Cooperrider Kent Bog State Nature Preserve. An additional 215 acres spanning Kent and Brimfield protects over 50 acres of high quality sphagnum peat bog adjacent to the Tom S. The most recent land acquisitions include locations in Kent, Brimfield, Franklin Township, and Streetsboro acquired with the support of state and federal grants and the partnership of other conservation organizations. “Thankfully, the public showed its support for parks and trails voting to pass our first ever levy in 2014 that finally gives us a stable funding base – it’s made all the difference in the world for our future.” An Optimistic Time of Growth Portage Parks now manages over 2,000 acres of parkland, including five open parks, a boat access on the Cuyahoga River, and 14 miles of hike and bike trails across the county. But as this region continues to develop, we need to balance it with conservation to protect our vital natural heritage, while we still have the opportunity,” said Christine Craycroft, Executive Director of the district for the past 20 years. “Portage County has tremendous natural resources – clean water, beautiful forests, wetlands and wildlife habitat – it can be easy to take it for granted. Over the next couple of decades, it struggled with unstable funding, getting by on whatever the county government could spare to support its tiny dedicated staff and board while slowly growing its system of parks and trails through grants and donations. Back then, the district’s annual operating budget was only about $15,000 and its only park was the county-owned Towner’s Woods. A Humble Beginning Portage Park District was newly formed in 1991 as an independent government agency, organized the same way as other Park Districts and Metroparks in Ohio, with a mission focused on land conservation. For those residents of Portage County who have been around long enough to watch the Portage Park District grow, it’s been truly exciting to witness – for those that are just getting acquainted with the Portage Parks, allow us to share a short history and plans for the future. After decades of struggling with a meager budget, the Portage Park District has been going through something of a growth spurt recently, with the addition of over 400 acres in and around Kent.
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