Spring is Here and Activities are Coming

Springtime is upon us, the spring floods have (we hope) receded, and we are starting a new year at the Mott Park Recreation Area. On Earth Day, we were visited by a group of students from Kettering’s Habitat for Humanity chapter who cut up and removed a lot of branches and logs from the dying oak that fell in the grove south of the clubhouse. We want to thank them, Republic, who picked up many bags of yard waste, and whoever helped themselves to the logs we piled on Nolen at the end of Frank. We noticed they were gone by Monday.

We planted more milkweed in the naturalized areas and some wetlands wildflower mix in the wetter areas of the park. While doing this, we asked a couple of kids on mini-4-wheelers to please find another place to ride because the park is still too wet. We also saw someone on a larger red 4-wheeler that looked like the one belonging to the guy the cops caught and warned last year. He took off across the bridge and exited onto Sheffield. We now have cops dedicated to the University Avenue corridor and if they catch him this year, the city wants us to have him arrested and prosecuted.

We have received funding from a very generous donor to cover our mowing expenses for this year. Thank you very much Kettering University. This will allow us to begin fundraising for one or more of the improvement projects we have planned for the recreation area. We are currently pursuing a matching grant for the first of our projects–we hope to give you more news about this soon.

As I write this, the Flint River Watershed Coalition is working on their Spring River Cleanup. This is also the final day to sign up for the 2nd Annual Woodland Park Academy Color Run which is scheduled to take place in the recreation area on May 13. This is also the last day to register for the Crim Training Program to get ready for the Crim Festival of Races which will skirt the recreation area on August 26. Also this summer, the Flint River Flotilla is scheduled for Saturday, August 5.

Please check our calendar for upcoming events and watch this space for announcements about our plans at the Mott Park Recreation Area.