Blitz, Blitz, Metropark Blitz

This is the end of summer blitz at the Huron-Clinton Metroparks. We all pay into the parks funding, so this is an opportunity to take advantage of your tax dollars at work, .

This weekend, there's a Huron River clean up at Kensington Metro, on the 18th, along with an egg hunt, a monarch butterfly egg hunt on the 19th. Kensington is on the far reaches of my reporting area, so I don't cover it much. It's on the lake you see just north of I-96 on the way up north or to Lansing.

Closer to home at Oakwoods Metro, the normal canoe tour is being taken over by pirates, but only on Saturday the 18th. “Arrgh, Mateys!” Come along and take a fun look at the pirate life. Discover if you have what it takes to sail the high seas or at least to paddle the Huron River. Event fee is $5 per person.

Show and tell about the American Lotus at Lake Erie Metropark Marshlands Museum & Nature Center on the 18th. There is nothing small about the American Lotus. It has large leaves, large flowers, lives in a large bed and is worth spending a large amount of time looking at it. The boardwalk in the park is phenomenal. The event fee is $3 per person.

Also on the 18th at Oakwoods, there's a Marsh Cuisine 101 class. Come see how to catch and prepare a meal straight from the marsh. You will also learn the legal methods of harvesting. Guy Fieri or Rachel Ray, however, won't be there. The event fee is $8 per person.

On the 24th at Lower Huron, "Cruzin the Park" will begin and run thru Sunday the 26th. Many different activities are planned so check out http://www.cruzinthepark.com/information.html for more info. To heighten the experience, the park offers camping on site.

And if all this isn't enough, on Aug. 31st, Oakwoods will be having a Blue Moon Hike and Bonfire. Join in for a hike and then spend time around the bonfire. You will enjoy the second full moon in the month of August, the proverbial Blue Moon. The event fee is $5 per person.

Get Outdoors Downriver.