April 24-April 27, 2026 Join the City Nature Challenge! We’re partnering with John Ball Zoo for this exciting global bio-blitz, created by iNaturalist. With over 700 cities participating worldwide, it’s one of the largest community science events. Plus, you don’t need...
A Fond Farewell to 20 Years of Community Support and Stewardship After two decades of unwavering service, the Friends of Ottawa County Parks—a dedicated 501(c)3 nonprofit partner to the Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission—voted to formally disband on...
Celebrate Earth Day by volunteering in our parks! Join us to remove invasive species and clean up litter. Participants are welcome to come and go at any time during the events. Look for the volunteer-staffed table in the main parking lot at each location—all equipment...
Join us for a workday this fall! Register online: miOttawa.org/ocpevents *** September Volunteer Workdays Invasive Species Removal: September 23, 10 am-12 pm - Hiawatha Forest Native Seed Collection: September 23, 1-3 pm - Upper Macatawa Natural Area (84th Ave) ...
Ways to Get Involved on Earth Day 2023 Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22. According to earthday.org, the theme for Earth Day 2023 is "Invest in Our Planet". Join us at an event on Saturday, April 22 and invest some time into your Ottawa County Parks,...
Thanks to a generous donation by Yanfeng through their iCare program, Paw Paw Park finally has its namesake tree. Pawpaws are tropical-looking understory trees that grow naturally along rivers in Southwest Michigan. Although there were only a couple of recently...
What's the scoop? Ottawa County Parks and Recreation has been working with Karina White, a biology and A.P. environmental science teacher from Jenison High School (JHS), for almost a decade through the Adopt-A-Park program. When White decided to attend Grand Valley...
Celebrate the American Hiking Society’s #NationalTrailsDay with Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Millions of people have found physical, mental, and emotional restoration on trails and in quality green space during the pandemic. Let’s return the favor as a...
Article written by: Nealy Molhoek, Stewardship Supervisor As hints of spring begin to appear all around us, many of us take the opportunity to spend more time outdoors, either in our own backyards, or in the parks that we're so lucky to be surrounded with in Ottawa...
Spring is approaching! While preparing for upcoming spring projects, I’ve been thinking about the impact of our volunteers. We have amazing volunteers! People who generously give of their time and talents in so many different ways. People who are dedicated to...