Cleveland Metroparks

Watershed

Volunteer

Program

August 5, 2026

[Oxford University Press]

A Timeless Year in Review:

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

Most of the work that watershed volunteers do is dictated by the seasons.

In the summer, we do restoration work in bioretention basins. In the winter, we monitor salt and stoneflies. And in the spring and fall, we work on tasks like planting and seed collection.

The Metroparks Staff does a great job of educating us as to how our work connects to the larger watershed. Still, because the type of jobs we do are so tied to the seasons, it is easy to compartmentalize them and gloss over the linkages that occur as one season gives birth to another.

Fortunately, there is a guidebook for broadening our perspective as we do this work: A Sand Count Almanac, by Aldo Leopold.

Leopold was a forester and Professor at the University of Wisconsin who bought a used-up farm to try to restore it to a forest. The book is a collection of reflections on the work, organized by the months of the year. We walk through a year with Leopold as he battles the rabbits who always prefer “a hand-planted pine, maple, apple, or wahoo to a wild one,” is tutored on partridges by his dog on hunting trips, and learn how we can become like gods and poets through the use of a shovel.

As we move through Leopold’s year, he weaves the seasons together even as he paused in a particular month. A tree brought down by a bolt of lightning in July is sawn into firewood in February. As the saw cuts through the rings, we are carried through nearly a century of history, both human and natural.

This is one of those special books where I can pick it up and read any chapter and enjoy it like hearing a favorite song again. While I can read it at any time of the year, synching up the chapters with nature is a treat. Reading his descriptions of the fall at his farm prompts me to look out the window or walk through the Metroparks when it is fall here and try to observe the changes with a deeper insight and appreciation.

But the book is not just a diary or travelogue through the seasons. The book also includes chapters that describe Leopold’s time as U.S. Forest Service Ranger in the American Southwest. Perhaps most importantly, it also has chapters on his concept of a land ethic as a guide for humans to live in harmony with the rest of nature.

“It is inconceivable to me that an ethical relation to land can exist without love, respect, and admiration for land, and a high regard for its value. By value, I of course mean

something far broader than mere economic value; I mean value in the philosophical sense.”

This is a philosophical underpinning for the work that we are all doing each time we collect plastic at the beach or pull weeds in a parking lot. At our last event, one of the other volunteers asked me why I chose to volunteer with the WVP. I have fun, and I learn a lot, and I like my fellow volunteers and Watershed staff. Those are all great reasons by themselves, but I think all of that grows out of the concept that we are truly practicing stewardship of the parks, of the Great Lakes, and of nature itself. Leopold’s book reminds me of that bigger perspective that we live every time we do this work.

WVP has been considering the possibility of a Watershed Book Club to bring us together during the quiet months of the fall and winter. Let them know if you are interested and if enough folks would like together, then we can set something up. Either way, if you read the book, please let me know what you think of it!

Ben Jackson

WVP Volunteer

Happenings

(E) Watershed Wednesday w/ CSWCD @ Acacia Reservation in Euclid Creek Watershed

July 22, 2026

[Image Credit: Cleveland Metroparks]

WVP Opportunities

Key

(E)ducation: These events include talks, workshops, and training sessions, as well as, community events used to spread awareness of the Watershed Volunteer Program and general watershed health.

(M)onitoring: These events include water quality testing through chemistry and macroinvertebrate monitoring; terrestrial surveys; and beach surveys.

(R)estoration: These events include bioretention clean-ups, tree plantings, invasive plant removal, etc.

(R) Invasive Cattail Removal @ Big Creek Reservation in Big Creek Watershed

July 30, 2026

[Image Credit: Cleveland Metroparks]

(R) Green Infrastructure Gardening Series*

Sun, Aug 9, 9 - 11 a.m. @ Wildwood Park in Euclid Creek Watershed

(E) Watershed Wednesday w/ Chagrin River Watershed Partners

Wed, Aug 12, 6 - 7:30 p.m. @ North Chagrin Reservation in Chagrin River Watershed

(R) Green Infrastructure Gardening Series Celebration

Sun, Aug 16, 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. @ Mitchell's Ice Cream Ohio City Kitchen in Cuyahoga River Watershed

(R) Invasive Cattail Removal

Thu, Aug 20, 6 - 8:30 p.m. @ Lake Isaac, Big Creek Reservation in Rocky River Watershed

(M) Marine Debris Monitoring

Sun, Aug 23, 9 - 11 a.m. @ Euclid Beach in Euclid Creek Watershed

(E) Caddis Tech MANTA Aquatic Drone Demo

Thu, Aug 27, 6 - 7:30 p.m. @ Garfield Pond, Garfield Park Reservation in Mill Creek Watershed

(E) Lecture and Training: Watershed Salting Stress and Its Impacts on Inland Aquatic Ecosystems Across a Forested–Urban Gradient with Ruchi Bhattacharya, Ph.D.

