Nature Center at Shaker Lakes

Winter Tree ID Hike
2024-03-09 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Leaves are perhaps the most distinct feature of a tree, but how do you identify a tree with no leaves? Join the Natural Resources team on a winter tree identification hike and learn about the other features like buds, twigs and bark that can help you identify trees even in winter. You’ll get to know hickories, oaks, maples and more. The hike will be approximately 60 minutes on and off trail, getting up close and personal with trees. Each participant will take home a copy of The Winter Tree Finder field guide.
Registration required. $7 per person.
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/dssFBs

Animal Care: Turtles
2024-03-09 11:00 - 12:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Have you ever wondered what it takes to keep our animal ambassadors here at the nature center happy and healthy? Join us the second Saturday of every month for a “behind the scenes” look at our animal care program. Each month will highlight a different species. Children 4 & up will be given the opportunity to interact with animal ambassadors. Children 3 & under will be asked to sit with their grown-ups. All presentations will conclude with a feeding demonstration for that species. Registration required. $7 for children 4 and up; no charge for adults and children ages 3 and under. Donations welcome.
Children audience members will be seated on the floor on mats. Adult audience members (and children under 3) will be seated behind them on benches.
Register: https://shakerlakes.doubleknot.com/openrosters/ViewActivitySpaceAvailable.aspx?OrgKey=4283&CategoryID=29963

Winter Warmup: Whiskey Night
2024-03-08 18:00 - 20:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Warm up and enjoy the end of winter at the Nature Center! This night of fun and community will include music, conversation, tastings of whiskey provided by Cleveland Whiskey, and delicious food by local vendors. Additional drinks available for purchase. $35 per person. $30 for members. Registration required: https://givebutter.com/whiskeynight

Art on View: Opening Reception
2024-03-07 17:30 - 19:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
BEES, BUGS, AND BUTTERFLIES: POLLINATING ALONG THE CUYAHOGA
Bees, Bugs, and Butterflies: Pollinating Along the Cuyahoga is a traveling photography exhibit that highlights the beauty and importance of pollinators—more specifically, the ones that live in our own backyards. This exhibit will be shown from March 2 through April 30 during normal business hours. Prints available for purchase and a percentage of sales support the Nature Center.
Stop by for the opening reception on March 7 from 5:30-7PM for light refreshments and mingle with artists. No registration required.
This exhibit will be shown from March through April. For more information, please visit https://www.nps.gov/cuva/planyourvisit/pollinating-along-the-cuyahoga.htm

Winter Wonderland: Recenter and Reset Hikes
2024-02-25 16:00 - 17:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Sundays, February 25 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Nature Center
Join Jo Rattiliff of GirlTrek Cleveland for our monthly Sunday evening hikes! These special Winter Wonderland Recenter and Reset hikes will highlight the beauty of nature and wildlife and encourages movement and community during the cold winter months. Be sure to bundle up and dress for the weather! In the case of inclement weather, the hike will be cancelled and an email will be sent out. Free. Donations welcome. Learn more about GirlTrek here: GirlTrek.org
Registration required. : https://shakerlakes.doubleknot.com/openrosters/ViewActivitySpaceAvailable.aspx?OrgKey=4283&CategoryID=27739

Nature Night at the Brew-vies
2024-02-23 18:00 - 20:30 | Ohio
NATURE NIGHT AT THE BREW-VIES!
Friday, February 23rd | 6:00PM – 8:30PM | Market Hall at Van Aken District
Plan for a cozy winter night at the BREW-VIES in with the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes at Van Aken District’s Market Hall!
Drop in, kick back with a cocktail from Craft Collective, and enjoy a curated collection of six short nature documentaries. Chat with the Nature Center’s Natural Resource’s team about all things plants, wildlife, and learn more about the efforts to conserving our natural area.
Documentaries include: Does Nature Have Rights?, Hope and Restoration: Saving the Whitebark Pine, Retuning Fire to the Land, and more.
$7 per attendee. Registration required: https://givebutter.com/vanakenbrewvies

