2013
Active Lifestyles In Oakland County
Oakland County is a great place to be active! There are so many programs, events, and places to visit that encourage our residents and guests to get out and do something! Explore the miles of nature trails, play a round of golf, or support local business in one of our many downtown districts. There is something for everyone to do in Oakland County, all you have to do it look around (or below).
Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) is our unique economic development program with a historic preservation philosophy and an emphasis on “sense of place.” We help local government develop their downtowns as vibrant, successful districts that serve as the heart of their communities. Established under the leadership of Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson in 2000, MSOC is the nation’s first county-wide Main Street® program.
Oakland County Parks include a nature center, five golf courses, wedding and banquet facilities, an action-packed BMX race track and two waterparks. Cross-country ski, ice fish or just take a stroll through a vastly preserved country-side, before you head back to your busy week ahead. Get away from it all for a day, or just for an hour — all right in your own backyard
Whether you are looking for a leisurely family hike down a rail trail or passing through a historic neighborhood on your morning commute to work, Oakland County has it all. The County’s extensive Oak Routes Trail Network connects urban to rural, through pristine natural areas, rivers and streams.
There are enough leagues, specials, and events to keep you swinging all season in Oakland County — no matter your skill level. Choose from five golf courses including the 18-hole Arthur Hills-designed Lyon Oaks Golf Course, in Lyon Township. Or golf 18 at Glen Oaks Golf Course in Farmington Hills, Springfield Oaks Golf Course in Davisburg, or White Lake Oaks Golf Course in White Lake. Red Oaks Golf Course in Madison Heights features nine redesigned holes and a clubhouse.
The Brooksie Way Half Marathon is one of Oakland County’s premier quality of life events. Not only does the event promote and encourage people to become more physically active, but it also has put more than $50,000 back into Oakland County communities through Brooksie Way Minigrants.
Active Lifestyles In Oakland County
Oakland County is a great place to be active! There are so many programs, events, and places to visit that encourage our residents and guests to get out and do something! Explore the miles of nature trails, play a round of golf, or support local business in one of our many downtown districts. There is something for everyone to do in Oakland County, all you have to do it look around (or below).
Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) is our unique economic development program with a historic preservation philosophy and an emphasis on “sense of place.” We help local government develop their downtowns as vibrant, successful districts that serve as the heart of their communities. Established under the leadership of Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson in 2000, MSOC is the nation’s first county-wide Main Street® program.
Oakland County Parks include a nature center, five golf courses, wedding and banquet facilities, an action-packed BMX race track and two waterparks. Cross-country ski, ice fish or just take a stroll through a vastly preserved country-side, before you head back to your busy week ahead. Get away from it all for a day, or just for an hour — all right in your own backyard
Whether you are looking for a leisurely family hike down a rail trail or passing through a historic neighborhood on your morning commute to work, Oakland County has it all. The County’s extensive Oak Routes Trail Network connects urban to rural, through pristine natural areas, rivers and streams.
There are enough leagues, specials, and events to keep you swinging all season in Oakland County — no matter your skill level. Choose from five golf courses including the 18-hole Arthur Hills-designed Lyon Oaks Golf Course, in Lyon Township. Or golf 18 at Glen Oaks Golf Course in Farmington Hills, Springfield Oaks Golf Course in Davisburg, or White Lake Oaks Golf Course in White Lake. Red Oaks Golf Course in Madison Heights features nine redesigned holes and a clubhouse.
The Brooksie Way Half Marathon is one of Oakland County’s premier quality of life events. Not only does the event promote and encourage people to become more physically active, but it also has put more than $50,000 back into Oakland County communities through Brooksie Way Minigrants.
Co-Working In Oakland County
If you’re like us, you’re always hearing about co-working spaces popping up in Detroit, but did you know there are ton of co-work spaces right here in Oakland County too? Co-working is a popular new alternative to working at home, a coffee shop, or the traditional office. In a co-working environment individuals and/or companies share the same office building and amenities.
Season of the Beaver
Season of the Beaver
The beavers of Oakland County were snug and cozy in their lodges with plenty to eat while tens of thousands of county residents shivered in the cold and dark for almost a week after that powerful ice storm late last month. The beaver is America’s largest rodent and is not bothered by snow or freezing rain for these master builders are skilled survivalists that stay one step ahead of winter weather. Adapting to conditions by reshaping their environment with dams and lodges is the key to their winter survival and territorial expansion; and in winter the secret life of the beaver goes on under blankets of snow and a layer of ice.
About the time of the first heavy frost beavers accelerated their felling of trees to gather building materials to strengthen lodges and create food caches for winter. The lodges are 5 to 6 feet high and 10 – 12 feet in diameter and are built to withstand extremes of nature. They have two underwater entrances, one of which can function as an emergency escape hatch if a predator enters or there is a sudden rise in water level. During winter the beavers spend much of their time napping on sleeping platforms and dining in feeding dens; areas above the water level created within the security of the lodge. When the food pantry is empty all beavers need do is slip out and swim down to their nearby food cache of tasty aspen and willow branches stored in the murky depth of the cold pond bottom. And if fresh veggies are desired they swim under the ice in search of roots and stems of aquatic vegetation.
Even when winters are mild and ice is absent they seldom venture far from shore, for on dry land Oakland County beavers are vulnerable to coyotes and their northern brethren are easy prey for wolves. Beaver lodges are hidden in wetlands throughout the county but an observant hiker has the best chances of discovering one of these amazing structures in winter at Addison Oaks, Highland Oaks, Independence Oaks and Rose Oaks county parks. For details on all 13 Oakland County Parks visit: www.oakgov.com/parks
Courtesy of Jonathan Schechter, Oakland County Parks Nature Education Writer