After results of regional survey showed cost of lessons as one of the largest barriers – Metroparks is partnering with organizations across the region in an effort to improve water safety. May is National Water Safety month, a time to revisit and reflect on water…

The spiny softshell turtle is an aquatic turtle and one of the largest turtles in Michigan. Unlike most turtles, their shell isn’t hard but is instead soft, flat, and rubbery and the edges of the shell have small spines which give the turtle its name.…

The highly anticipated redevelopment of Shelden Trails at Stony Creek Metropark began back in 2016 with input and recommendations from partners and regular users during the master planning process.  In 2018, the Huron-Clinton Metroparks started the multi-year redevelopment project with a goal to extend and…

The Huron-Clinton Metroparks partnered with the City of Detroit Parks and Recreation to conduct a prescribed burn of the prairie inside Rouge Park on May 11 in efforts to restore wild habitats in the area. Rouge Park is the largest park in the city of…

Few other birds are more appropriately named for a singular color than this small but bright warbler, decked out from head to toe in brilliant yellow. Unlike many of its close relatives that only pass through southeast Michigan for a few fleeting weeks during migration,…

Author: Victoria Taylor Sluder, HCMA District Interpretive Services Supervisor We all have a water footprint. In the same way that environmental groups talk about “carbon footprints” and greenhouse gases, the activities and choices of people leave their marks on another of our most precious natural…

What bird sounds like a 64-bit Nintendo game, flits and dives with the grace of a giant bat, and has a name that would make a superhero jealous?  The not-so-common Common Nighthawk!  This member of the nightjar family has the appearance of a super-sized swallow…

Pleased, pleased, pleased to meetcha! This sweet song belongs to this week’s Bird of the Week, the Chestnut-sided Warbler. This small wood warbler migrates from its wintering grounds on the edges of forests and shade-coffee plantations of Central America to the new growth forests of…

If there was a list of brightly colored Michigan animals that look like they belong in a tropical rainforest, the fiery Blackburnian Warbler would be right near the top. In this case that would be partially accurate, since these birds spend their winters in the…

May is an exciting time in Michigan. Harsh cold snaps have finally given way to sunnier days and lush green backdrops have filled in once empty forests. For birders though, the wonder of May lies in the fact that it is peak warbler migration season.…