Ingham County has received more than $5 million from the MNRTF to fund land acquisition and development at Burchfield, Lake Lansing, and Hawk Island County Parks, as well as the development of a 2.5 mile pathway and accessible fishing pier as part of the Lansing River Trail, connecting Lake Lansing, Lake Lansing South County Park, Meridian Township Parks, and other natural areas.

The locations provide countless opportunities for active and passive recreation and host a variety of community events, such as the Burchfield Fishing Derby, which draws more than 300 families annually, and the Concerts in the Band Shell series, with audiences totaling 10,000.

Since opening in 2002, Hawk Island County Park has welcomed more than 6 million visitors. The park has become an incredible recreational resource for Ingham County residents, with a variety of amenities including trails, a playground, a splash pad, shelter and picnic areas, beach access, and a winter snow park. A well-remembered comment from a resident in 2004 was that Hawk Island’s “facilities and the community-built playground [were] some of the nicest things anyone has ever done in South Lansing.”

Hawk Island Parks hosts over a dozen 5k events each year that raise more than $500,000 for local non-profits and the local economy.