We started off the month with our annual photoshoot with the lovely Mallory Riley. She always captures the grooviest, most magical moments. Check out the photos here!

We also hosted so many adventures! In June alone we hosted 165 people on outdoor adventures — playdates, kayaks, rock climbing, clean ups, birding and OUR FIRST FIELD TRIP EVER! We were so happy when Cornerstone of Hope reached out to us to get their campers on a hike. Cornerstone of Hope is a local grief organization whose vision is to create a world where no grieving person journeys alone. For the field trip, they brought 90 campers to Oak Grove Picnic Area in Brecksville Reservation and, alongside Tiny Green Learning, we hiked, did art projects, practiced mindfulness, and ate popsicles. It was delightful!

In June we also hosted our first adult field trip for 8 employees from Smuckers' finance department. For this outing, our resident blue heron citizen scientist, Andrea Irland, talked about our tiny dinosaur/large bird neighbors, the great blue herons. Then we cleaned up nearly 50 lbs of trash around the Great Blue Heron Viewing area on the south end of the CVNP. In May and June alone, we cleared nearly 175 lbs of trash from this south entrance of the CVNP, keeping our park beautiful and preventing trash from entering our waterways.

SURVEY PLEASE

I have been terrible at sending post-adventure emails lately, so sorry. I love yall and appreciate yall so much. If you've attended an adventure lately/ever, please take a few moments to fill out this survey so we can get some funding and learn from your experiences! THANK YOU!

NEO ADVENTURE DIRECTORY!

Alsoooo behind the scenes our amazing volunteer webdeveloper, Ben, is busy building and tweaking our NEO Adventure Directory! Though we're working hard to push our NEO Adventure Directory — it's tough getting businesses to commit before our traffic volume is high (bc why would they want to join a database that doesn't have traffic?!) but it's also hard getting community traffic to the site when we dont have tons of businesses and many incomplete profiles.

Our goal is to get this directory looking goooood for August/September so we can push it out to schools, scouts, and employee resource groups to share with their families and to use it as a guide to plan activities. If you're reading this and have a profile already, please make sure your profile is fully filled out (reach out to me if you have questions or want support)!

Alsoo please reach out to kara@opentrailcollective.org if you want to join the directory, sponsor the directory, or if you have a group with whom you want to share the directory!

Upcoming OTC Adventures — JOIN US!

• 7/6, 5:30 PM — Clean Up Crew + Merriman Valley Pizza's Farmers Market. Join us as we clean up along the corridor between MVP and the Human Society and then hang with us after at the farmers market! You can also watch Kara be a judge at the MVP BBQ Competition that day 🤣

• 7/10, 5:30 PM — Kayak River Clean Up with CVA - (WAITLIST)

• 7/12, 9:30 AM — Stand Up Paddle Board with Lisa Meranti and One Tree Love

• 7/21, 9:30 AM — Karens Way Play Space + Huntington Beach Huntington Beach Picnic and Playdate

• 7/23, 6 to 9 PM — 41*North - Whiskey Island Paddle, Cleveland Rocks Tour

• 7/27, 9:30 AM — Walk and Playdate with MOM WALK CO - Akron (moms of all ages and stages welcome!)

• 8/7, 10AM — Wildlife Conservation Center Tour + Family-Friendly Hike

• 8/18, 5-630 PM — CVNP Clean Up Crew

   

Stay tuned for additional adventures! Got an adventure idea? Let us know! Adventure updates are posted on our Instagram, Facebook, and event page on our website. Please remember to register in advance. 

Community Highlights (in ABC order)

TINY GREEN LEARNING — Our besty Alicia is back in town for the summer! She has a few nature playdates coming up in July so be sure to check them out and register early.

Cuyahoga Valley Farmers Market — Visit this farmers market year round, rain or shine, every Saturday located in the Scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park. With loads of vendors selling fresh and local fruits, veggies, meats, breads, desserts and more, it's the perfect place to stock up on everything you need for the week. And being that it's located in the middle of our national park, it is the perfect place to fuel up before a morning adventure or grab a snack afterwards. They constantly have live music, cultural events, food demos and more! Check out their robust list of vendors and programs here.

BURNING RIVER — We're super stoked this year to help Western Reserve Racing fill their volunteer needs for the Burning River race weekend. The Burning River race series is an exciting 100M, 50M, and Marathon solo run and 100M relay in Northeast Ohio. The race travels through several of the region's most scenic areas, including the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Summit Metro Parks. Volunteering at the race is an awesome opportunity to help support and encourage the hundreds of runners who test their limits on our favorite trails. Be a part of the magic and check out volunteer opportunities here.

HAPI Fresh Farmers' Market — This is tasty, mult-cultural farmers market at ASIA Inc in Akron is starting at the end of July on Wednesday, July 29! The later start date gives our vendors more time for their gardens to produce marketable crop after a cooler spring. HAPI Fresh is an opportunity for neighbors, especially from refugee and immigrant backgrounds, to gain entrepreneurial opportunities with their farming skill sets. Many of the crops sold at the market are popular, culturally significant vegetables that are challenging to find in mainstream grocery stores, such as bitter melon, water spinach, Thai eggplant, and more. The market accepts SNAP EBT, cash, and credit card.

Climbing & Yoga Retreat in the New River Gorge (8/20/2026): An immersive three-day climbing and yoga retreat designed to help you move with confidence, focus with clarity, and recover with intention. This experience blends professional rock climbing instruction with mindful yoga practices in a supportive, small-group setting. Whether you’re brand new or experienced, this retreat welcomes all levels. Learn more here. 

Women Only Rowing Clinic in the New River Gorge — 3-day Rowing Clinic starting Auguts 25 at 8am in Oak Hill, WV. Develop your skills on the oars surrounded by women who want to do the same thing! Whether you are a brand new rafter looking for the basics or an experienced boater looking to advance your abilities, WILD is here for you. This course is designed for beginner and intermediate rowers to learn and solidify the techniques that will help you navigate a day trip on your class II backyard run or a 21-day expedition down the Grand Canyon. With a maximum ratio of 3 students to 1 instructor, you will get plenty of practice at the oars. Join us for 3 days of building camaraderie with fellow women paddlers, learning in a supportive and empowering space, and gaining confidence while feeling safe and comfortable with our female ACA-certified instructors in wild and wonderful West Virginia.

As always, if you want to support more adventure in our amazing community, you can make a tax deductible donation here. We appreciate your support SO MUCH!

Thanks for being a member of our awesome community! Seriously so thankful for each and every one of you.

Kara Lapso, LSW MSW

kara@opentrailcollective.org

440-537-4849​