THE RETURN OF THE EYE

By: Brittney Corrado, Laila Schwin, and Alisha Bains  

May 21, 2021

Over the past few years, many attempts have been made to make plans for the restructuring of Cleveland’s lakefront areas. This time though, the city has found its plan. 

The vision for the lakefront comes from the owners of the Cleveland Browns, Jimmy and Dee Haslam and a team they hired for the planning of the lakefront modifications. The plan is also receiving support from city council president and Cleveland mayoral candidate, Kevin Kelley. While there have been numerous plans in the past, Kelley believes that this one may be the best. The reason is because there is a private sector buying into this one rather than just having a public plan, changing the ability to make this new plan occur and to be successful in the long-term.

The Cleveland Browns have worked directly with the city of Cleveland by going through a visioning process that has been in play over the past two-plus years. After research and consultation with city planners, landscape architects, and stakeholders, Cleveland is looking forward to taking the next, big, exciting step with hopes of transforming pedestrian walkways that would increase the number of natural public spaces available to everyone in Cleveland’s North Coast Harbor area.

The city has applied for funding with the Ohio Department of Transportation. This funding will allow the city to conduct numerous studies and assessments before locking this plan in place.

According to Andrew Gribble from the Cleveland Browns: “Under potential plans, a one-of-a-kind land bridge will be constructed to run from the roof of the recently remodeled Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland and over Route 2 and the train tracks that currently prevent full connectivity and walk-ability between Downtown Cleveland and its destination spots along Lake Erie, including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center, and FirstEnergy Stadium.” 

The walkways will be lined with trees and other green spaces that will include multiple entries and exits. An increased parking lot will also be added which is much needed.

The Haslams are working closely with Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, Osborn Engineering, AoDK Architecture, and CallisonRTKL to make these plans become a reality very soon. 

The plan, once enacted, will also allow for further development and more businesses along the lakefront, and if all goes according to plan, this lakefront vision could become a reality by this August.  It is a beautiful layout, and it would greatly-enhance our beautiful city.

For all Clevelanders, it is about time!  

{Information for this article was retrieved from Clevelandbrowns.com, Cleveland.com, and WKYC.com.}

 By: Brittney Corrado, Alisha Bains, and Laila Schwin

May 14, 2021

The Akron Public Zoo will be introducing a new and expanded home for Sumatran tigers, red pandas, and primates (known as white-cheeked gibbons), and this exhibit will be titled Wild Asia. 

Wild Asia promises to expand the red panda natural habitat, but unfortunately, these pandas face endangerment and are severely threatened by pelt hunting. They are also being threatened by shrinking habitats from agricultural encroachment and climate change. The red panda is about the size of a raccoon. They live in forests, and they primarily eat bamboo leaves. Along with the Sumatran tigers (all tigers in particular) being endangered, they now call the Akron Zoo their home.

The zoo is also introducing white-cheeked gibbons during this tour. They are 10-20 pound primates that are very energetic. They are small apes who form from highly-social families. These gibbons are endangered largely due to deforestation from palm oil cultivation. The Akron Zoo’s survival plan for the gibbons will help save this species from extinction. Every newborn will be calling the Akron zoo their home, also.

The zoo’s director of capital projects and sustainability Chris Norman said that Wild Asia is in the process of being built on what was previously called Tiger Valley, which was built in 1998 on a hillside looking over Edgewood Avenue on the West Side of Akron. Wild Asia is meant to recreate Southeast Asian jungles and Himalayan forest conditions through its habitats to accommodate the conditions that the animals are used to in their native lands. 

The main focus of Wild Asia is to educate people on environmental topics such as climate change and deforestation and how these have affected the species now included in the exhibit. It is meant to teach them about how their actions can affect the environment and the importance of conservation for species that are progressively being drawn closer to extinction. All of the species in this exhibit are endangered and being driven out by hunting and deforestation. 

The Akron Zoo is also utilizing the addition of these endangered species as an attempt at species conservation, as the tigers and gibbons are both breeding pairs, and a male will likely be added with the red pandas to allow for a breeding pair as well. The continuation of these species through breeding pairs is a step toward conservation and for retaining a normal population, despite the issues affecting these animals. 

The habitats for all of these animals are meant to reflect the needs of their species in the wild, such as the tigers each having their own individual fields to reflect their solitary nature, the red pandas having a climate-controlled cave, and the white-cheeked gibbons having trees designed specifically for them to be able to swing from. 

