Parks and recreation

Out for a walk recently, I experienced a few of the recreational benefits available at my neighborhood park. On a trail through a small natural area, the trilliums were in bloom. A few hundred feet away, small children learned the finer points of soccer next to some teenagers playing softball. And, of course, many people shared a walk with their dogs. Without a doubt, this park is an invaluable community asset.

Building on such assets is a major emphasis of plans at SEMCOG. Southeast Michigan boasts an immense collection of recreation assets, which include:

• 180,000 acres of public parks,
• More than 1,000 miles of trails and side paths,
• The only international wildlife refuge in North America, and
• Nationally recognized fisheries.

Our green infrastructure plan calls for coordinating the activities of parks, which are operated by various regional, county, and local government entities. Toward that goal we have begun coordination with parks officials throughout the region.

Right now, we’re administering a Pulse of the Region Survey on Parks and Recreation. This survey is designed to find out about residents’ interests, satisfaction, and challenges with parks in the region. To provide a parks system that works for everyone, we need to know what features are most important to you. I encourage you to take the survey and ask others to do so as well.

We will announce the survey results and use them to guide our efforts to improve recreational opportunities in Southeast Michigan. Stay tuned.