2016

Spring Clean Your Medicine Cabinet

Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment

Person grabbing medication out of a medicine cabinet.

Warm weather is right around the corner and that means it’s time to Spring clean closets, cars, and garages. Don’t forget to also sweep the medicine cabinet for prescriptions that are unused, expired, or unwanted. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office provides residents with a venue to properly dispose of those prescriptions, with no questions asked, through Operation Medicine Cabinet program. Use one of the 36 drop-off locations around the county to dispose of medication in your home this spring, and year round, with some locations open 24/7.

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Spring at Kensington Metropark Farm Center

Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment

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Spring is in the air and that means baby animals are on their way. Kensington Metropark Farm Center gives visitors a glimpse of life on the farm that includes the birth of new animals in the Spring. The 150-year old restored barn is located in Milford, inside Kensington Metropark, and features special programs on animals, historic farm techniques, and other farm-related topics.


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Hiking Makes You Happier: Let Your 2017 Trail Adventures Begin!

Oakland County, MI Government 2 Comments

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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Winter weather may appear frightful, but a hike with good friends is nothing short of delightful. Hiking is good for you too and offers more than the sights, sounds and scents of nature. It’s an easy and effective cardio workout that lowers blood pressure, blood sugar levels, reduces risk of heart disease, strengthens muscles, helps control weight and boosts your mood. It’s also a great way to make new friends. “Research shows that hiking has a positive impact on combating the symptoms of stress and anxiety,” says Gregory A. Miller, PhD, former president of the American Hiking Society, “Being in nature is ingrained in our DNA, and we sometimes forget that.” Perhaps 2017 is the year to remember that we humans were born to hike. Continue reading →

Northern Border: A Year’s End Salute to Hiking

Oakland County, MI Government 3 Comments

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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Sixty-five! That’s how many times I set out on a trail within the boundaries of Oakland County this year. Most were short meanders of three or four miles that followed designated trails in our Oakland County Parks, the Huron Clinton Metroparks or wildlands managed by local units of government. Some hikes were adventuresome treks of ten or more miles in our State Recreation Areas and State Parks managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. All were pleasurable, even when mosquitos swarmed, thunder rumbled, the mercury plunged, or humidity glued my shirt to my chest. Song birds sang, snakes slithered, owls hooted, turkeys trotted, Sandhill cranes trumpeted, turtles sun bathed, and once at dusk a coyote yipped. On a snowy day, both a cardinal and a deer froze for photos as I meandered close by both of them. It was a good year and I met people who shared the passion of the wilder side of nature’s way. Continue reading →

Tis The Season: Feeder Frenzy & Feeder Wars

Oakland County, MI Government 1 Comment

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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Deer, coyotes, red foxes, raccoons, skunks, rabbits, mice, opossums and Great Horned Owls. What do they all have in common? They are all “gastronomically grateful” for the existence of bird feeders. The same holds true for Cooper’s hawk, a fast flying accipiter that purses and eats other birds. Perhaps the most grateful creature of all purrs gently on your lap, but given half the chance, a house cat will wait in deadly ambush near a feeder. It’s all about adapting to opportunity, and bird feeders create opportunity, sometimes with unexpected consequences. The season of winter feeder wars and feeder frenzy has arrived. Continue reading →