While the pandemic has delayed the development of this Wild Asia exhibit and severely limited the number of people allowed to visit, the near-opening of this exhibit is a sign of the continued development of species conservation and perseverance. 

The Wild Asia exhibit at the Akron Zoo is expected to be completed and opened on May 29, 2021, and there are future plans for expansion of other sections of the zoo, such as the Pride of Africa exhibit. 

There is much to look forward to.  Whether it is the Cleveland Zoo or the Akron Zoo, these animals are being taken care of, so make sure to visit both of these great zoos.

{Information for this article was retrieved from Cleveland.com and Akronzoo.org.}

By: Brittney Corrado, Alisha Bains, and Laila Schwin

May 7, 2021

In 1905, a woman named Anna Jarvis started a campaign for an official holiday honoring mothers. She started this the year when her own mother died as a way to honor her. 

The first celebration that was held for Mother’s Day was in 1908 in Grafton, West Virginia. Mother’s Day became an official holiday in 1914. Since then, Mother’s Day has become a representation of respect, honor, and love towards truly-devoted moms. 

Different versions of Mother’s Day are celebrated all around the world. In Thailand, for example, Mother’s Day is celebrated in August on the birthday of the current queen, Sirikit. In Ethiopia, families gather each Fall to sing songs and to eat a large feast as part of Antrosht, a multi-day celebration honoring motherhood.  These are just a few of the many Mother’s Day traditions and celebrations known worldwide.

Mother’s Day has also been a date for bringing awareness to women’s rights. In 1968, Coretta Scott King, MLK’s wife, used Mother’s Day to lead a march to support underprivileged women and children. In 1970, certain women’s groups used the holiday as a time to highlight the need for equal rights and access to childcare.

Ann Reeves Jarvis, mother of Anna Jarvis, was a large contributor to the development of Mother’s Day, as she organized “Mother’s Day Work Clubs” before the Civil War to help teach mothers various childcare skills. These meetings became a unifying event during an area of division during the Civil War and developed into “Mother’s Friendship Day”. This friendship day started in 1868 and included mothers of both former Union and Confederate soldiers in an attempt to reconcile relations between both sides after the war. 

The concept of the holiday changed from there and was more focused on mothers promoting world peace. Eventually, though, after years of her organizing for it, Jarvis got her holiday signed into the calendar by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914.

The joy of this event did not last long, and Jarvis spent years afterwards regretting her decision as Mother’s Day became commercialized and about gifts instead of the value of one’s mother and connecting with family. She even attempted to get the holiday removed from the calendar as she was so disgusted by the consumerism. 

However, Mother’s Day has prevailed and became a different event because of this. It has become a mix of both avenues, not only gifts but also a day to appreciate our mothers. 

This year, Mother’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday, May 9.  This day is devoted to all moms, but they should be celebrated 365 days of the year because they are the best.

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms!

{Information for this article was retrieved from History.com.}

By: Brittney Corrado, Laila Schwin, and Alisha Bains

April 30, 2021

After a long hard year without being able to travel, the tourism industry in Ohio and almost everywhere else hopes that vacation summers are back and better than ever. This pandemic has ruined a lot, but positive changes are coming. 

If you want a fun, new way to camp, think about floating tents! It is a great way to travel and spend some time outdoors while being safe and still having a blast.

The tents can be found in the Treasure Island Park in Troy, Ohio, floating along the Great Miami River. The tents are called Shoal tents, the first of their kind, and are composed of inflatable rafts with tent toppers. These Shoal tents are all manufactured right in Troy, Ohio, too. 

Float Troy is offering 10 floating (anchored) tents. These tents are manufactured in Troy by Smithfly and up to four people can sleep in each tent. A watercraft/kayak is included with tent rental as well as oars and life vests. The tents are priced at $85 per night with an extra $20 charge for extra watercraft rentals. 

There are also four floating fire pits with the tents, which are available on a first come-first serve basis. Additionally, there are various facilities and grills on land that are also part of this unique, camping experience. 

Scheduling these tents for various dates between June 22 and September 6 are limited.  Some of these dates are already sold out. 

So, if you are looking for an opportunity to spend some time on these floating tents, you might want to book your trip soon to reserve a spot. 

There are plenty of fun activities and places to visit during this campout. These floating tents are well worth it, but be prepared to get “a little” wet. 

{Information for this article was retrieved from Cleveland.com, Troy, and MSN.}