you to our partner Meadow City Nursery!

Ballet Under the Trees & 25% off Duck Pond Ice Cream
2024-09-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Enjoy an evening of performances under the tree canopy on locations throughout our trails. (RESCHEDULED!)
Activities include:

Captivating roaming ballet performances by talented City Ballet of Cleveland students – all free to the public to enjoy! Performances start at 6 PM

25% off Duck Pond Ice Cream
(Please note: Unfortunately, Good Times Food Truck will NOT be able to attend the new scheduled date as previously planned for in August!)

Support for Summer Wednesday’s is provided by the Nord Family Foundation

Art on View: Up A Creek
2024-09-13 17:30 - 19:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
UP A CREEK
Cleveland Institute of Art Current & Former Students
Opening reception: Friday, September 13 | 5:30–7PM | Nature Center
A collection of work by current and former students (DeAnne Smith ’24, Tamsyn Kuehnert ’24, Jamie Brinker ’25, and Lilly Ross ’25) at the Cleveland Institute of Art that examines the range of complex relationships humans have with the environment. This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, the Fenn Educational Fund, and the G.R. Lincoln Family Foundation. Prints will not be available for purchase.

Family Fishing Day
2024-09-14 09:00 - 14:00 | Ohio
Every year Doan Brook Watershed Partnership hosts Family Fishing Day at Rockefeller Lagoon. This free event is an opportunity for people of all ages and experience levels to enjoy a day of fishing and watershed education. Children, senior citizens and veterans will receive a free fishing rod while supplies last, and Cleveland Metroparks Youth Outdoors staff will be onsite to provide fishing instruction. This venue is wheelchair accessible, and we welcome participants of all abilities.
Event Details:
Where: Rockefeller Lagoon, 7 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Cleveland, OH
When: Saturday, September 14th from 9am-2pm.*
Parking: You can park in the VA Parking Garage (1606 E 105th St, Cleveland, OH 44106) on levels 3 and 4.
All experience levels welcome, no fishing license necessary! For questions, please contact us at: info@doanbrookpartnership.org

LEARN MORE & REGISTER https://doanbrookpartnership.org/event/family-fishing-day/

*Please note: this date has been changed from our original print date of Saturday, August 3 | 9AM–2PM | Rockefeller Lagoon in Nature Notes

Hike & Run 2024
2024-09-15 08:00 - 12:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Join us for the 20th Anniversary of Hike & Run!
This beloved event benefits environmental education and promotes health and wellness while celebrating the Shaker Parklands. Partial proceeds also support the Jenny Goldman Memorial Nature Outreach Fund, which underwrites our Environmental Educator in Residence program that provides environmental education for hundreds of Cleveland school children each year.
The Hike & Run was created in memory of Jenny Goldman. Jenny was a budding young naturalist who loved and spent a great deal of time at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes as a devoted volunteer. Sadly, Jenny, a Shaker Heights resident, passed in a tragic car accident in 2004. Jenny’s wondrous spirit, joy for nature, and dedication to diversity live on through the Jenny Goldman Fund, which underwrites the Environmental Educator in Residence program at the Nature Center. The program provides free environmental education for under-served urban youth.
Run: 5k or 10k road race with chip timing and awards on a beautiful course around Shaker Lakes. The 1 Mile Run/Walk will be chip-timed and use the streets the of the 5k/10k course
Nature Center members receive $5 off registration.
REGISTER: https://runsignup.com/ShakerLakesHikeAndRun
MORE INFORMATION: https://shakerlakes.org/hikerun/