2024 Eclipse Over Cleveland: What to Expect
2024-02-22 18:00 - 19:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
The 2024 Total Eclipse is coming…are you prepared?
On April 8th, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, darkening the sky for 3 minutes and 50 seconds and it’s the first one to happen in Cleveland since 1806!
Enjoy a presentation by Jay Ryan, a longtime astronomy educator, and learn what to expect during the first eclipse such as this in over 200 years. You’ll learn the science behind the eclipse, some common misconceptions, what to expect, how to keep your eyes safe while you watch.
Whether you’re a huge fan of astronomy or you’re just looking for some more information about the 2024 Eclipse Event- this event is for you!
Free. Registration required.
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/eclipseovercleveland

Winter Sowing Workshop
2024-02-19 18:00 - 19:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Starting your garden in the winter can bring plenty of benefits, and an excellent way to kick off this green initiative is by sowing native seeds in January. Winter sowing offers the advantage of providing plants with a head start, winter sown plants will show growth and development far beyond plants sown in spring.
By opting for native seeds, you contribute to the preservation of local biodiversity and create a garden that is well-adapted to our northeast Ohio climate. To guide you through this exciting winter gardening endeavor, we are offering a hands-on workshop. We will use upcycled milk jugs to sow seeds provided by our own native seed library.
These jugs can be placed straight outdoors where they will provide a secure micro-environment that accelerates germination and growth. The Seed Sowing Workshop will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to sow seeds effectively. Don’t miss this informative workshop to jumpstart your winter garden and enjoy a lush, native landscape come spring.
No prior experience necessary. The workshop is great for all ages! Bring your own plastic milk or cider jugs to start your seedlings in.
Interested in native seeds? Check out our seed library! Click here for more information. Registration required

Naturalist Notebook: Walden by Henry David Thoreau
2024-02-11 13:00 - 15:00 | Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland, OH, 44120
Reading (or rereading) Walden by Henry David Thoreau. For some of us reading Walden, also known as Life in the Woods, maybe for the first time, for others a second or more times. It is a book you pick up at all ages. Reading about Thoreau’s immersion in nature in part is a show of independence, quest for spirituality and certainly the goal of self-reliance. Published in 1854, Walden still calls us to read…and reread this memoir.
Registration required. Free. Donations welcome.
Purchase your book at Loganberry Books for a 10% discount.
Register: https://shakerlakes.doubleknot.com/event/naturalist-notebook-walden-by-henry-david-thoreau/3016762

Self-Care Sundays
2024-02-11 12:30 - 16:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Join New Era Cleveland for Self-Care Sundays at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes! Self-Care Sundays serve as a safe space for healing trauma, learning self-love, conflict resolution, yoga, and meditation. Enjoy beginner friendly meditation, yoga, and self-care activities.
Registration optional. Classes are offered on a first come, first serve basis. Free to attend!
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/newerascs

WINTER BOOK CLUB: Nature’s Best Hope by Doug Tallamy
2024-02-10 13:00 - 15:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Please join us for this in-person and virtual hybrid event! We’ll be discussing Doug Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope, with guest Sarah Franklin Jayne, author of the upcoming book Nature’s Action Guide.
Douglas W. Tallamy’s first book, Bringing Nature Home, awakened thousands of readers to an urgent situation: wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are fast disappearing. His solution? Plant more natives. In this new book, Tallamy takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Nature’s Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats.
This book is available to borrow from CLEVNET libraries here: https://search.clevnet.org/client/en_US/clevnet/search/results?qu=nature%27s+best+hope&te=
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/winterbookclub2023
Gather and connect with your neighbors to discuss timely and relevant topics related to nature, wildlife, and the changing environment around us with Wild Ones Greater Cleveland. Registration required. Free. Donations welcome.

