Students and community get hands-on learning experience at outdoor education center
by Dan Holland
The Independence Outdoor Education Center & Land Lab, located behind the Independence Local Schools Administrative offices and adjacent to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, welcomed visitors to its annual public open house on Oct. 6.
Visitors explored the numerous hiking trails and ponds on the 50-acre wooded property, the site of a former Nike missile base. The protected land was acquired from the federal government and also houses classroom space with live reptile and amphibian exhibits.
The education center, which was the vision of former Independence High School biology teacher William Taylor, was established in 1970. It is managed by IHS Biology Society students and current club advisor and IHS biology teacher Scott Maretka, who took over the helm from Taylor decades ago.
“Bill Taylor stayed on for a time in the Biology Society after he retired from teaching,” explained Maretka. “Over time, he groomed me to take over the Land Lab and Biology Society, and we just celebrated the 60th anniversary of the club last year. A good part of that 60 years was with Mr. Taylor, and then 20-plus years have been with me. To have only had two advisors over 60 years is pretty amazing.”
The school district and Biology Society utilize the facilities and grounds to teach students about the local natural environment both in a classroom setting and through hands-on collection of flora and fauna. The Biology Society hosts a number of field trips and outdoor activities for area students from preschool through high school.
“We use it as a classroom for my environmental science class, and we also use it for a new class I have called vertebrate zoology/field biology,” explained Maretka. “So, the kids can learn at the desks inside, but then we can go out in the field and study. They also host outdoor education programs in the district. Our young kids come down here and students lead them on hikes.”
Live specimens kept in fish tanks in the Land Lab include snakes, salamanders, turtles, frogs, fish and others captured on site.
Independence resident Tricia Storm brought her children to tour the Land Lab and explore the hiking trails and ponds on the property. Children are encouraged to use nets at specific ponds during the event to try to catch and release live specimens.
“I was in the Biology Club 20 years ago, so I wanted to come out today and show my kids and my dad, who still lives in Independence, what they have here, so we could all enjoy it,” said Storm.
Lana Baker brought her sons, Charlie and Wally – both students in the district – to the Land Lab, where the boys handled a small garter snake with the assistance of volunteer and Biology Society member Dyanne Wang, an IHS senior.
“They have both been here before on field trips and loved it,” said Baker. “So, when we heard there was an open house, they both wanted to come since they love seeing the animals. We went to the pond, stopped and got some free refreshments and then came to the lab.”
Ron Shadrach, who attended the open house with wife Bonnie, participated in field biology studies at the site from 1972 to 1975 under the tutelage of William Taylor. “We had to identify insects and local fauna, and then we would have tests where we had to identify the common and scientific names of 40 different tree species, and we had just as many local plants we had to identify,” he explained. “It was a lot of fun.”
Don Krolikowski, a 1977 IHS graduate and member of the alumni association, visited the open house with wife Catherine. “The alumni association loves this facility, and they would love to see this property remain here for generations to come,” he said. “My kids enjoyed this, and I enjoyed it as a student.”
One of the ponds is a breeding pool for the colorful spotted salamander, noted Maretka. “Every spring, we come here and watch the salamander migration happen,” he said. “We also do a turtle study there and monitor their growth every year.”
“With a breeding pool for the salamanders, we can show the kids how valuable this is to the organisms that live here,” Maretka continued. “You don’t have to take a field trip to see these things, with it all being right here. It’s a unique situation with an outdoor laboratory that gives kids a chance to be outside and exposed to the natural environment.” ∞
Cover photos (above): The Independence Outdoor Education Center & Land Lab has been an educational resource for over 50 years. Biology teacher and high school Biology Society advisor Scott Maretka explains exhibits to visitors during the Land Lab open house, while Tricia Storme assists her son Leo in catching local specimens in an on-site pond. Photos by D. Holland.