Friends of Grand Rapids Parks Plants 232 Trees, Secures $215,000 from Consumers Energy During ArborFest 2026
330 volunteers and dozens of community partners planted 232 trees in the Garfield Park neighborhood during Friends of Grand Rapids Parks’ (Friends) 11th Annual ArborFest, presented by Consumers Energy. During the event, Consumers Energy announced a $215,000 commitment over 2 years to support Friends’ initiative to restore the creek beds and habitat along the length […]
Where to Find (and How to Help) Spring Ephemeral Wildflowers in Grand Rapids Parks
Spring ephemeral wildflowers are the first to bloom after winter. They’re here for a short period of time and then go dormant for the rest of the season. These little beauties only grow in specific ecosystems and conditions, such as floodplains, which makes seeing them even more rare and special! For example, natural virginia bluebell […]
Announcing Friends of Grand Rapids Parks’ 2026 Community Event Lineup
Friends of Grand Rapids Parks is excited to announce our free, community event series lineup for 2026. Each event promotes a park activity in partnership with local leaders and experts who will provide instruction and insight for participants. Our hope is that participants will have a fun, rich experience and come away from each event […]
A Conversation with Forestry Director Becky Pobst
Becky Pobst is the Director of Forestry at Friends of Grand Rapids Parks. She’s passionate about teaching people how to engage with their trees, tree research, and building community. We caught up with her about how she got into urban forestry, what goes into making a street tree happy and healthy, and her dreams for […]
Introducing Our New Neighborhood Conservationist Program
There’s a new class series from Friends of Grand Rapids Parks in town…Introducing the Neighborhood Conservationist program! A companion program to our Neighborhood Forester classes, the Neighborhood Conservationist classes are a great way to learn about the natural world, invasive species, and get certified to do independent volunteer work in certain Grand Rapids parks. Ready […]
A Conversation with Conservation Manager Melanie Manion
Melanie Manion is the Conservation Manager at Friends of Grand Rapids Parks. She’s a passionate advocate for conservation, education, and inviting the community to steward public lands together. We caught up about her conservation origin story, what drives her love of education, and what she’s working on at Friends. Friends: Hey! Thanks for sitting […]
10 Ways to Enjoy Grand Rapids Parks in Winter
It might be winter, but you still belong out here! Winter is one of our favorite seasons to enjoy Grand Rapids’ amazing parks. All you need is a little creativity (and some thick socks). 1. Go on a Bird Hike at Mackay Jaycees Park Bird hikes are one of our favorite ways to appreciate the […]
What Conservation Work Can You Do in Winter?
Here at Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, we love cold weather. Why? Because there’s always work to be done and sometimes, snow makes that work a little easier—especially when it comes to conservation. The Friends conservation program manages biodiversity in Grand Rapids’ parks and green spaces. This includes living organisms like trees, shrubs, grasses, flowers, […]
Aman Park Scores “Rare, Significant Example of Michigan’s Native Biodiversity” on Floristic Quality Index Assessment
In a 2025 Floristic Quality Index (FQI) conducted by Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and Calvin University’s Emma Cole Project, Aman Park achieved a score of 82. This high score indicates Aman Park is a botanically significant site, achieved through years of dedicated invasive species removal and habitat preservation work by students and volunteers. “We’ve […]
Increasing Tree Canopy Downtown in Partnership with DGRI
As part of an ongoing partnership with Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc. (DGRI) and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), Friends of Grand Rapids Parks is pleased to extend our work planting trees in downtown for two more years. Over the next two years, we will plant, water, and maintain an additional 100 trees in the downtown […]