Although Ottawa County Parks does not yet own the entire Ottawa Sands property, the 345-acre site opened to the public on October 15, 2018.
Ottawa County Parks was able to purchase half of the property using grant funds. The other half was purchased by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, using a $4 million loan and leased to Ottawa County Parks.
A grant application was submitted to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to fund acquisition of the remaining property and repay the loan. An announcement is expected in December.
Until then, the Land Conservancy is fundraising to cover costs related to the loan and to permit the grant amount to be reduced, which would increase the likelihood of getting the grant.
Over the summer, the Ottawa County Parks Foundation hosted an event on behalf of the Land Conservancy to help with their fundraising efforts, but the campaign will continue until they reach (or exceed!) their $250,000 goal. Without the Land Conservancy’s help, this property would likely have been sold to a private developer.
Public support will be taken into account by the MNRTF and anyone wishing to support the Land Conservancy’s fundraising campaign can do so here: https://naturenearby.org/ottawasands
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