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Ottawa County Parks & Recreation offers programming and volunteer opportunities year-round! Visit the Program and Events Calendar for details and registration. Call our Nature Center at Hemlock Crossing Park for more information: 616-786-4847.
 May
Scroll down to find information about ways to get outside this spring, as well as upcoming programs, events, and much more. Thank you for reading!
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Get ready for the upcoming summer season by buying your 2024 permit online! Ottawa County Parks collects parking fees Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day at our lakeshore parks and the Riverside Park boat launch.
There are two ways you can purchase your permit:
- Online - Visitors can register their license plate and pay for their annual motor vehicle permit online using a mobile-friendly website. By using this website, users can confirm their residency and date of birth, allowing them to access senior and resident discounts. This is the only method to purchase discounted motor vehicle permits.
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On-site - Pay stations are available at all lakeshore beach parks including Kouw Park, Windsnest Park, and the Riverside Park Boat Launch. Visitors can purchase a digital permit by registering their license plate for a day or a year using the pay station. Annual permits sold at the pay stations are $25; daily permits are $8. The fee stations are not able to determine residency, so no discounted permits will be sold at these stations.
Ottawa County Parks collects parking fees Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day at the following parks:
*In 2023, Ottawa County Parks began managing Kouw and Windsnest Parks per a management agreement with Port Sheldon Township. The township will be subsidizing the cost of an annual motor vehicle permit for their residents. Read more about this change by clicking here.
Learn more about permit pricing
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You can still get involved!
This free 8-week program is designed to help participants stay active, explore new parks, and improve physical and mental health through outdoor group walks. Participants of all fitness levels are invited to join. This program is supported by the Ottawa County Parks Foundation.
You can look forward to:
- Discovering new parks in Ottawa County
- Setting & achieving fitness goals
- Motivation & accountability by logging activity
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On select Wednesdays June-August
EARLY SPROUTS - AGES 4-5 (W/ CAREGIVER) | $10/session • 9:30-11 am
Each week, we will explore a different natural theme through music, games, books, outdoor exploration and crafts. A caregiver must remain with the child.
NATURE BUDS - AGES 6-8 | $10/session • 9:30-11:30 am
Nature Buds will explore and engage with nature through activities that may include using dip nets in the wetland, catching insects, and searching for salamanders!
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June 1 • 9 AM - 1 PM • Hemlock Crossing
June 22 • 8 AM • Grand River to Grand Ravines
Ottawa County Parks is currently hiring for the following positions:
Help us protect wildlife habitats and native plant communities by joining us for a garlic mustard removal workday.
Here’s what you should know about workdays:
- Click HERE to register.
- Bring work gloves, insect repellent, and appropriate attire for the outdoors.
- All tools, drinking water, and snacks will be provided.
- All ages welcome; 16 and under must be with an adult.
- Workdays will be cancelled for rain/snow.
June 1 • 10 AM - 12 PM • Connor Bayou
Join the Friends of Ottawa County Parks for a cleanup at Connor Bayou in celebration of National Trails Day. Water, snacks, tools and trash bags will be provided. This is a great family activity! Click HERE to sign up.
To stop the spread of oak wilt, a fungal disease that can kill red oak trees within weeks, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is urging homeowners not to prune any oak trees from April 15 to July 15.
Oak wilt infection can occur when sap-feeding nitidulid beetles become contaminated with viable oak wilt spores and carry them to fresh wounds on other vulnerable oaks. Oak wilt also can be spread by moving firewood cut from infected trees or from tree to tree through connected, or grafted, root systems.
Learn more: Keep oak trees healthy; don't prune April 15-July 15
 Affected trees will suddenly begin to wilt from the top down, rapidly dropping leaves, which can be green, brown or a combination of both colors. Photo credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources
In partnership with Audubon Great Lakes and Michigan Department of Natural Resources, an exciting restoration project is underway at Ottawa Sands County Park. The project includes shoreline restoration around the inland lake and the creation of interdunal wetlands. These efforts aim to preserve wetlands for vulnerable marsh birds and wildlife in the eastern Lake Michigan region.
"We are committed to preserving and restoring critical habitats for wildlife," stated Nealy Molhoek, representing Ottawa County Parks & Recreation. "Interdunal wetlands play a pivotal role in supporting biodiversity, and this project exemplifies our dedication to conservation efforts."
Click here to learn more about this project.
 The shoreline grading and littoral zone creation is visible through the clear water and includes the creation of the shallow bay and wetland complex on the left side of the photo. Photo by Asia Rasch.
As it begins to warm up outside, remember to keep an eye out for ticks! Ticks are most active in Michigan April through September. Some ticks may carry diseases, so it's important to thoroughly check yourself and your pets after spending time outdoors!
Learn more news.miottawa.org/ticks
In addition, the Department of Public Health will initiate tick drags in the upcoming weeks, extending through September. This process involves dragging a tick cloth along a park trail and examining it for ticks, which are then identified and tested for diseases. If you observe this activity in a park, kindly allow them space to conduct their surveillance, and be aware that they are working in collaboration with our department.
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Click on a program date to be redirected to our registration page for that program!
