THE RETURN OF THE EYE

By: Alisha Bains and Laila Schwin

May 28, 2021

Let’s Roam’s Virtual Game Night makes it much easier and efficient to have fun because it has taken up the challenge to help people explore, discover, and play through one-of-a-kind video platforms. Let’s Roam has combined all kinds of games to play; embedded video-chat software is also used to communicate with friends, too.

People have been increasingly-disconnected from each other because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has made public meet-ups and group game nights difficult. Let’s Roam is providing a solution by allowing people to connect for these friendly game nights and trivia events that they have been unable to attend the past year. 

These events are five rounds of team games. Partakers can choose different-themed games such as Trivia, Pictionary, and Charades, with more options being added on a regular basis. 

The built-in games and video software make it easy to access all parts of the experience in one place and to connect with a large group of family and friends. If you do not have a large group to join up with already, Let’s Roam also hosts drop-in nights for people to play. 

Current scheduling for these virtual events (in Cleveland) is between May 28 and June 2; more dates will be scheduled and available down the road. Access to these events is completely free, so as long as you have a device to join in, the fun will be had. 

Extended and open access to Let’s Roam can also be bought for $19.99 a month as a membership fee, which gives you the ability to use Let’s Roam at any time with a larger group of people without limitations. 

There are sure to be plenty of wonderful game night experiences with Let’s Roam. Whether it is the new embedded software for video chat or all of the different games, this new event makes it much easier, efficient, and safer to play games with your friends and have a fun and memorable experience.

{Information for this article was retrieved from Thisiscleveland.com and Letsroam.com.}

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.}