Hello! This blog is a new outreach by the natural areas stewardship staff at Oakland Township Parks and Recreation. We believe that our natural areas are very important both for the health of native plants and wildlife and for the people of Oakland Township. In many cases, our natural areas protect examples of habitats that used to be common in southeast Michigan, but have mostly disappeared as the area was settled, farmed, and developed for houses. These natural areas provide beautiful places for us to enjoy nature, the wetlands filter sediment and pollutants from water, and various habitats provide food and shelter for wildlife.

The stewardship staff is out in the parks daily controlling invasive species, collecting native seed, planting native plants, and monitoring naturals areas to see how they change over time. We plan to post updates of our activities, fun facts, and pictures of the cool things we see. We have some big projects planned for this year. Check back often to learn more about them!

We would love your help to keep these areas beautiful! Check out our Volunteer Opportunities page and the calendar of upcoming volunteer workdays to see how you can get involved!

Oakland Township stewardship technicians (L to R – Jonah, Matt, and Alex) have been busy pulling garlic mustard in the parks this spring. If you see them out there, introduce yourself and thank them for their hard work!