Earlier this month the City received exciting news from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Among a handful of other communities in the state, East Lansing was awarded three Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) grants to be used for park land acquisition and improvements. The grants, totaling $757,300, will be used to improve outdoor recreation offerings for our community members, while also creating improved pedestrian access to those who regularly utilize our parks.

East Lansing’s existing outdoor recreation offerings are a huge part of what makes quality of life in our community so superior. From the East Lansing Family Aquatic Center to the Northern Tier Trail, East Lansing Soccer Complex, East Lansing Softball Complex and 24 community and neighborhood parks, the City is second to none in its offerings of outdoor amenities and activities.

With this month’s exciting news from the MDNR, community members can expect to see a number of substantial improvements made to Hawk Nest Park and White Memorial Park in the near future. Grant funding, combined with matching funds, will be used to install a new playground and picnic pavilion, construct a one-third mile spur of the Northern Tier Trail and install a number of new accessible walkways at Hawk Nest. The funding will also be used for re-vegetation of the Hawk Nest site to promote the growth of diverse natural habitats.

The other grant funding will be used for acquisition of two different parcels of land adjacent to White Memorial Park. A 2.93-acre parcel of land will be acquired from the White Family Trust for not only future expansion of the park, but also to provide a location for a trailhead/park entry plaza and space for additional connections to the Northern Tier Trail. A 1.75-acre parcel of land will be acquired from the St. Paul Lutheran Church on Lake Lansing Road for the future provision of pedestrian access to the park from the north. Both the White Family Trust and the St. Paul Lutheran Church body have graciously agreed to sell the adjacent park land at 75 percent of its appraised value. We thank them for their 25 percent in-kind donations.

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund has been in place since 1976. It provides financial assistance to local governments to purchase land or rights in land for public recreation or protection of land because of its environmental importance or its scenic beauty. It also assists in the appropriate development of land for public outdoor recreation. The City of East Lansing, on multiple occasions, has served as a grant beneficiary of the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. It is safe to say that the support of the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund has provided invaluable financial assistant to our organization and has helped us to uphold one of our stated priorities: to provide second-to-none outdoor recreation to our community members.