Foundation's 2025 Annual Report |
Your love for Ottawa County’s parks made a lasting difference in 2025.
Because you care deeply about these natural spaces, more than $1 million was invested into expanding protected land, enhancing scenic overlooks, supporting wellness programs, and caring for the resources that make our parks special. From the Bend Area expansion to improvements at Rosy Mound and Ottawa Sands, your generosity is creating places where memories are made every day.
Most of all, your support helped thousands of people experience the joy of being outdoors, walking trails, learning together, and reconnecting with nature. Thank you for loving these parks and helping them grow for everyone. Learn more about the difference your support made in the Foundation's 2025 Annual Report. |
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Ottawa County Parks Foundation's New Commission Representative |
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The Ottawa County Parks Foundation is pleased to welcome Martin Harris as a new member of its Board of Directors. Martin joins the Foundation's Board as the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission representative.
A special thank you to Jane Longstreet who served as the Foundation's Commission representative since July of 2020. |
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Martin Harris
Martin is a Product Development Engineer at MillerKnoll with 10 years of experience and a long-standing commitment to community service and outdoor recreation. After moving to West Michigan in 2016, Martin became actively involved with Ottawa County Parks and was appointed to the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission in 2025. He also helped launch the local nonprofit Velo Kids in 2017, an organization closely connected to Ottawa County Parks through accessible mountain biking opportunities. An avid outdoor enthusiast, Martin joined the Foundation Board to support continued collaboration between the Foundation and the Parks Commission and to help expand high-quality parks and public spaces throughout Ottawa County.
For the full article click here. |
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Learn more about the 2026 Scavenger Hunt by clicking the picture below. |
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Featured Park: Upper Macatawa Natural Area
The 612-acre property features stunning bridges and is popular among bikers, hikers, runners, and birders. The bike path running through the park connects to Byron Road’s Fred Meijer Kenowa Trail which leads to Kent County on the north side and to the Adams Street’s bike path, which runs to the lakeshore, on the south side. The single-track mountain bike trails are maintained by dedicated volunteers and are some of the best trails in the area. Visitors will find a variety of habitat, including forests, grasslands, and wetlands, that is home to diverse wildlife.
Learn more
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Plant of the Month: Spotted Wintergreen |
by Bobbi Jones Sabine
Spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) is an evergreen perennial native forb with distinctively patterned leaves you may see peeking through the snow. It’s found in deciduous forests, mostly along the west side of the lower peninsula with a few occurrences in the southeast part of Michigan. It grows throughout most of the eastern United States and eastern Canada.
Plants are low growing, with stems emerging from creeping rhizomes, usually occurring singly or in small patches. The leaves are 1 to 3 inches long and have a white midrib stripe and a finely toothed edge. In summer, it puts up a single flower spike with two or three cream-colored or light pink flowers. Seeds are wind-dispersed.
Other names for this plant include striped prince’s pine, striped wintergreen, spotted pipsissewa, ratsbane, and rheumatism root. Though not legally protected in this state, it is listed as Endangered in Illinois, Maine, and Canada. It’s reported to be somewhat deer-resistant.
Native Americans called it “pipsisikweu,” meaning “breaks into small pieces.” They brewed tea from the leaves to treat rheumatism, gallstones, and kidney stones. Crushed leaves were applied as a poultice to sores and wounds. |
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Join us for Piece Together Parks, a fun and fast-paced jigsaw puzzle competition supporting the Ottawa County Parks Foundation. |
This event will be hosted at the Grand Haven Eagles, 20 North Second Street, Grand Haven. Space is limited to 30 teams. - A $100 or more donation registers your whole team! - Team size can be 2 to 6 people. A team name and theme are encouraged! - Each team will get to keep their puzzles! The winning team will receive a prize!
Enjoy a puzzle swap table to trade your old puzzles for new ones. Refreshments will be available from the Eagles’ cash bar. This event is co-sponsored by the Ottawa County Parks Foundation and the Grand Haven Eagles. |
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