RHH's photos with the keyword: wetlands

When we were in Michigan recently we walked the trails at Millennium Park along the Grand River. The park is not far from where I grew up but at that time was a messy landscape of old oil wells, gravel pits, an abandoned railroad track and garbage. The river, too was so polluted that the fish were inedible, what few fish there were and the water a danger to swimmers. That has changed. The river is much cleaner with good fishing in the river, the gravel pits have been turned into wetlands and a wildlife refuge and partly into an area for boating and water sports, the old railroad grade has become part of the trail system and most of the old oil wells have been removed. These photos show some of wetlands and the old railroad bridges, one of which is falling down and the other which has been restored and is not used by hikers and bikers.

This is all that is left of the old railroad that used to cross the Grand River through what is now Millennium Park near Grand Rapids, Michigan. The bridge has been restored and is used by hikers and bikers to access the trail system on both sides of the river. The old railroad grades have become part of the trail system.

This old railroad bridge in Millennium Park near Grand Rapids, Michigan, is still standing but is not part of the trail system in the park. The area, once a maze of old gravel pits, oil wells, abandoned equipment and garbage, is now a recreation area and wildlife refuge and the old railroad grades are now part of the trail system.

This water, once an abandoned gravel pit along the Grand River near Grand Rapids, Michigan, is now part of a wetlands and wildlife refuge. There are many such pits in the area and they have become part of a recreation area and a place for hiking and bird-watching.

Taken near the junction of the Seward Highway and the Portage Valley Highway in the area of the old town of Portage which was almost entirely destroyed by the 1964 earthquake. At that time the area sank six feet putting most of it below sea level and it is now wetlands near the upper end of Turnagain Arm.

There is a small area of wetlands, several acres, at Sharpe Park, a good place to waterfowl. This was taken as the western edge of the wetlands where the trail follows them for a short distance. The pads at the edge of the water are Cow Lilies, a native waterlily. This photo was taken on a hike with my wife and the photo is hers.

This was taken in the wetlands area of Sharpe Park. Though not in bloom the waterlilies are almost certainly the native species, Nuphar polysepala, also known as Spatterdock or Yellow Cow-lily. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/04/sharpe-park...