As a life long resident of Youngstown, Ohio, I have spent many years photographing Mill Creek Park. Established in 1891, Mill Creek Park is part of a 2600-acre metropolitan park district located in the heart of the industrial Midwest. Because there are no snow-capped mountains or grand vistas, and there are instead the inevitable hindrances, limitations, and obtrusions resulting form the Park’s urban surroundings, nature photography in Mill Creek Park can be challenging. Nevertheless, the Park contains many beautiful scenes and subjects for the nature photographer. Their existence, in stark contrast to the now rusting steel mills which border the Park, is a testament to the efforts and vision of the Park’s founder, Volney Rogers, the hard work and dedication of those who maintain the Park, and nature’s ability to endure.

It is my hope that the images of Mill Creek Park on this site will demonstrate that beauty in nature can be found not just in our national parks, but in our own backyards. I further hope that these photographs will foster pride and appreciation in the Youngstown community for its natural legacy. While some unwanted consequences of the Park’s urban setting may be inevitable, others, such as litter, are not. Hopefully, these photographs will encourage everyone in the community, and particularly those using and living in proximity to the Park, to respect, preserve, and cherish its beauty.