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 Valerie Blaschka,
interpreter for Bay City State Recreation Area, Saginaw Bay Visitor Center
The Saginaw Bay Visitor Center, WILL BE CLOSED due to state of Michigan furlough days, on the following dates:
June 19
July 6 and 24
August 7 and 21
September 4
All Michigan State Park and Recreation areas will remain open on all of these dates.
Schedule of Weekly Nature Programs
Schedules for other nature programs
The Saginaw Bay Visitor Center, located in the Bay
City State Recreation Area , helps visitors discover Tobico Marsh, one of the largest remaining coastal wetlands on the Great Lakes.
Tell us about your visit
Nestled under a canopy of sheltering hardwoods on the edge of the marsh, the modern visitor center stands on the site of the historic Jennison Nature Center, built in 1940 and named for George B. Jennison, a prominent local conservationist. Fifty-five years later, the aging nature center was given a $1 million makeover. A 10,000-square-foot building, which more than doubled the size of the original facility, reopened in 1996 with a 100-seat auditorium and new exhibit hall.
The Jennison Exhibit Hall reveals the little known treasures of Saginaw Bay: a rich kaleidoscope of wetland resources--fisheries, wildflowers, waterfowl and other wildlife.
- At the touch of a button see how the bay and its unique coastal wetlands were formed.
- Compose a symphony of wetland sounds at the marsh music display.
- Watch the marsh wildlife up-close on a big screen through a remote video surveillance camera.
- Play one of the interactive computer games that demonstrate the importance of the Saginaw Bay area in Michigan's rich history of fishing, lumbering, shipping and agriculture.
Inside the center's auditorium, visitors will enjoy The Saginaw Bay Story, an inspiring nine-projector multi-image slide show that features colorful panoramic photographs of the bay and its shoreline, and includes the reminiscences of Frank N. Andersen, a Saginaw philanthropist and last surviving member of the Tobico Hunting and Fishing Club, who donated the Tobico Marsh property to the state of Michigan in 1957.
The wildlife observation room provides a picturesque view of birds and small mammals in a natural setting.
Educational Opportunities
Interpretive programs are offered every day throughout the summer and on special weekends during the school year. Opportunities include special event weekends, trail hikes, birding adventures, fishing and hunting clinics, and touring cultural and natural resource artists.
School Field Trips
An award-winning K-12 curriculum of wetland conservation programs are offered for school groups and are available on a reservation basis. Programs include hands-on learning experiences designed to correlate with the Michigan Essential Goals and Objectives for Science Education and inspire stewardship and the appreciation of Michigan's wetland resources.
The following is a partial list of available interpretive programs. Click on the program title to obtain more information about the program.
Educators and group leaders interested in arranging a visit to the Saginaw Bay Visitor Center or an interpretive hike or program, should contact the park interpreter at (989) 667-0717, or by e-mail at: blaschkv@michigan.gov. Also be sure to ask about the additional interpretive programs which are available.
Special Events
The visitor center hosts a number of special events each year. Make plans to attend these great events scheduled for 2009:
Winter Festival......................................February 14
Wetland Wake-Up Day..........................April 18
Geocache Bash.....................................May 9
Beach Wellness Run by the Bay............May 16
Free Fishing Festival............................June 13
Beach Wellness Volleyball Tournament.....June 27
Saginaw Bay Waterfowl Festival..........August 1-2
Pedal to the Park..................................August (to be announced)
Mother Nature's Halloween Trail..........October 24
All park events are free. For more information, click on the event or call the visitor center at (989) 667-0717.
Nature Trails
The Andersen Trail takes visitors through the marsh. The first two miles of paved, barrier-free trail meander through this wildlife haven where the telltale signs of waterfowl, herons, turtles, otters, marsh wrens and beavers are readily visible. The trail then connects to an unpaved four-mile loop that winds through a wooded wetland and features two 60-foot observation towers.
The Chickadee Nature Trail is a short, half-mile paved accessible trail that threads its way through a remnant oak-savannah prairie. Colorful trailside displays contain recorded messages that help visitors explore this fragile habitat where birds, butterflies and blossoms abound. The trail was made possible by the Bay City Garden Club.
The Lagoon Nature Trail explores wooded wetlands, forested beaches and open shoreline habitat. This one-mile, hard-surfaced trail circles the lagoon and meanders along the shores of the bay. The first section, which is universally accessible, leads to a shoreline boardwalk that offers several panoramic views of the bay. The trail also features shoreline spotting scopes, and accessible picnicking sites and fishing pier.
Gift Shop
The Wetlands Wonders Gift Shoppe, located within the center and run by volunteers from the Friends of Bay City State Recreation Area, stocks a wide variety of educational resources for all ages, as well as a large selection of nature-related gifts.
Hours
The center is open noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays), from Jan. 1 to May 25 and Sept. 1 to Nov. 30.
Summer hours (Memorial Day to Labor Day) are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
For information, call (989) 667-0717.
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