“Springfield Township acquired the Shiawassee Basin Preserve via a MNRTF grant. While all of our parks are valuable, this park is unique as it is the site of the Long Lake Fen Complex, recognized as the #1 pristine prairie fen in Michigan by the Michigan Natural Features Inventory. Having this rare ecosystem in our park system has allowed for public education on the rare animals, insects, and plants that are part of the Complex. The park has also given us space for educational programs and public events, providing unique and memorable hands-on learning experiences, and allowing the department to promote healthy leisure activities.

The park welcomes thousands of annual visitors, and hosts baseball and softball, a Farmers Market, nature-based educational classes, and annual Heritage and Monarch Butterfly Festivals. Residents also utilize our pavilion, playscape, trails, fishing ponds, and hunt in the preserve. The park has also allowed the Department to establish trails, providing additional access to this wonderful property.

We have found that one of the many reasons people come to Springfield Township to reside is all the open space within the Township. Having parkland, such as the Shiawassee Basin Preserve, enhances the quality of life for our patrons now and for future generations. The grant funds awarded through the MNRTF truly impact communities by allowing them to obtain significant pieces of properties, such as the Shiawassee Basin Preserve, that they otherwise may not have been able to acquire. If these properties are lost to development and industrialization, Michigan would be losing an important piece of its natural heritage and natural resources.”

– Sarah Richmond, Deputy Director, Springfield Township Parks and Recreation