Metea County Park

10/16/2026

Join us for a microscope study! See below for details.

10/16/2026

Igniting Learning!
In Hatchet, Brian learns that fire is more than warmth. It becomes a friend, a protector, and a major turning point in his survival story. Our young naturalists put their fire-building skills into action this week at the Wilderness Survival Home School Series!

Watching them tackle fire-starting using different methods and nurture tiny sparks into real flames was nothing short of amazing.

What impressed me most was their focus on fire safety, teamwork, and responsible fire management. And of course... no campfire build is complete without the perfectly toasted (or burnt) marshmallows! 🍡 🔥

Next week's topic is water collection and knots!

10/16/2026

Here are the public programs for November at Metea County Park!

10/13/2026

Our first session of the Hatchet Home School Survival Series was a huge success! Drawing inspiration from Brian’s journey in Gary Paulsen’s classic novel, our young naturalists dove straight into the core principles of wilderness survival—starting with one of the most critical elements: Shelter.

The kids took to the woods to construct their very own debris shelters using only natural materials found on the forest floor & we were blown away by their creativity, teamwork, and engineering skills!

Thank you to all our brilliant homeschoolers for bringing so much enthusiasm and hard work to the trails. We can’t wait for our next survival challenge this week -- FIRE! 🔥

10/13/2026

Kids - Come and and gather sticks, bark, mud, and other natural materials to design, build and camouflage a weather-resistant mini shelter for a forest creature. Then we will test them with fans and sprayers to see how well they hold up against the elements!

When: Monday, November 16 - 10AM
Where: Metea County Park
Cost: $7/person (includes park entry), pay the naturalist

Call 449-8619 or email [email protected] to register for this class.

10/12/2026

Do you have a preschooler who loves stories, songs and being outside? Allen County Public Library and Allen County Parks are joining forces again for Preschool Story Time! Wednesday, October 14th at 10:30 AM!

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

Join us for an October night hike through the woods. It will be an evening dedicated Allen County's native nocturnal hunters!
Monday, October 26
7:00PM
$3 per person

Call 449-8619 or email Karie at [email protected] to register!

10/08/2026

Notice the small yellow-orange box with an "H" in it? That is Metea North's 1-acre gem, the hilltop prairie? Thank you to the volunteers that showed up yesterday to help the staff remove invasive autumn olive, rose, honeysuckle and burning bush that were encroaching into the site. This is a natural wonder for Allen County with only six hilltop prairies to be found in Allen County. We will work at the site again on October 21st and 28th, finishing out the project for this year. If you are interested in helping, show up at 10am at the Metea North parking area off Hursh Rd. Please wear long pants, long sleeves, a hat and leather gloves as well as eye protection. We have some loppers to share. You are welcome to bring your own SAWZALL, Reciprocating Saw or pruning saws but we do not have funds to replace your personal gear. We appreciate your help and enthusiasm for saving natural areas! Hope to see you there!