It’s one thing to put in a pollinator garden, another all together to convert many acres to a biodiverse, native landscape. George Jager, the outdoor education program lead for Ottawa County Parks and Recreation, will discuss how it’s done at 6 p.m., Monday, February 17, at the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw in Houghton. His presentation will also be available on Zoom; register here.
Ottawa County (Michigan) Parks and Recreation creates land management plans for all of its parks and open spaces. The staff use Natural Features Inventories and relevant natural and cultural history to set goals for actions within the county’s 40 different properties.
They have a system-wide plan to study, monitor and rejuvenate the health of the ecosystems found within their parks and open spaces. With this in mind, they develop goals to introduce or bolster native plant populations.
Left:Hemlock Crossing meadow, Ottawa County Parks and Recreation
George Jaeger (yay-grr) has worked for Ottawa County Parks for 10 years, planning and executing both public and school programming in the many natural spaces preserved within the park system. His specialties include local and statewide geology as well as identification and reintroduction of native plants. He has a degree in biology from Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
Eastmanville restoration area, Ottawa County Parks and Recreation