Animal Care: Frogs
2024-02-10 11:00 - 12:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120

Winter Sowing Workshop
2024-02-08 18:00 - 19:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
It’s time to start preparing your garden! Winter sowing is an easy and effective way to start seedlings outdoors and start looking forward to spring.
No prior experience necessary. The workshop is great for all ages! Bring your own plastic milk or cider jugs to start your seedlings in. Registration required. $5.00 per person. Register: https://givebutter.com/februarywintersowing

Historic Homes & Building Tour
2024-02-04 11:45 - 17:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Step back in time and experience the historic freeway fight in a unique and exciting way with the Nature Center and Shaker Historical Society.
The tour will begin at the Nature Center with a presentation by local citizen scientist, passionate steward, with family ties to the freeway fight, John Barber. Barber will highlight the significance the freeway fight had on our community and green spaces today, while you enjoy a locally brewed cider. Next, you’ll take a trolley to tour three unique locations, including two beautiful homes with rich history on Shaker and South Park Blvd, and a church that was integral to the freeway fight, all of which wouldn’t exist today had the freeway fight not prevailed. You’ll end your tour at the Shaker Historical Society with a tour and a peek at historic and significant archives surrounding the freeway fight. Local food partners will serve brunch bites at each stop of this unique tour for an exciting one of a kind event.
Limited tickets available. $160 per person, $125 for Nature Center or Shaker Historical Society Members. (NCSL Members reach out to cara@shakerlakes.org for a discount code!) Inclement Weather Date: April 14. Please list any food/drink allergies or restrictions during registration. Wear shoes easy to remove. Booties provided, or bring house shoes. Attendees must be able to navigate stairs.
Registration: https://givebutter.com/Y34l8Q

Winter Warmup: Norma Storer Card Making Workshop
2024-02-02 18:00 - 20:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Norma Storer makes stunning cards for every occasion- and she’s passing her wealth of knowledge to you! Stop in for this workshop to learn
how to craft cards that you can gift to family and friends, or keep for yourself as a beautiful piece of art. $12 per person.
$10 for members. Registration required: https://givebutter.com/normacards

Winter Wonderland: Recenter and Reset Hikes
2024-01-28 16:00 - 17:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Sundays, January 28 & February 25 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Nature Center
Join Jo Rattiliff of GirlTrek Cleveland for our monthly Sunday evening hikes! These special Winter Wonderland Recenter and Reset hikes will highlight the beauty of nature and wildlife and encourages movement and community during the cold winter months. Be sure to bundle up and dress for the weather! In the case of inclement weather, the hike will be cancelled and an email will be sent out. Free. Donations welcome. Learn more about GirlTrek here: GirlTrek.org
Registration required. : https://shakerlakes.doubleknot.com/openrosters/ViewActivitySpaceAvailable.aspx?OrgKey=4283&CategoryID=27739

Guided Bird Walk - Accessible
2024-01-21 08:00 - 09:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Join a guided walk through the Shaker Parklands looking and listening for birds. The first walk of each month begins on our ADA accessible boardwalk and moves to dirt trails throughout the Parklands. The second walk of each month (marked with an asterisk*) is fully accessible and includes an ASL interpreter. For all hikes, meet in the Nature Center parking lot. Binoculars are available to borrow. Rain or shine. Accessible hikes will be canceled if the paths are covered in snow/ice. Registration required. Free. Donations welcome.
REGISTER

Seed Sowing Workshop
2024-01-20 12:00 - 14:00 | Ohio
It’s time to start preparing your garden! Winter sowing is an easy and effective way to start seedlings outdoors and look forward to spring. No prior experience necessary. The workshop is great for all ages! Bring your own plastic milk or cider jugs to start your seedlings. $5 per person. Registration required. https://givebutter.com/januarywintersowing

Build-a-Bee Hotel Workshop
2024-01-17 18:00 - 19:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Help promote our native pollinators by building your own solitary bee hotel. Join our Natural Resources staff as they guide you through this simple DIY project. You’ll leave with a cedar roofed, wood framed bee hotel and instructions on how to maintain it at home. You may also stain the hotel and pick it up after an overnight drying time.
Solitary bees are harmless and not aggressive, small bees that are important native pollinators. They typically nest individually in old logs or the stems of vegetation, offering them a hotel gives them a safe and secure home where you can watch them thrive. You’ll also get the benefit of bringing pollinators to your garden! One hotel can provide habitat for dozens of these colorful, but often unknown bees.
Join us for this easy workshop, all tools & materials provided! $25 per person. Registration required: https://givebutter.com/janbeehotel

