Leadership Toledo: Day 1

Today I got to experience Leadership Toledo for the first time. Awesome! The day was an orientation day. For our orientation we spent a good amount of time introducing ourselves to one another. I was amazed at the talent represented in the room. Fifty-five outstanding people and employees from all sectors of Toledo gathered to learn about Toledo, leadership and themselves. If today is the foreshadowing of things to come, I'm in for an amazing year. Bob Anderson was our presenter and consultant today. He taught us about leadership through group activities that served as a metaphor for understanding the difference between reactive and creative leadership orientations. The metaphor was powerful! The aha moments were numerous (a blog for another time).  The end of our day was an introduction to our first "regional" tour. A ranger from the Oak Openings Metropark system introduced us to the wonderful metropark system in Lucas county and the numerous volunteer activities available to us. The ranger explained that Northwest Ohio and the Oak Openings area sits on a sandy crest left by the melting of the ice glaciers 12,000 plus years ago. East of the Maumee River, eastern settlers moving west to experience the abundance land encounter the "Black Swamp". Upon crossing the Maumee River, the settlers arrived at the Oak Openings Region. An area that was appealing to settlers. The ranger explained that the Indians of early Ohio often used controlled burns to "spark" the amazing habitats and plant life, once abundant in the area. Since the metropark system acquired the land they too have turned to control burns much like the early Indians. As a result, new plants and habitats have been "discovered" and reappearing within the park system. Everything from wild blueberries to wild turkeys.  After his informative presentation about various plants, flowers, birds, butterflies and habitats, I was ready to explore. Once the group of dismissed for the day, I wandered along a near by trail, but to wet my appetite for future forays into the region. Along a brief walk I encountered very small, very active frog in an area called the "Swamp Forest". I discovered a woodpecker house in a tree. My exploration didn't allow me to explore the various areas, I was able to enjoy a number of plants that I didn't recognize. I'm looking forward to learning more about the natural areas in the Oak Opening area during future visits.