Hello everyone:

CELEBRATE SPRING AT CLEVELAND METROPARKS "NORTH COAST NATURE FESTIVAL"

Celebrate spring with Cleveland Metroparks "North Coast Nature
Festival," a free, weekend-long event for nature lovers, beginning
Friday evening, April 27 through Sunday, April 29.  The event features a
variety of programs and activities for novice to experienced nature
enthusiasts, and includes the weekend "Nature Show" at Rocky River
Nature Center in Rocky River Reservation in North Olmsted.

In addition to the "Nature Show" activities, visitors have the
opportunity to enjoy two Special Evening Presentations on Friday night,
April 27 at 7 and 9 p.m. and Saturday night, April 28 at 7 p.m.

The Friday evening presentation (at 7 p.m. and repeated at 9 p.m.)
features nationally-known Nature Photographer Rick Sammon with
"Exploring Digital Photography."  Sammon will share his photos from
around the globe, including some that have appeared in his 27 books and
thousands of newspaper and magazine articles.  For every image, Sammon
will share a photographic technique, PhotoShop tip or his photo
philosophy.   After each presentation, Sammon will conduct a
question-and-answer session that is more like a "photographer's happy
hour" and gives visitors a great opportunity to meet Sammon up-close.

Sammon:  Rick Sammon has published 27 books, his latest trio: Rick
Sammon's Travel and Nature Photography, Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to
Digital Photography and Idea to Image.  He is host of the Digital
Photography Workshop on the Do It Yourself (DIY) network and a guest
host of the Canon Photo Safari on the Outdoor Life Network. He writes
for PCPhoto, Outdoor Photographer, Shutterbug, and Layers magazines.
Sammon has produced 7 interactive DVD's for photographers and Adobe
Photoshop/Photoshop Elements users for his co-founded site
rickspixelmagic.com.  Each year, he travels the globe in search of new
images and gives more than a dozen photography workshops & presentations
around the world, including the Arctic, Antarctica, Africa, Bhutan,
Brazil, Galapagos, India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Papua, New Guinea.

The Saturday night presentation at 7 p.m. is entitled "Play on Birds"
and features Sharon Stiteler, aka "The Bird Chick," and her non-birding
husband, Bill.  "Play on Birds" is a sketch comedy show written and
performed by both Sharon and Bill Stiteler that lovingly pokes fun at
birds, bird watching and bird feeding.  Popular sketches include: "Bird
and Chain" (birding with your non birding spouse), "What Birders Think
They Look Like, What Birders Actually Look Like," and "Birds with Dirty
Names."

Stiteler:  Sharon Stiteler was given a Peterson Field Guide to Birds
when she was seven and snapped!  She tried to flee destiny in a brief
career with Universal Exports, but has worked in the birding industry
since 1997.  She has run a wild bird store, been an optics rep, and now
leads birding tours, keeps a blog and appears on radio and television as
"The Bird Chick."  Stiteler has two books City Birds/Country Birds and
Disapproving Rabbits both due out this year.

Both of the evening presentations are free.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and
seating is limited for both.

Guest speakers featured on Saturday include: Mike Durkalec of Cleveland
Metroparks on "Fish of the Rocky River Watershed" at 10:30 a.m.,
"Snakes, Turtles, Lizards, and Frogs of Ohio" with Norm Damm of the
North Ohio Association of Herpetologists at 12:30 p.m., "Exploring
Digital Photography" with nationally-known photographer Rich Sammon at 2
p.m., and "Attracting Birds" with "The Bird Chick" Sharon Stiteler at 4
p.m.

Speakers featured on Sunday include: Mike Durkalec of Cleveland
Metroparks on "Fish of the Rocky River Watershed" at 10:30 a.m., "Bird
Banding as a Tool to Study Ohio Birds" with regionally-known bird-bander
Tom Bartlett at 12:30 p.m., "Peregrine Falcon Soap Opera - 'Life & Times
of the Peregrines in the Midwest'" with "The Bird Chick" Sharon Stiteler
at 2 p.m., and "Snakes, Turtles, Lizards, and Frogs of Ohio" with Chuck
Voracek of the Northern Ohio Association of Herpetologists at 4 p.m.

Mini-seminars each day are also offered on "Digital Nature Photography"
with Ritz Camera at 11 a.m., "Birding Optics" with Eagle Optics at noon,
"National Geographic Handheld Birds" with Heidi Stelmach of Cleveland
Metroparks at 1:30 p.m., and "Imagination Arts: Games!" with Kristen
Boyesen at 3:30 p.m.

Additional presentations will take place outside at the near-by
Trailside Amphitheater, and include: Perry Peskin local author of "The
Search for Lost Habitats" Saturday only at 1:30 p.m., Walt Sturgeon on
"Wild Mushrooms, a Wild of Wonder at Your Feet" Sunday only at 1:30
p.m., Bob Kehres of Ohio Prairie and Nursery at noon, and live animal
programs presented by Medina Raptor Center (Saturday) and Lake Erie
Nature & Science Center (Sunday) at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

The Festival's "Nature Show" is on Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April
29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., both days.  The Show features nature
art/photography exhibits and sales, exhibits of nature-related
organizations and other nature-minded vendors.  It also includes a wide
variety of presentations by guest speakers, hikes for all ages, live
animal presentations, children's activities, a 'Native Plant Sale,' and
more.

The "Nature Show" features nature art/photography exhibitors/vendors,
exhibits of nature-related organizations and other nature-minded
vendors, including: photographer Rick Sammon (Saturday only),
photographer John Orehovec, Deep Brook Nature Photography, Eagle Optics,
RS Photos, Schoolhouse Woodcrafts, Valleywood Farm & Studio, Wild Birds
Unlimited, Wild Things in Wood, Wildlife Art, photographer Robert Beck,
painter Mary Ryan, Begin Designs, Blissful Beads, Cash for Critters,
Nature Quilts, Imagination Arts, Matt & Pappo Stone Sculpting, Smith &
Hawken, Ohio Prairie Nursery, EarthWords Nature Shops of Cleveland
Metroparks, Western Reserve Wild Ones, Cleveland Metroparks Institute of
the Great Outdoors,  Black River Chapter of Women in the Outdoors, Las
Gralarias Foundation, Northern Ohio Association of Herpetologists,
Northeast Ohio Sierra Club, SW Camera Club, Western Cuyahoga Audubon
Society, National Wildlife Federation, Medina Raptor Center (Saturday
only), and Lake Erie Nature & Science Center (Sunday only).

Rocky River Nature Center is located at 24000 Valley Parkway in Rocky
River Reservation, north of Cedar Point Road in North Olmsted - just off
the I-480/Clague Road exit (westbound) and I-480/Columbia Road exit
(eastbound).
For more information and a complete list of speakers and activities,
visit clevelandmetroparks.com or
call 440-734-6660 or 216-635-3200.

Experience the rebirth of spring at the "North Coast Nature Festival" of
Cleveland Metroparks - part of your life, naturally!

-30-

This information is available on Cleveland Metroparks website:
www.clevelandmetroparks.com.
The media can retrieve this press release from the "Press Room" icon
location.

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