FERRYSBURG — Once a barren sand-mining site, Ottawa Sands County Park has blossomed into a nationally recognized beacon of conservation, earning a prestigious 2025 National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials Award for its environmental efforts.
The honor celebrates the park’s remarkable transformation from an industrial wasteland to an environmentally appealing county destination.
Stretching six miles along the Lake Michigan shoreline, Ottawa Sands was, for decades — from 1950s to the mid-2000s — a primary source of dune sand for industries, including automotive manufacturing. Its two-phase acquisition, finalized in 2019 by Ottawa County Parks and the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, set the stage for a comprehensive $30 million master plan aimed at restoring the site’s natural ecosystem and providing vital habitat for wildlife…