MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - With more than 900 acres of land filled with trees, fields, playgrounds, and bike trails, parks fill up Meridian Township.

“The thing that’s the best about Meridian Township is that we’ve preserved so much natural land," said Jane Greenway, Parks and Land Management Coordinator.

After decades of growth, only 15 percent of the land is developed for recreational purposes leaving the rest of it kept in a natural state.

“It’s so refreshing to have woods and to have trees and an open grassy area and thankfully, the leaders of Meridian had that foresight more than 40 years ago," said Greenway.

And in those 40 years, Meridian Township has developed 28 park facilities while also maintaining wetlands and other natural areas. All the acres of park land in Meridian Township hold a lot of history, especially Wonch park, one of the first and oldest park in the Township.

“It’s right in Downtown Okemos and it was the former site of the Wonch battery facility," said Greenway.

The 15 acres of land was purchased from Theodore Wonchin 1969 and was immediately turned into a park. That same year, Towar Park was found in East Lansing.

“We’re so fortunate in Meridian to have the Red Cedar River running through the Township and we have a lot of park land along the Red Cedar River which is wonderful," said Greenway.

Filled with their own history and attractions, the parks give the community variety and a place to sit down and appreciate the pure nature that the Township continues to offer. The newest park in the township is Towner Road Park located in Haslett.

For any questions or concerns regarding the parks system, you can reach the Parks and Recreation Department at (517) 853-4600.