Swimming Under the Oakland County Sun

July 13, 2022July 14, 2022Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment

Inflatable playground in lake at Holly Recreation Area

Oakland County is home to a huge variety of perfect swimming spots to cool off during the hot summer weather. Plenty of parks are lakeside and house beautiful beaches, such as Groveland Oaks County Park in Holly or Independence Oaks County Park in Clarkston.

If you prefer pools, you can find a pool at Waterford Oaks Waterpark in Waterford or Red Oaks Waterpark in Madison Heights. If you are looking for adventure, you can find splash pads and water obstacles at Normandy Oaks Park in Royal Oak and the WhoaZone at Heron Beach in Holly.

Being out on the water is one of the best parts of summer, but it is vitally important to stay safe while you are swimming. Take a look at these swimming safety tips before taking a dip in your favorite lake or pool.

To find a beach, swimming pool, splash pad, or waterpark near you, check out our our recently updated interactive map or list below.

Interactive Map

List of Swimming Spots

Swimming Spots in Oakland County

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2022 NoHaz Collection Days

April 26, 2022April 26, 2022Oakland County, MI Government 1 Comment

Let Oakland County’s NoHaz Collection team help you safely dispose of household hazardous materials ranging from pesticides, paints, air fresheners, propane cylinders, cleaning solutions, prescription medicines, and more.

You’d be surprised just how many everyday items are considered hazardous waste. Many of the objects that help us in our daily lives become dangerous when disposed of alongside regular rubbish. Do you have an item you’re unsure about? View lists of accepted and non-accepted materials in the FAQ section of Advantage Oakland’s NoHaz web page, or call the NoHaz Hotline at 248-858-5656.

2022 NoHaz Collection Dates and Locations

Registration links will be posted approximately three weeks prior to each collection event.

All events will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, April 30

Oakland County Service Center Campus
1200 N. Telegraph Road, Pontiac
Follow signs once on campus

Saturday, June 4

Oxford Middle School
1420 Lakeville Road, Oxford
From M24/Lapeer Road, travel east on Burdick Street

Saturday, July 23

Kensington Church
4640 S, Lapeer Road, Orion Township

Saturday, September 24

Oakland County Service Center Campus
1200 N. Telegraph Road, Pontiac
Follow signs once on campus

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Beavers: Oakland County’s Best Dam Builders!

December 18, 2020December 18, 2020Oakland County, MI Government 4 Comments

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

The days are short, and darkness comes all too soon. The dawn of winter draws near. We may feel sleepy at times, but there is no long winter nap awaiting the beaver (Castor canadensis,) the largest rodent of North America. Contrary to the belief of some, beavers do not hibernate. Beavers are true architects of the wildlife world. Although these highly-skilled engineers are almost never seen in winter, the evidence of their activity is everywhere, from the most rural sections of our county to the wooded banks of the Clinton River in the city of Pontiac.

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A Sundew Kind of Morning!

August 30, 2019November 2, 2021Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

The Ice Age was coming to an end. Shuffling its 6-ton frame, a shaggy mastodon laboriously crossed a steep esker and trudged towards melt water from a giant block of ice left behind by the Pleistocene Era’s last local retreating glacier. The mastodons that once roamed Oakland County are now extinct, but the glacial evidence of nature’s land sculpting power is unmistakable in many sections of our county. Some of those sites, that once provided habitat for Mastodons, now harbor carnivorous flora and rare secretive creatures. One of those locations is within the Shiawassee Basin Preserve, a 600-acre site in northwestern Oakland County managed by Springfield Township Parks and Recreation. Continue reading →

I Am Not a Chipmunk!

August 2, 2019January 28, 2021Oakland County, MI Government 2 Comments

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

I was blissfully unaware of the existence of thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) living in Michigan, let alone in Oakland County, until a summer day ten years ago. On that day of discovery, I was wandering the Shiawassee Basin Nature Preserve in Springfield Township admiring wildflowers, dragonflies and butterflies in a small meadow. I was just a few hundred feet from the Springfield Township Civic Center when suddenly a small chipmunk-like creature popped up out of the ground in a field rich with clover, grasshoppers and bugs of all sorts. I managed one photo before its hyper-speed vanishing act commenced.

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