Sat, Aug 29, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. @ Garfield Pond, Garfield Park Reservation in Mill Creek Watershed

(M) Parks for Pollinators

Wed, Sept 2, 6 - 8 p.m. @ Huntington Reservation in Cahoon Creek-Frontal Lake Erie Watershed

(E) Monarch Butterfly Tagging

Sun, Sept 6, 1 - 4 p.m. @ Huntington Reservation in Cahoon Creek-Frontal Lake Erie Watershed

(E) Scout Day Macroinvertebrate and Enviroscape Assistants

Sun, Sep 13, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. @ Rocky River Reservation in Rocky River Watershed

(M) Scenic Rivers Macro Monitoring

Tue, Sep 15 (Rain Date: Fri Sept 18), 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. @ Old River Farm Picnic Area, North Chagrin Reservation in Chagrin River Watershed

(E) NEORSD Clean Water Fest

Sat, Sep 19, Three Shifts: 8-11 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 2-5 p.m. @ 4747 E. 49th St., Cleveland

(E) Sturgeon Fest

Sat, Sep 19, 1-4 p.m. @ Rivergate Park, 1785 Merwin Ave., Cleveland in Cuyahoga River Watershed

(M) Parks for Pollinators

Thurs, Sept 24, 6 - 7:30 p.m. @ Jackson Field, South Chagrin Reservation in Chagrin River Watershed

(E) Steelhead Expo

Sat, Sep 26, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 12:30-3:30 p.m. @ Rocky River Nature Center in Rocky River Watershed

(M) Marine Debris Monitoring

Sun, Sept 27, 9 - 11 a.m. @ Euclid Beach in Euclid Creek Watershed

(E) Watershed Wednesday w/ Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory

Wed, Sept 30, 6 - 7:30 p.m. @ Watershed Stewardship Center in West Creek Watershed

WVP volunteers, please log into Volgistics to register for primary events.

*Open to the public. Click Here or Email us for the registration link.

View Event Details

(R) Green Infrastructure Gardening Series @ Euclid Beach in Euclid Creek Reservation

August 2, 2026

[Image Credit: Cleveland Metroparks]

Opportunities With Our Partners

(S) Rain Barrel Workshop

Wed, Aug 5, 6 - 7 p.m. @ South Euclid Community Center

Collect rainwater, cut down on stormwater pollution, and give your garden a boost by building your own rain barrel. A rain barrel captures and stores water that would otherwise rush into storm drains untreated. By using this collected water on your lawn and garden, you conserve resources, support healthier waterways, and keep your plants happy. The workshop begins with a brief presentation and demonstration on assembling a rain barrel using the diverter kit. After the presentation, you’ll receive the rain barrel system(s) you purchased during registration. You’ll have everything you need to assemble your rain barrel system(s) at home using just a drill and a screwdriver. The $60 fee covers all materials, including a 60‑gallon barrel, drill bits, and a downspout diverter. If you’d like to create a two‑barrel setup, an additional barrel and linking kit are available for $40. Pre‑payment and workshop registration are required.

More Information and Registration Here

(S) Master Rain Gardener | Late Summer 2026

Thursdays Aug 6 - Sept 3, 10 a.m. -1 p.m. @ Willoughby Public Library

Learn to design and install your own rain garden and become the rain garden expert in your neighborhood. This course will provide you with the information and experience to build your own rain garden and become a Certified Master Rain Gardener. We recognize that not everyone can build a rain garden on their own property though, so you can also become certified by participating in a public rain garden building, volunteering at a public rain garden, or passing along your new expertise to the public (i.e. presenting to your garden club, at a public library, etc.)

Upon certification, you’ll receive a Master Rain Gardener t-shirt, sign, and certificate (included in the cost of registration).

More Information and Registration Here

(S) Lake Erie Awareness Day 2026

Thu, Aug 6, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. @ Put-in-Bay, OH 43456

Lake Erie Awareness Day brings the magic of Lake Erie’s history, culture, and natural resources to Put-in-Bay! Spend the day touring South Bass Island while learning about Ohio’s greatest water resource and visiting education stations to learn about island history, native plants and animals, the dangers of plastic pollution, and boating safety. Fun giveaways and a great day in nature awaits! Go to all the stations and be entered to win a fabulous island themed prize.

More Information and Registration Here

More (S)upplemental events can be found on our website here.

*WVP volunteers can submit supplemental hours in Volgistics under (S) Watershed Partner Event. Contact us if you need assistance reporting any hours.

(E) Certified Steward Cuyahoga by Boat Tour on the Cuyahoga River

August 4, 2026

[Image Credit: Cleveland Metroparks]

Extras

News

A New Tool Was Invented to Help Keep Paddlers Safe on the Cuyahoga River | Read on

The Ohio Canopy Walk That’s Not For Anyone Afraid Of Heights | Read on

Whale Remains Have Been Turning Up in Michigan for Years! Here’s Why. | Read on and watch video here

Parking Lots Linked to Increased Heat, Increased Flooding, and Increased Pollution All at Once | Read on

How Clouds Work | Read on

[Photo Credit: Space Daily]

The white, fluffy-looking clouds pictured above are known as Cumulus Clouds.

Ever wonder why they stay high in the sky and never come closer to or down near the ground? A lot of people don't. Many people just assume clouds are extremely light in weight but this is hardly the case. Those clouds happen to be extraordinarily heavy!

If you don’t know much about clouds but would like to learn more, then this is the place to be. The article directly above can help with that. It covers several subjects while throwing in some fun facts and statistics.