For immediate release - December 17, 2018

Press contacts:
Jessica VanGinhoven, Ottawa County Parks, (616) 738-4810
Marie Orttenburger, Land Conservancy of West Michigan, (616) 451-9476

Click here to download high resolution maps & images

Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board has recommended a $3.82 million grant to complete the acquisition of the Ottawa Sands property in Ferrysburg, MI

If approved by the State Legislature, the $3,817,200 award from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF), along with $200,000 of privately-raised funds by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, will fund the second phase of property acquisition for Ottawa Sands.

Currently 157 acres of the 345-acre property are owned by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan and leased to Ottawa County Parks for management. The first phase of acquisition, made possible by a $4.2 million grant from the MNRTF in 2018, allowed Ottawa County Parks to purchase 188 acres of the property. The Land Conservancy purchased the remaining 157 acres in the summer of 2018 by securing a loan from The Conservation Fund, a national organization specializing in low-interest loans for conservation projects. The recommended award for phase two will be used to pay back the loan. Once repaid, the remaining acreage will be transferred to and fully owned by Ottawa County Parks, likely to occur in the summer of 2019. 

“The opportunity to purchase Ottawa Sands was unexpected. We were fortunate to be awarded grant funding for half of the acquisition, but needed the the full amount to complete the purchase. The Land Conservancy saw its potential and quickly secured a loan for the remaining acreage," said John Scholtz, Ottawa County Parks Director, "Without the Land Conservancy, and the initial grant from the Trust Fund last year, the opportunity to purchase Ottawa Sands would not have been possible."

"Supporting local communities in conservation is a key component of our mission at the Land Conservancy,” said Land Conservancy Executive Director, Joe Engel. “We saw the immense value in working with Ottawa County Parks to protect this remarkable piece of property and are very grateful that the community stepped up to make this happen.”

The recommendation by the MNRTF board on December 12 is an exciting first step in finalizing the acquisition. "We couldn't be happier the Trust Fund board recommended the funding needed to fully secure the property as park land, but nothing is certain until the legislature votes to approve the grant," said Scholtz. If the grant is approved, the MNRTF will have funded over $8 million to secure Ottawa Sands for the public. 

"The Trust Fund grant was critical to the success of this project, and the Trust Fund board was looking for reassurance that it had broad-based community support,” Engel said. “The community response was outstanding, and as a result this stunning new park will become a reality.”

Thanks to strong support from the community, The Land Conservancy of West Michigan exceeded its initial fundraising goal, raising nearly $400,000 to secure Ottawa Sands. Half of the funds were used to offset the MNRTF grant and the other half covered expenses related to the loan. 

Additional support for this project came from Ottawa Sand Company; Loutit Foundation; Ottawa County Parks Foundation; J.A. Woollam Foundation; the North Bank Communities Fund, Greatest Needs Fund, Environment Fund and the William T. and Shirley A. Baker Fund of the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation; and many generous donors.

Ottawa Sands Acquisition Information/Timeline

Initial Purchase / Phase 1:

Opportunity to purchase the 345-acre property arose in fall 2017. The property was valued over $11 million. The previous owner, Gaylen Byker, donated 25% of the land value to serve as grant match.

$8.2 million was needed to purchase Ottawa Sands

• Ottawa County Parks applied for a MNRTF grant in 2017, half of the funding was recommended at their annual meeting in December 2017.
• The Land Conservancy of West Michigan secured a low-interest loan from the Conservation Fund in spring 2018.
• The property was purchased in July of 2018
  • $4.2 million - paid with a MNRTF grant 
  • $4 million - paid with a loan secured by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan

Ottawa County Parks submitted an application for a second MNRTF grant in the spring of 2018

Land Conservancy of West Michigan began a fundraising campaign for costs related to the loan and to offset the grant funds needed

Land Conservancy leased their half of the site to Ottawa County Parks and a parking lot was developed and 3.5 miles of trails were marked in the fall of 2018

Ottawa Sands opened to the public in October 2018

Securing Ottawa Sands / Phase 2:

$4 million required to repay The Conservation Fund loan

• $3.817 million grant recommended by the MNRTF board to repay the majority of the loan in December 2018
• $200,000 private dollars raised by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan to repay the loan

State legislature must approve funding for all MNRTF projects (expected spring or summer 2019)

Loan to be repaid and property transferred to Ottawa County Parks (expected summer 2019)

Future Development

Since the addition of Ottawa Sands to the county parks system was unexpected, funds are not available for its immediate development. Minor improvements were made prior to the park opening to the public in October, including the addition of a small parking area and 3.5 miles of designated trails. Ottawa County Parks is working to secure funding to develop a master plan for the site which will guide future development of the site.

The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously at their meeting on November 15 to apply for a grant from the Coastal Zone Management grant program. These funds would help the county initiate a master plan for the site, including an inventory and analysis of the site's natural features. It would also determine the feasibility of the site for recreation facilities, including lake and riverfront access and camping. The grant would provide $30,000 with an equal match from Ottawa County Parks.

About the property

The 345-acre property sits between green space owned by the cities of Grand Haven and Ferrysburg and North Ottawa Dunes. The site was previously used for sand mining, but has been inactive in recent years. The property includes forested dunes, an 80-acre inland lake, and riverfront land with wetlands. Since it opened to the public in October of this year, hundreds of residents and visitors have enjoyed the trails, views, and wildlife sightings. 

Ottawa Sands is the "final piece of a puzzle" of a corridor of publicly owned land stretching from Muskegon County to Grand Haven. 

Photo contributed by Bob Walma, Walma Compositions