Park Projects
Select a Park Project for More Information:
Grand River Greenway
Pigeon River Greenway
Macatawa Greenway
Bend Area
Hager Creek Restoration
Grand River Park Native Grasslands
Unimproved County Parks (including Park 12 and Crockery
Creek)
Grand River Greenway
In 1995, the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission invited landowners, area governmental units and the general public to join the Commission in an ambitious project to study the feasibility of establishing a greenway along the Grand River. This meeting led to the formation of the Grand River Greenway Advisory Group which is working with the Commission to create a greenway master plan for the Grand River. As a step toward that goal, the Parks Commission completed A Natural and Cultural Features Inventory of the Grand River Greenway Corridor in Ottawa County in 1998 which provides an in-depth review and assessment of the river corridor's existing natural lands, historic sites and other significant resources.
Acquisition of key lands along the Grand River is underway with 839 acres already acquired. The Commission recognizes the establishment of greenways is a long-term commitment that can only be achieved with the support and involvement of many public and private organizations as well as landowners and the general public. For example, the nonprofit Land Conservancy of West Michigan is also working to protect natural lands along the Grand River in both Kent and Ottawa Counties using a variety of land protection methods such as conservation easements where land can be permanently protected but remain in private ownership.
Pigeon River Greenway
Long range planning is underway for a greenway along the Pigeon River corridor from Lake Michigan to areas east of 120th Avenue. At its December 2000 meeting, the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously approved the Pigeon River Greenway Master Plan. A grant from the Coastal Management Program of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality helped fund the cost of the master plan. Although the plan generally addresses the entire Pigeon River corridor, it is specifically focused on properties west of US 31 that were acquired by Ottawa County since 1997. This area includes eight properties comprising 239 acres immediately west of US 31. These newly acquired lands stretch 1.5 miles along the north side and about 1 mile on the south side of the Pigeon River and include a variety of natural communities including hardwood forest, bottomland forest, emergent wetlands, pine plantations and open fields as well as several small tributaries and natural springs. The scenic Pigeon River meanders through these properties and eventually flows into Lake Michigan. These natural communities provide homes for a diversity of plants and animals. A natural features inventory completed as part of the master planning process identified 554 species of vascular plants on the properties west of US 31. Total cost of land acquisition for all parcels was $1,885,000. Two grants from the Natural Resources Trust Fund through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources provided $787,500 of the total with the County Parks millage providing the balance of funds.
These acquisitions led to the opening in 2003 of Hemlock Crossing/Pine Bend. Improvements to this new park, totaling $1,071,000, were partially funded through a 2001 improvement grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund of $471,000. The remainder was funded through the parks millage.
Macatawa Greenway
The Macatawa River, also known as the Black River, drains an extensive portion of southern Ottawa County and northern Allegan County before emptying into Lake Macatawa and eventually into Lake Michigan. Greenway planners see the river and surrounding riparian lands as the heart of a future system of protected public and private properties that will provide important open space, natural areas and outdoor recreation opportunities in this rapidly urbanizing area.
Unlike efforts on the Grand and Pigeon Rivers, where Ottawa County Parks is the leading proponent of the greenway initiative, the Macatawa Greenway has a strong private nonprofit advocate in the form of the Macatawa Greenway Partnership. Although the Partnership's efforts are spread throughout the watershed, it shares Ottawa County's interest in the main river corridor and is in the process of acquiring natural lands and easements for protection and for a future greenway trail. Working closely with the Macatawa Greenway Partnership, Ottawa County Parks is developing the Upper Macatawa Site, a large conservation-based park and open space area on the Upper Macatawa River. In addition to it's park and open space value, the area could provide important water quality benefits, help with storm water management and provide important wildlife areas.
Bend Area
The Bend Area is a large site encompassing the large bend in the Grand River north of Cottonwood Drive in Georgetown Township. This property includes natural land and several large mineral mining operations. The Parks Commission's interest in the Bend Area site relates to a long-standing goal to provide water-based recreation opportunities in eastern Ottawa County and to its Grand River Greenway initiative which is focused on preserving riverfront lands and providing a greenway trail through the river corridor. The Bend Area Master Plan, approved by the Parks Commission in October 2000, was developed after a year and a half of work by the Parks Commission, the six landowners, Georgetown Township and a consultant hired for the project. The consultant, Bauer-Ford Reclamation Design of Lansing, specializes in reclaiming surface mine sites for parks and recreation. The master plan has also been adopted by the Georgetown Township Mineral Mining Board as the long-range mine reclamation plan for this area. Each mining company will develop an individual reclamation plan for their operation that will conform to the overall master plan.
The Bend Area Master Plan calls for a 490 acre park including a 135 acre lake, 1.5 miles of wooded Grand River frontage and extensive natural and created wetlands. Up to 35 feet of elevation changes will provide dramatic and picturesque views of the lake and surrounding wetlands and forests. The park will feature a wide range of recreation opportunities including a large swimming beach with capacity for 1,500 people, picnic areas for small and large groups, an amphitheater, non-motorized boating on the lake, fishing docks and park concessions. A large wetland complex will offer wildlife viewing areas and canoe/kayak trails. A multi-use trail system with boardwalks will be built for hiking and other uses.
In order for the Bend Area to become a reality, the Parks Commission must successfully negotiate the purchase of properties as identified in the master plan. Normally, master plans are developed following the acquisition of key lands. In this case, however, the plan was needed first to demonstrate the feasibility of the project and to guide future mining. Each of the landowners involved has expressed a willingness to sell their property to the county over time.
The Bend Area project is also unique because of its long-term nature. Mining all remaining mineral resources was a goal from the outset of the study and mineral extraction is typically a slow process. Each landowner has different time frames based on their production capacity, market demand and the nature of their reserves. It is likely that recreation facility development will not occur for 10-15 years and mining in the Bend Area may not be fully completed for 20 years or more.