Beginners Yoga Workshop Series
2024-01-14 17:30 - 19:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
If you have ever thought about starting a mindfulness practice like yoga but don’t know where to start, this beginner’s workshop series is for you!
This workshop is for those new to yoga and interested in starting a regular practice or for those who have been away from their yoga practice and want to begin again. Learn the basics of yoga to cultivate a fun, safe and rewarding yoga practice. This workshop series will help you gain confidence, so you will feel comfortable taking classes in any setting.
We will explore both the mental and physical aspects of meditation, breathing techniques, and foundational yoga poses. Participants will receive personalized attention and receive customized yoga pose variations to make even the tightest person feel comfortable. You do not need to be young, athletic and/or flexible enough to twist your body into pretzel shapes to practice and fall in love with yoga. Simply be willing to show up, breathe, and move.
DATES
Join us Sundays, January 14th, January 21st, and January 28th for a happier, healthier you in 2024. Please note the times for the series below:

January 14th – 5:30pm – 7:00pm
January 21st – 1:30pm – 3:00pm
January 28th – 1:30pm – 3:00pm

PLAN
Wear comfortable clothing that’s easy to move in, bring a notebook if you like to take notes. Bring a water bottle, yoga mat and towel. Most importantly bring an open mind, you CAN do this!
YOUR INSTRUCTORS
The program will be taught by Cari Hickerson and Kathy Hayes, both certified yoga teachers who have more than 15 years combined teaching experience. Both are currently instructors at Yoga Roots in Cleveland Heights and are residents of Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights.
Kathy has taught in Michigan, Florida and Switzerland and currently volunteers leading Yoga for Fire Fighters locally. She also leads the outdoor summer yoga program in Shaker Heights.
Cari is an evolutionary ecologist at John Carroll University and has been teaching yoga for 4.5 years at Yoga Roots. Cari has incorporated the practice of yoga in her biology classes to help students cope with test anxiety. Cari also enjoys teaching outdoor yoga when when the Cleveland weather cooperates.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
https://givebutter.com/beginnersyoga

Animal Care: Snakes
2024-01-13 11:00 - 12:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Have you ever wondered what it takes to keep our animal ambassadors here at the nature center happy and healthy? Join us the second Saturday of every month for a “behind the scenes” look at our animal care program. Each month will highlight a different species. Children 4 & up will be given the opportunity to interact with animal ambassadors. Children 3 & under will be asked to sit with their grown-ups. All presentations will conclude with a feeding demonstration for that species. Registration required. $7 for children 4 and up; no charge for adults and children ages 3 and under. Donations welcome.
Children audience members will be seated on the floor on mats. Adult audience members (and children under 3) will be seated behind them on benches.
Register https://shakerlakes.doubleknot.com/openrosters/ViewActivitySpaceAvailable.aspx?OrgKey=4283&CategoryID=29963

Winter Warmup: Verbingo with Verbena Free Spirited
2024-01-12 18:00 - 20:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Looking for something fun to do with friends and family during Dry January? Join us for 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! $25 per person.
$20 for members. Registration required: https://givebutter.com/verbingo

Guided Bird Walk
2024-01-07 08:00 - 09:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Join a guided walk through the Shaker Parklands looking and listening for birds. The first walk of each month begins on our ADA accessible boardwalk and moves to dirt trails throughout the Parklands. The second walk of each month is fully accessible and includes an ASL interpreter. For all hikes, meet in the Nature Center parking lot. Binoculars are available to borrow. Rain or shine. Accessible hikes will be canceled if the paths are covered in snow/ice. Registration required. Free. Donations welcome.
REGISTER

Virtual Camp Meeting
2024-01-04 18:00 - 19:00 | Ohio
To help families prepare for camp, we will be hosting three pre-camp registration Zoom meetings. These programs are intended to help answer questions that parents have, walk through the registration process, and (most importantly) get everyone excited for Summer Outdoor Adventure Camp! These will be offered at different times and days to accommodate as many people as possible. Sessions are not mandatory, but attending one is encouraged to familiarize families with camp (even those families that have attended in past years).

