7250 Alexander Road
Concord Township OH 44077
440-354-0894 GPS Lon: 81° 12' 56.197" W • Lat: 41° 40' 26.992" N
Hours: Open for scheduled classes, pre-registered programs, or by appointment only
Education programs: Click here to view Lake Metroparks’ education brochure or call 440-256-3800 or 800-366-3276 to request a copy.
Directions: From I-90, take State Route 44 south to Auburn Road; turn left and proceed 0.3 mile; turn right onto Concord-Hambden Road. Continue one mile to stop sign at Ravenna Road. Continue straight on Concord-Hambden for 0.4 mile to Alexander Road and turn left; drive 0.3 mile to park entrance (on the left).
the OC at the ELC
(Outdoor Connection at the Environmental Learning Center)
The OC at the ELCis an environmental nature club for
families with children 10 years and older and groups of
two or more. Through technology and outdoor activities
we will observe the seasons at the Environmental
Learning Center to feel more connected to our Lake
County habitat. Weather and observational data will be
collected to study the patterns of nature.
The OC at the ELC Club will meet monthly in 2011.
Participants are encouraged to attend all 12 programs as
part of the seasonal data collection, but it is not required. Groups may join at any time. The club will meet every
fourth Sunday from 1 to 4 pm at the
Environmental Learning Center. Each month will have a
theme relative to the season.
Staff
from different areas of Lake Metroparks will lead the programs.
Pre-registration for this free program is required.
The Eco Café is based on the popular Science Café in Cleveland and others around the country. It is a free adult evening program offered each year March through October. The setting is a coffeehouse atmosphere with presentations and discussions about a variety of environmental topics and concerns. Each month an expert in environmental science, a local naturalist or citizen scientist makes a short presentation followed by an informal discussion. Some months an environmentally themed movie is shown.
Movie Night - Eco Café
The life and legacy of Rachel Carson
Environmental Learning Center
June 8 • 7:00 pm
Registration required
Past topics include Lake County stream preservation presented by Chad Edgar of the Lake County Soil & Water Conservation District; macro-invertebrates by Amy Braccia of Hiram College; backyard birding for bluebirds by Jay Brindo of the Ohio Bluebird Society; a movie night presenting King Corn and Big River; and eco-tourism/birding in South America by Ann Bugeda of Lake Metroparks.
Upcoming topics include a discussion of land use over time by Brian Fowler of Lake Metroparks; extraterrestrial water by Becky Parkin of Lake Metroparks; and Pat Betteley of Perry Middle School who spent the month of January in Antarctica as the teacher liaison for Miami University Researcher Dr. Richard Lee. A movie night will feature Rachel Carson.
The National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials (NACPRO) selected Lake Metroparks Environmental Learning Center as the best park and recreation facility in the country.
"It is an honor for Lake Metroparks to earn national recognition for its initiative and accomplishments - the Environmental Learning Center demonstrates regional partnerships and is part of the No Child Left Inside movement that is sweeping the country," explained Interim Executive Director Stephen W. Madewell. He continued, "Researchers continue to find correlations between exposure to nature and academic achievement, increased creativity, cooperation, social skills, problem-solving and self-esteem."
The Lake Metroparks Environmental Learning Center demonstrates, teaches, encourages and reinforces the national No Child Left Inside initiative.
Opened in fall 2008, the building and surrounding land are a laboratory for learning and discovery-based education, in both science and local Ohio history. It is an attraction and an inspirational site for traditional, creative and contemporary technical arts.
Facility Information
The Lake Metroparks Environmental Learning Center is a state-of-the-art science and educational facility that connects people with nature. It features educational exhibits, fully equipped high-tech classrooms, an astronomical observatory, a biology/ biotechnology lab and a weather station.
Located on approximately 250 acres of beautiful and ecologically diverse open space rich in both cultural and natural history, Big Creek and Jordan Creek are protected on this property. Students, educators and residents of Northeast Ohio will benefit from the unique partnerships, programs and projects that are and will continue to be developed at this facility.
A partnership with the Lake County Educational Service Center relocated the award-winning Porter Program for Science and Mathematics to the Lake Metroparks Environmental Learning Center. Future partnerships with educational institutions will expand learning opportunities for grades pre-K through 12 along with college level classes, internships and professional development for educators.
This facility is open for pre-registered programs only.
Click here for more information. Adobe Reader required to view document
Through its affiliation with the WeatherBug® Schools Network, Lake Metroparks Environmental Learning Center now has its own online weather page called the Online Weather Center. This page is similar to the WeatherBug desktop with live conditions, forecasts and links to other information on one page.
Live Conditions are links to daily or monthly weather observations and a graphing link that can show the temperature over 1 day, or 2 days, or 7 days. The graph’s left and right axis have drop-down boxes that can be changed to show humidity, wind speed or other recorded weather data for the time period. Above the live camera picture you can also change tabs to maps or look at other WeatherBug® weather stations. And finally at the bottom is a 7-day or hourly forecast which has links to more forecast information. Weather alerts are also posted on this page.
The WeatherBug® Schools Network is the largest weather network in the world. More than 8,000 schools across the U. S. operate WeatherBug Tracking Stations to integrate live, local weather data and technology into classroom learning.
Lake Metroparks physically built a bridge, but symbolically it’s much more than it looks. This bridge will link students from the Environmental Learning Center to the greatest classroom they could have, a 250 acre ecosystem in their own backyard.
Students use the Environmental Learning Center science labs to learn about our local environment. As part of our capital improvement projects, this bridge over Jordan Creek will enable students to hike and study along miles of paths and different ecosystems.
Printer Friendly Version
The OC at the ELCis an environmental nature club for
families with children 10 years and older and groups of
two or more. Through technology and outdoor activities
we will observe the seasons at the Environmental
Learning Center to feel more connected to our Lake
County habitat. Weather and observational data will be
collected to study the patterns of nature.
Movie Night - Eco Café
The Lake Metroparks Environmental Learning Center is a state-of-the-art science and educational facility that connects people with nature. It features educational exhibits, fully equipped high-tech classrooms, an astronomical observatory, a biology/ biotechnology lab and a 
