Beech Creek looks to bounce back from pandemic as its busiest season begins

WASHINGTON TWP. – The spring season will be an important indicator for Beech Creek Botanical Garden and Nature Center to see how it has bounced back from the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're getting kind of deeper and deeper into our busier season, so this spring will probably be the biggest tell financially what will really happen moving forward," Beech Creek Botanical Garden and Nature Center spokesperson Eric Ginanni said.

Like many organizations, the facility struggled when the pandemic halted in-person activities and programs.

Executive Director Melinda Carmichael wrote in a newsletter sent to members of the Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce in September 2020 that Beech Creek's revenue streams took a "huge hit" and the facility was on the verge of closing.

But creative fundraising strategies helped Beech Creek stay afloat.

"In certain areas, we saw growth while in other areas we had to develop new ideas, new tactics and whatnot," Ginanni said.

One of these changes was becoming more digitally focused, he said.

Beech Creek started an online gift basket fundraiser and also created a May Day fundraiser.

May Day – which gained popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries – is a holiday that celebrates the return of spring. Beech Creek has sold May Day flower baskets over the last two years. Giving someone a May Day basket is meant to be a gesture of good health.

Beech Creek will be offering Mother's Day flower baskets this year.

While the pandemic placed a financial strain on Beech Creek, it didn't create problems recruiting volunteers.

"We actually just had our volunteer orientation, and it turned out much better than anticipated," Ginanni said. "We had about 55-plus actually come to the orientation ... We're doing really well with volunteers, but we can always take more."

Similarly, Raptor Hallow Sanctuary has not had issues finding volunteers.

Raptor Hallow Executive Director Josh Kuszmaul said the organization – which provides sanctuary for birds of prey, reptiles and other mammals – has experienced growth since moving to Beech Creek in 2021.

The operation was previously housed in Salem.

"We were doing just a lot of outreach programs," Kuszmaul said. "Our animals weren't on exhibit for the public to walk through and view them. So being at Beech Creek allows us to get our conservation messaging out there more."

He believes the pandemic made many people realize the importance of spending time outdoors and led to the increase in interest.

"(With) us being out in nature, what a great opportunity for people to explore nature," he said.

Raptor Hallow will begin offering a wildlife show this summer. Kuszmaul described it as a scripted program that will focus animals and their different adaptations. The sanctuary will also host animal encounters, which allow visitors to help train the animals.

Meanwhile, Beech Creek is gearing up for its annual Art in Bloom event, which runs May 2 through June 5. The program features outdoor artwork crafted by Ohio artists, along with thousands of flowers.

Reach Paige at 330-580-8577 or pmbennett@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @paigembenn.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Beech Creek looks to bounce back from pandemic as spring season begins