MEDINA, Ohio -- For the past 100 years, the Izaak Walton League of America has been a champion and defender of the nation’s soil, air, woods, waters and wildlife. For just over 70 of those years, the Izaak Walton League of Medina County has been a local leader in preserving natural resources.
Tucked away on 73 acres on Friendsville Road, the organization’s members and guests find a place to enjoy the outdoors and learn skills that seem to have been lost to modern times and tools.
Director Brenda Swartz notes that while this is a private club, there are many programs to which the public is invited. Right now, it’s fall turkey shoot season.
“We aren’t shooting turkeys,” she adds with a laugh. “Shooters bring their shotguns, aim at targets and the person with the best score gets to win a turkey or other meat product.”
Don Johns won the first shoot of the day with the “oldest gun.” (Sam Boyer, special to cleveland.com)
Don Johns, for instance. On a recent Sunday morning in the first round, he took aim and his target showed the best result. He won a package of bratwurst.
He, by the way, was using the oldest gun in the shoot.
“My wife’s grandfather bought this 1897 Winchester brand new in 1914, for $25,” he said. It has obviously been well cared for, as it looks like it came from the showroom.
No age limits here. The oldest shooter Sunday was Kathy Gravatt, 80. She’s been shooting for just four years. (Sam Boyer, special to cleveland.com)
Turkey shoots are open to the public, and the fall season runs every Sunday, starting at 10:30 a.m. (registration begins at 9 a.m.), through Nov. 27.
Some other events open to the public include trap shooting, at 6:30 p.m. each Tuesday. There also are basic archery lessons available to anyone 9 and older who would like to learn that skill.
Twice a month, there are programs about birds of prey and the chance to “fly” a falcon. Other educational programs about conservation are held throughout the year.
“We had our first car show this summer,” Swartz said, “and that was fun. This month, we have a Non-Scary Halloween Party from 11 a.m.. to 2 p.m. Oct. 22. It’s free and open to the public, too.”
The property includes a clubhouse, where members can warm up on a cold day over a fire while enjoying coffee or hot chocolate. An outside fire also helps to keep fall visitors warm on the back patio.
Cristy Fisher is one of the club’s newest members. During the pandemic, she wanted a place where she could find the tools she might need to protect herself. And though she lives in another county, she picked the Medina club to join.
“The people were so friendly and helpful,” she said. She especially likes the trap shooting and has become very active with the organization.
Jayden Haywood, 12, enjoys target shooting. (Sam Boyer, special to cleveland.com)
Longtime members have planted more than 33,000 trees on the grounds, which are officially listed as a Forest Land by the Ohio Department of Forestry. There are two lakes on the property: One is a wetland lake near the clubhouse, designed to have a marsh area where there are various grains suitable for wildlife plants.
The land also includes a butterfly garden, planted by members in 2000. Members also can enjoy fishing, hiking, camping and nature photography.
Membership information and public events can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/medinachapter/ or by contacting Swartz at [email protected].
For more information about the national Izaak Walton League, go to https://www.iwla.org/.
Read more from the Medina Sun.