Despite these long time frames, it is important that the plan is now in place so that the shaping of the land can occur as the minerals are extracted. Topsoil as well as overburden and waste sands can be placed according to the plan to create desired park features during mining operations. This will greatly minimize the cost of future earth moving on the site.
Copies of the Bend Area Master Plan are available for review at the County Parks Office and the Georgetown Township library.
Hager Creek Restoration
Hager Park in Georgetown Township is noted for its natural features including towering trees, a mature hardwood forest and Hager Creek. The forest along the creek is also well known for its display of spring wildflowers. Many birds and other animals use this area for nesting, shelter and feeding. Unfortunately, these natural features are in danger due to the severe erosion of the Hager Creek channel within the park. Many trees are being undercut and their roots exposed. The banks are steep and vegetation as well as large amounts of soil have eroded away. If this erosion continues, Hager Park will continue to lose many trees, wildflowers, wildlife habitat and the natural character of the creek.
It has been a goal of Ottawa County Parks to stop this erosion and to restore the creek area to its natural condition. To achieve this goal, the Hager Creek Watershed Management Plan was developed. This plan, which has been approved by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, looks at the entire length of Hager Creek as well as the surrounding land including properties west of 28th Avenue. This watershed plan involved input from park users, people living in the watershed and from engineers and biologists who studied the watershed, identified causes and recommended possible solutions to the problem. Many factors are contributing to this complex problem including development in the watershed, high velocity water rushing through the channel during major rain or melting events, highly erosive soil types and park visitors that ride bikes and walk up and down the creek banks.
Based on this plan, the Parks Commission applied for funding to implement the plan through the Clean Michigan Initiative (CMI) grant program. CMI is a bond proposal administered through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality designed to help local units of government fight nonpoint source pollution in local watersheds. In April 2001, Ottawa County Parks received word from the MDEQ that it was awarded a $259,106 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Grant under CMI. The remainder of funds for this $358,902 project came from the parks millage.
These grant funds were used to divert water into new and existing channels and to restore the existing Hager Creek channel. The Hager Creek corridor is temporarily fenced off to allow the restoration plantings to become established. Monitoring of the site will be conducted to determine the success of the project.
Grand River Park Native Grassland
When Ottawa County acquired Grand River Park in 1999, about 30 acres of farmland existed within park boundaries. As farm fields, these areas provided little in the way of cover, food or nesting sites for wildlife. In order to create a more diverse natural area, Parks staff began investigating the idea of creating a native grassland in these fields. After consulting with area biologists and attending a Grassland Ecology Workshop, Parks staff applied for and received a Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program grant which is administered by the USDA. This grant paid 75% of the cost of developing about 24 acres of native grassland at Grand River Park. The total cost of the project is about $8,000.
Site preparation was the focus in 1999. Soil samples were taken, fertilizer was applied and the site was tilled and planted with a cover crop of oats. The purpose of the oats is to suppress unwanted weeds and to prevent soil erosion.
During the spring of 2000, native warm season grasses were planted including switch grass, big bluestem, little bluestem and Indian grass. A variety of wildflower seeds were also planted.
Today, park visitors can walk trails through the grasslands and enjoy the wildflowers and grasses that are becoming established. Recommended times to visit are July for the profuse wildflower display and September to view the tall warm season grasses.
Why a native grassland? The growth pattern of native grasses creates a higher percentage of bare ground than most farm fields or fallow fields. These small openings provide needed travel corridors for small mammals and other wildlife and provide nesting sites. Native grasslands also provide food and breeding sites for a variety of insects which are an important food source for many species of mammals, birds and other animals. Native grasses stand up to 4 feet tall thus providing needed winter cover for wildlife allowing animals to survive cold temperatures and winds. A native grassland at Grand River Park adds to the diversity of existing natural communities within the park including floodplain forest, beech-maple forest, and shrub-scrub wetlands.
Parks Plan
The 2006 Ottawa County Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan was adopted by the Parks Commission and the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners in February 2006. This comprehensive plan identifies the Parks Commission's priorities and projects for the next five to ten years and outlines the direction for Ottawa County Parks in the areas of park expansion, improvements, new park development, establishment of greenways and other key initiatives. Elements of the plan include analysis of Ottawa County's population growth, land use changes and transportation network. A complete inventory of all local and state park and recreation facilities is included along with selected private recreation facilities in an effort to coordinate county park activities with both the public and private sectors.
View the 2006 Ottawa County Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan.
Printed copies of the plan are also available for review at the Parks and Recreation Office.
Parks Funding
Funding for parks operations, improvements and land acquisition come from several sources. Parks operations and management is funded primarily by tax dollars and income generated through vehicle permits, boat launch fees and facility reservations.
Many major park improvements and renovation projects have been funded through grants from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) which receives revenue from oil, gas and other mineral development on state owned land. Interest from this fund is available through grants to local units of governments for park improvements and land acquisition. The MNRTF is administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
During the August 8, 2006 primary election, Ottawa County voters approved a renewal of the Parks Millage for an additional 10 year period. The renewal was passed by 67% of voters. The current Parks Millage runs through 2007 and the renewal will provide funds for the years 2008 through 2017. This renewal will allow the Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission to continue with land acquisition projects along major river corridors and the Lake Michigan shoreline. Funds will also be used for improvements to both new and existing park properties as well as for parks operations. Two groups were instrumental in providing voters with millage information. The Ottawa County Parks Millage Renewal Committee was co-chaired by Gordon VanWylen and David Seibold and coordinated by Jean Laug-Carroll. Also, the Friends of Ottawa County Parks provided parks information and activities to bring about a greater awareness of the parks system.
