Stony Creek Metropark

October Adventures in Oakland County

Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment
Fungi growing on tree

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

October has been a golden month; a time for hiking, cider making, leaf peeping, and endless adventure within Oakland County and beyond. I will miss those days that were punctuated by earlier sunsets, later sunrises, and clear, star-studded night skies. Mother Nature teased us a few times with snowflakes, hail pellets, and strong wind gusts, but sunny days and temperatures that climbed into the seventies in this final week dominated the month before rains came near the end. That rain fueled a final emergence of fantastic forest fungi, including shelf fungus that grows on trees.  

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Stony Creek on the Dawn of Spring

Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

“It is fortunate, perhaps, that no matter how intently one studies the hundreds of little dramas of the woods and meadows, one can never learn all the salient facts about any one of them.” –Aldo Leopold

Embracing the ebb and flow of our seasons is much like awaiting the return of a long absent friend that departed months earlier. We know the return will eventually occur, but never seem to know exactly when our friend will arrive back in town, especially if their name is spring. Spring’s arrival is fickle. Sometimes spring can sort of sneak into town unobserved—and then its warmth is here! However, one thing is certain: no matter where you wander in woods and meadows; those introductory words of Leopold are so very true. I am glad they are!

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Adventuring Up North at Stony Creek!

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WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

A dusting of Halloween night snow whitened the hills of northern Oakland County, confirming the duel between autumn and winter has accelerated. In anticipation of that forecasted seasonal change, I accepted the invitation of two outdoor adventuring ICU nurses that are avid hikers to join them for an “up north feeling” trek at Stony Creek Metropark, one of 13 parks in Southeast Michigan managed by Huron-Clinton Metroparks. Our destination for the last hike of October was the southwest corner of Stony Creek, the section that is located entirely within Oakland County and has thirteen miles of hilly trails dedicated to mountain bikers, hikers, and perhaps in a few more weeks, if Mother Nature is willing, and it looks that way, cross-country skiers. Continue reading →

Mystery of Stony Creek’s Osprey Trail

Oakland County, MI Government 2 Comments
A photograph of three interpretive signs and their wooden posts in Stony Creek Metropark. Two smaller signs to the left show maps. A large dark brown wooden sign on the right shows an arrow pointing up. The text reads: Osprey Trail 1.8. Mile Loop. Underneath in a smaller font, it reads: Primitive Trail-Foot Traffic Only Expect Wet Areas-Uneven Ground and Minor Obstacles Follow Blue Dots

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

“Get that ‘up north’ feeling without leaving the suburbs at top-rated Stony Creek Metropark. Extending across Oakland and Macomb counties, the park’s 4,435 scenic acres abound with opportunity for outdoor recreation all year-long” (Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority). There’s so much more than an up north feeling that Stony Creek offers, but just the words “up north feeling” was enough of a reminder for me to head back to the eastern edge of our county for a final hike of summer. Continue reading →

Bald Eagles: Skilled Hunters, Opportunist Scavengers, Masters of the Sky

Oakland County, MI Government 45 Comments

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

The Bald Eagle is in a word, majestic. When it’s seen in flight against a clear blue sky in a pristine wilderness setting, the image is stunning. One need not travel to the wilds of Alaska or the rugged lakeshores of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to encounter bald eagles; more than a few winter right here in our midst.

Sightings of bald eagles in Oakland County are no longer rare events, and they are not restricted to the “wilder side” of our county. Close encounters may even occur in highly developed areas with significant human intrusion. During the winter months in northern climates, it’s all about available food. Where the food is, the eagles are. The favorite food of the bald eagle is fish, and that takes us to nearby Monroe County, home of one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the nation.

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