Winter Solstice Luminary Walk & Holiday Market
2023-12-15 17:30 - 20:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Celebrate nature and the beginning of winter! All are invited to stroll around the illuminated All Peoples’ Trail boardwalk, which is ADA-accessible. Keep warm at a bonfire, in the heated pavilion where there will be warm alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages for sale, or inside at our nature-inspired Holiday Market and Duck Pond Gift Shop. Donations welcome. Market items, food, and beverage available for purchase.
Interested in being a vendor for our holiday market? Contact Nia at turner@shakerlakes.org

Self-Care Sundays
2023-12-10 12:30 - 16:00 | Ohio
Join New Era Cleveland for Self-Care Sundays at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes! Self-Care Sundays serve as a safe space for healing trauma, learning self-love, conflict resolution, yoga, and meditation. Enjoy beginner friendly meditation, yoga, and self-care activities. Registration optional. Classes are offered on a first come, first serve basis. Free to attend!

WINTER WARMUP: Native Seed Documentary Movie Night
2023-12-01 18:00 - 20:30 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Join us for a monthly series to get out of the house and warm up indoors at the Nature Center this winter!
Settle in for documentary Native Seeds: Supplying Restoration and discussion led by the Nature Center and Wild Ones Cleveland. Native Seeds: Supplying Restoration is a nine-part video series that explores the native seed supply chain in the western United States. Find more information about the film here: https://ser-insr.org/native-seed-film
This documentary runs for 1hr. Hot chocolate and popcorn will be provided. Registration required. Free. Donations welcome.
Registration Link: https://givebutter.com/nativeseedsscreening

AutumnFest: Fairy Tales in the Forest
2023-10-07 15:00 - 19:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Join us for a magical evening in the forest celebrating the beauty of nature this fall season!
This FREE magical evening in the forest will be held, rain or shine. Activities for all ages and abilities. Food trucks, libation stations, and vendors
will have items available for purchase. Costumes welcomed and encouraged!
Decorate a magic pumpkin, climb the enchanted beanstalk (tree climbing), take a spooktacular evening hike, join the Shaker Library for story
time and wand making, concoct s’mores a the fire breathing dragon pit, make a fairy or gnome home, feast on fairy food at food trucks or grab
witches brew at libation stations.
Don’t forget to stop by the fall perennial sale from 3–5PM.

SUMMER WEDNESDAYS: Movie Night
2023-08-30 17:00 - 22:00 | Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44120
Season Finale: Outdoor Family Movie Night with THE LORAX: 8-10PM
Help us celebrate the end of summer as we close down the Nature Center Parking Lot and turn it into an outdoor movie theater. Bring a chair and enjoy free popcorn with your ticket purchase. Concessions available. $10 adults, $5 children under 12. Rain date: Wednesday, September 6. BUY TICKETS
Mount Granita – Enjoy refreshing handmade Italian Ice made with fresh fruit! 5-10 PM
SPECIAL LIMTED CAPACITY EVENT: Elderberry Tahini Hike and Cooking Demonstration with chef Doug Katz, Dana Harary and Nick Mikash, NCSL Nature Resources Manager. 5:30-7:30 PM
Join Nick Mikash for a short informative hike all about the edible elderberry. Hikers will be split into two groups: one at 5:30 and one at 6PM. Following the hike, guests will join Doug Katz and Dana Harary for an elderberry tahini cooking demonstration and tasting. $25 per ticket, $20 members. BUY TICKETS

SUMMER WEDNESDAYS: Wine & Cheese Night with Roaming Violinist
2023-08-23 17:00 - 20:00 | Ohio
Join the Nature Center, the Wine Spot, and Marchant Manor for a unique night of wine and cheese tasting. Light hors d’ouvres included. All guests receive a 10 oz commemorative Nature Center tasting cup. Select wine available for purchase by the glass or bottle. Quantities limited. $35 per person, $30 for members. Purchase tickets here: Wine & Cheese Night Tickets
Megan Sullivan, roaming violinist – Come out to visit the Nature Center after work to hit the trails to hear the roaming musician. FREE.
25% off Ice Cream in the Duck Pond 5-8pm
