This park is used for Lake Metroparks’ programs and day camps, tent camping by permit only, shelter reservations and pond fishing access by permit only.
The property was once owned by conservationist James Storer, who preserved the land and bequeathed it to Lake Metroparks. Blind from childhood, Jim Storer made his living as a Storer Broadcasting, Inc. executive. His legacy of philanthropy, service and conservation spans northeast Ohio. He served as a trustee for many organizations including American Foundation for the Blind, Cleveland Clinic, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, The Holden Arboretum, The Cleveland Orchestra and Kenyon College. He was also a leading founder and president of Grand River Partners, now part of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy. In 1998 he told The Plain Dealer of the Grand River, “It’s just a great river and it should be kept that way.”
When Storer called the property his home, he named it “Walden II” after naturalist Henry David Thoreau’s home on Walden Pond in Massachusetts. Many of the features of Storer’s home remain, including stone walls that enclose the final resting place of beloved guide dogs that served him during his active and productive life; a bell tower featuring bells inscribed to honor Jim’s late wife, Ann; and the guide rope Jim installed along the edge of a ravine so that he could enjoy walks in nature.