Astronomy Program: Women in Astronomy
Registration encouraged • FREE • Ages 12+
Join the Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association (SAAA) for an astronomy presentation in the Nature Center, followed by telescope viewing of the night sky (weather/cloud cover permitting). The Women in Astronomy presentation will cover the contributions women have made in the history of astronomy.
National Trails Day Cleanup
Registration encouraged • FREE
Join the Friends of Ottawa County Parks for a cleanup at Connor Bayou for National Trails Day. Water, snacks, tools and trash bags will be provided. This is a great family activity!
Into Nature
Spring Wildflower Walk
Registration encouraged • FREE • Ages 12+
Woodland flowers, called spring ephemerals, bloom before the trees leaf out. Join a parks naturalist to look for these spring beauties blooming in our parks.
Bird Walk
Registration encouraged • FREE • Ages 12+
Whether you are an avid birder or are just desiring to experience birds beyond your backyard, join us and immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of spring bird migration. Trail conditions vary depending on the park. Be prepared for muddy and wet trails. *These programs are geared towards beginners.
Earth Encounters: Lake Michigan Dunes
Registration required • Resident-$5 / Non-Resident-$6 • Ages 8+
Does “Lake Michigan Dune Complex” sound complicated? Through a combination of presentation, activities, and dune-topping hike, we’ll simplify things a bit and help you understand how dune complexes are formed and where can they be found in our county parks. We'll start at the Nature Center at Hemlock Crossing and end up at Kirk Park.
Bald Eagle Walk
Registration encouraged • Resident-$5 / Non-Resident-$6 • Ages 10+
Bald Eagles frequent areas along the Grand River and have nested at Grand Ravines for many years. Join us on this hike to learn the story of the park's resident eagles and get a special private view into their nesting activities.
Greenway Birding Blitz
Registration encouraged • FREE • Ages 12+
Celebrate migration by birding along the Pigeon River Greenway! Join us at one or more locations through the day.
Container Gardening for Butterflies
Registration required • Resident-$10 / Non-Resident-$15 • Ages 18+
Butterflies add color and joy to nature, and you can attract them to your garden! Learn about some common Michigan butterflies and the host plants necessary for caterpillars to grow and thrive in your own yard. After a short presentation, we will plant seeds in containers to start your butterfly garden and learn about ways to attract butterflies to your yard.
Nature Journal Club
Registration required • Resident-$5 / Non-Resident-$6 • Ages 18+
Calling all nature lovers! Gather each month to learn new drawing and writing techniques specific to the theme and enjoy community connection with fellow journalers. The Nature Journal Club compliments an Introduction to Nature Journaling, however taking the class prior is not required. *Journals are not provided.
Twilight Hike
Registration required • Resident-$5 / Non-Resident-$6 • Ages 10+
In spring, as light of day turns to dark of night, wildlife springs to life! Come experience your favorite parks in a whole new way as you explore them by the light of fading day!
Yoga at the Nature Center
Registration required • Resident-$10 / Non-Resident-$15 • Ages 18+
Come practice yoga at the Nature Center! A certified yoga instructor will lead this session in the beautiful Great Room, with views of the forest outside. All levels of experience are welcome. *Yoga mats not provided.
Kids & Families
Trailside Storytime
Registration encouraged • FREE • Ages 3-9
Come spend an hour outside along the trail, reading and learning about nature with your child or grandchild. The hour will include a nature-themed story, and an outdoor walk geared for children 3-9 years old.
Tuned into Nature
Registration required • Resident-$5 / Non-Resident-$6 • Ages 2-4
Kids ages 2-4 can bring their favorite grown up to sing songs, dance, and learn about nature together. We'll spend time making and moving to music based on a nature theme and go outside for a walk to explore it outdoors.
StoryWalks
We’re collaborating with local libraries to continue providing StoryWalks this winter! Walk through the pages of a book as you make your way along a park path. These are self-guided programs, and the stories are available during park hours. Brought to you by Herrick Main Library, Loutit District Library, and Herrick North Branch Library.
- May 6-19 at Pine Bend: Lola Plants a Garden (Spanish/English) by Anna McQuinn
- May 20 - June 2 at Paw Paw Park East: The Secret Fawn by Kallie George
Early Sprouts
Registration required • Resident-$10 / Non-Resident-$15 • Ages 4-5
Each week, we will explore a different natural theme through music, games, books, outdoor exploration and crafts. A caregiver must remain with the child.
Nature Buds
Registration required • Resident-$10 / Non-Resident-$15 • Ages 6-8
Nature Buds will explore and engage with nature through activities that may include using dip nets in the wetland, catching insects, and searching for salamanders!
NOTICE: The telescope in the public Observatory at Hemlock Crossing is undergoing repairs and will be closed for the next 10 - 12 weeks.
Friday Public Observing nights and astronomy programs will continue as scheduled, thanks to our dedicated SAAA members who will showcase their smaller telescopes for everyone to enjoy the night sky.
The Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association will continue to host Friday public viewing nights with smaller telescopes (weather permitting). These events are weather dependent and will be cancelled if overcast.
Make sure to check the calendar for cancellations on this page before you head out to the park: holland-saaa.org
- May 3, 8 pm - Public Observing
- May 10, 8 pm - Public Observing
- May 17, 8 pm - Public Observing
- May 24, 8 pm - Public Observing
- May 31, 8 pm - Public Observing
For more details: miOttawa.org/observatory
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