Lake Metroparks loses a great friend and advocate

On March 13, 2013, Lake Metroparks lost a great friend and advocate for the parks and conservation with the passing of the Honorable Ted Klammer.

Ted Klammer was an environmental advocate, evident by his ten years of volunteer service on the Lake Metroparks Board of Park Commissioners. Klammer then served as Probate Judge for 11 years. One of his duties was to make appointments to the Board of Park Commissioners, a three-member board of citizens which governs Lake Metroparks.

His years of leadership as commissioner enabled Lake Metroparks to currently protect more than 8,000 acres of open space and waterways in Lake County for current and future generations to enjoy, while providing extensive education and recreation programming services to county residents. Several of the outstanding parks and facilities opened while Klammer was on the park include:

• Chagrin River Park
• The Greenway Corridor
• Pine Ridge Country Club

Judge Klammer understood the importance of the parks not only for the present, but the future as well. He really loved the parks and saw how much people appreciated them. During Klammer’s tenure as a park commissioner, and under his guidance, Lake Metroparks received many prestigious awards, including:

• National Gold Medal Awards Finalist, 2002 & 1997
• Lake County Environmental Improvement Awards, 2003
• Great Lakes Region Partnership Award, NE Ohio Regional Parks Consortium, 2002
• Ohio Museum Association Award of Excellence, 2000
• Partnership in Elderly Services Award, 1999 (Lake County Council on Aging)

Ted Klammer was a great champion for conservation and will be missed.