LANSING (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday called for spending a "historic" $250 million in federal coronavirus relief aid to upgrade state parks and trails, a day after Senate Republicans announced a $1.5 billion plan to fix deteriorating local bridges across Michigan.
FRUITPORT — Dancing into the Sunset returns in full force after a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grand Haven State Park – and a majority of the state park campgrounds across Michigan – are at 100 percent capacity for the Memorial Day holiday.
Interpretive signs originally placed as part of an Eagle Scout project by Ryan Richert in 2010 went back onto their signposts Thursday afternoon at street-end parks along Lakeview Street in Ferrysburg.
An open house for Spring Lake Township’s Water Tower Park is set for Thursday, May 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
For the past five years, Ottawa County’s parks and health departments have extended an offer for folks of all walks of life to get active, come together and enjoy the nature at more than 20 local parks.
On the eve of Earth Day 2021, the city of Grand Haven received a boost with the planting of 100 trees.
A scaled-back 2021 Spring Lake Heritage Festival will feature a car show, artisan market, senior day and Music in the Park.
The brick fence lining the west entrance to Spring Lake’s Central Park is being prepared for the next round of Art in the Park murals.
The Village of Spring Lake has launched a capital campaign to raise $1.5 million in support of the redevelopment of its Tanglefoot Park.
Water levels are down, allowing Spring Lake village officials to proceed with the opening of Mill Point Park and its boat launch, possibly by mid-April, according to Village Manager Chris Burns.
In a time when being outside is crucial, the director of the Northwest Ottawa Recreation Authority says he has noticed spring programs are being taken by storm.
ALLENDALE TWP. — Through a significant gift to the Ottawa County Parks Foundation from an anonymous foundation, the Grand Ravines Treehouse will be constructed just off the Idema Explorers Trail route.
Strong winds and big waves brought out the surfers and kitesurfers to Grand Haven State Park on Sunday, as what seemed like November weather conditions chilled the air.
Local children “of all ages” can find their Easter eggs during a socially distanced hunt spread out over three days in the Village of Spring Lake.
Thirty-six years after Tim Meyer left the food service industry and opened up a bicycle shop in Grand Haven, the reins have been turned over to his sons.
A quiet park on the corner of West Spring Lake and VanWagoner roads could soon get an update, depending on what the public wants.
A Grand Haven mother and son took advantage of a warm and breezy winter’s day to try out the child’s new kite.
GDK Construction has been approved as the general contractor for the Village of Spring Lake’s Tanglefoot Park redevelopment project.
There’s one common correlation when friends and family talk about Pierce Yonker – the late Grand Haven resident’s “absolute fearless” style of snowboarding.
SPRING LAKE TWP. — COVID-19 has hampered indoor activities for nearly a year, but that hasn’t stopped the improvising of outdoor recreation.
Kate Harmon is the newest member of the Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission.
WEST OLIVE — The Ottawa County Nature Center located at Hemlock Crossing County Park will open this weekend for snowshoe rental — the first time the center will be open since March 2020.
NORTON SHORES — Michigan high school winter athletics might be in the midst of yet another delay, but a mammoth facility in Norton Shores is aimed at providing everything in its arsenal to support the community.
PORT SHELDON TWP. — A St. Clair woman and her 4-year-old daughter were injured when their sled struck a tree Sunday morning at the VanBuren Street Dunes.
Ice fishing has been quite a hot commodity since the new year began, flocking fisherman and filling buckets with a variety of panfish and the occasional northern pike.
The end of another year offers time to take stock of the good, the bad, and in the case of Nathan Goldberg, the birds.
UPDATE SUNDAY DEC. 27: Trails are open to skiers
Area residents can earn a free snowshoe rental by visiting four Ottawa County parks during the upcoming Parks Bingo event.
A coalition that includes almost every major environmental organization in Michigan, hunting and fishing groups and the Michigan Oil and Gas Association is an unusual one. But those are the groups endorsing Proposition 1, on the statewide Michigan ballot this election.
FERRYSBURG — Camping, a day-use beach, a fishing pier, and boardwalk and a pavilion along the Grand River are among the possible improvements being considered at Ottawa Sands Park.
FERRYSBURG — The Ottawa County parks department is pushing forward on its renovation of Ottawa Sands Park with a concept showcase set for late next week.
Harlan and Sarah Vince said they had a hard time convincing some people that they really did complete a trip around America’s Great Loop in a 27-foot Searay.
A few hundred people took advantage of a pleasant Sunday afternoon to stroll through Grand Haven’s Duncan Memorial Park for a pop-up art show hosted by the Lakeshore Visual Arts Collective.
An increasing number of Michiganders have been fishing this summer – but while licenses are abundant, supplies are not.
A local state park committee has launched a water safety information campaign in an effort to save lives during red flag days at Lake Michigan beaches.
Seven gallons of primer and five gallons of green, orange and purple paint were enough to create the backdrop for one of the latest additions to the Village of Spring Lake’s Art in the Park.
Confirmed sightings of five new bird species in Ottawa County are part of a five-year update recently released by the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission.
Family members clad in cloth face masks applauded, cheered and rang cowbells as two “senior citizen” paddlers worked their way to the Grand Haven pier heads early Monday afternoon, completing a multi-year journey to traverse the entire length of the Grand River.
FRUITPORT — A month after it was originally scheduled to begin, Dancing into the Sunset was given the go-ahead by the Village of Fruitport to start the outdoor activity on Thursday, July 2.
Grand Haven State Park’s campground opened for business Monday – and, by noon, many campers were setting up their temporary homes and taking to the beach.
Children from Grand Haven, Ferrysburg and Spring Lake are finally returning to camps at the local YMCA after starting the summer stuck inside.
The campground and the day-use parking lot at Grand Haven State Park will open for the year Monday.
As Michigan moves to Stage 4 of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Safe Start plan, the Department of Natural Resources has determined official opening dates for state park and state forest campgrounds, state harbors, and other DNR-managed outdoor spaces.
A number of restrictions lifted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday are specifically relevant to parks and park users. In response, the Ottawa County parks department recently announced the following updates:
Looking ahead to the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on Friday announced it plans to reopen Grand Haven State Park’s Channel parking lot (known locally as Fisherman’s parking lot) to public parking starting at 8 a.m. Friday, May 22.
OTTAWA COUNTY – Three Holland-area men who say they just want to take their kids fishing have sued Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over her stay-at-home order that bans use of motorboats.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will be closed until further notice due to crowded conditions and guidance from public health officials.
With orders to stay home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, people may be looking for something to occupy the time.
WEST OLIVE — Instances of overcrowding, which disrupt social distancing, have Ottawa County officials considering closing county parks and natural areas.
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