Lapeer Prairies and Ponds at Oakdale; Developments Around the City

Prairies and Ponds at Oakdale is a natural habit restoration and preservation effort by a team of citizens groups, federal and local agencies and nonprofit wildlife advocates. The site was drained and farmed in the 1940s through 1960s as part of the state-run Oakdale Center for Developmental Disabilities complex. The 35-acre project site is located south of Oregon Road and west of Millville, within two miles of six elementary schools and adjacent to the Chatfield School and Mott Community College campus. A 40-acre wooded site and a 100-acre riverbed area on the former Oakdale property have been designated for future natural habitat preservation. The Prairies and Ponds project plan includes the following: Expansion of existing wetland areas to increase waterfowl habitat. The site is part of a flyway for waterfowl and has been identified as prime nesting habitat for ducks by the US Fish & Wildlife Service and Ducks Unlimited. Introduction of classic Midwest prairie habitat of prairie grasses and wildflowers in upland areas of the site, to provide habitat for field birds and serve as a natural classroom for the many schools nearby. Development of a passive trail system throughout the site, with an observation mound, boardwalks, platforms and teaching stations located throughout the site to serve primarily as a teaching resource. Project development committee included local ecology and wildlife experts from Lapeer Schools and Seven Ponds Nature Center, and City of Lapeer administration. Primary project sponsors are: WIN (Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network), US Fish & Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited and the City of Lapeer. At first this place may seem to be quiet and peaceful, but if you stop and pay attention you will be able to observe a community bustling with activity. Wetlands are known to be the most biologically productive ecosystems in the temperate regions of the earth, a rival even to tropical rain forests. Wetlands are a community of thousands of living things and function as a result of the web of interrelationships between these living things. The floating dock has no rail but a bumper edge treatment to prevent roll off by a person using a wheelchair, walker or stroller.