Nature Education Programs

Navigating Nature Centers in Oakland County

Oakland County, MI Government 2 Comments

If you’d like to learn about the wilds surrounding your everyday life, you’ll love our map of nature centers in Oakland County. This interactive map, created by Oakland County’s award-winning GIS team, will lead you on a journey across the county, from center to center, helping you plan a trip to any one of these great locations to learn about the natural world. Sunshine or rain, summer or winter, these nature centers are there for you to help grow your pool of knowledge!

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Heritage Park in Farmington Hills. Photo credit: Jonathan Schechter

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Adopt-A-Stream, Become A Benthos Hunter!

Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

If a hiker wandered by a section of a small creek near Clarkston last Sunday they may have wondered why two women wearing waders carried small nets on long poles and slowly walked into the water. Every few minutes one would come ashore and carefully empty dark muck from the creek bottom into a pan. Another woman on shore gave directions, took notes and documented everything as I watched with the steadfast intensity of a man observing every aspect of very tiny creatures that wiggled in the muck pan in front of him. Continue reading →

Lost Lake Nature Preserve: One Preserve, Two Counties, An Autumn Hike

Oakland County, MI Government 1 Comment

 WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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“To those devoid of imagination, a blank place on the map is a useless waste; to others, the most valuable part.” Aldo Leopold.

Leopold is widely acknowledged as the father of wildlife conservation in America. Those words from his timeless classic, A Sand County Almanac, were first published in 1949, one year after Leopold died while fighting a fast moving grass fire on his neighbor’s property.

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Paddles on the Shiawassee: A River Trail in Oakland County

Oakland County, MI Government 1 Comment

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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Oakland County has an abundance of distinct landforms and exceptional natural features created by retreating glaciers. One of these features is a trail, with partially submerged logs, low-hanging branches, a beaver dam, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, muskrats, deer and sunning turtles. A trail best explored armed with a spirit of adventure and a paddle. Cascades of colorful leaves, small rapids, and a pulse-raising five second journey through a culvert under an active railway all add to this Pure Michigan style adventure. Paddlers need not travel far for this adventure. It’s right here on the Wilder Side of Oakland County as it meanders gently between the towns of Holly and Fenton. Continue reading →

Oakland County Spring Nature Education Programs

Oakland County, MI Government 1 Comment

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Oakland County Parks and Recreation has so many opportunities to get outside and explore this Spring through their many Nature Education Programs. From raising monarch butterflies to grassland birds conservation and discovering more about the mammals of Oakland County, there’s a program for any age and interest. Learn about just one of the many programs you can enjoy at the Oakland County Lewis E. Wint Nature Center:

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