Ottawa County land purchase closes deal for Lake Michigan beachfront nature reserve

Interesting outdoor recreation areas are high on the quality of life list of today's young professionals, and a proposed nature reserve on Lake Michigan could add to the region's attractiveness. The 20-acre property could be one of the last undeveloped parcels prime for preserving and observing Great Lakes dune habitat.

According to excerpts from the story:

Ottawa County, MI — Ottawa County is now officially the owner of two properties adjacent to the beach where the 2002 movie “Road to Perdition” was filmed — the final pieces in its quest for what could be the county’s final Lake Michigan park.
The parks department first purchased 200 feet of Lake Michigan frontage off Olive Shores Avenue in 2001 — the property used in the Tom Hanks movie.
The latest purchase clears the way for the county’s fifth park along Lake Michigan, Olive Shores, a 20-acre reserve with 738 feet of beach in Port Sheldon Township.

“We finally got it done,” said John Scholtz, Ottawa County parks director. It took additional time, though, to buy the adjacent properties because the department needed more than just the county parks tax money used for most land acquisitions.

Read the complete story here.

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