The Warren Sun

Officials of Macomb County announced June 19 that they are receiving a $300,000 grant to turn a barren semi-industrial zone into a wildlife and native plant greenbelt in the Sterling Heights area between Schoenherr Road and the Metro Parkway behind Freedom Hill County Park.

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said in a news release posted on the Macomb County website that the grant awarded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) would be used as a habitat restoration and trail-connecting project in the areas of the Sterling Relief and Red Run Drain confluence.

“The transformation of the Sterling Relief Drain from an industrial-looking empty space into a greenbelt filled with Michigan native plants, trees and wildlife -- including our butterfly flyway -- is fully underway,” Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said on the Macomb County website. “The drain has been redesigned to better filter pollutants out of the water, using Mother Nature’s natural abilities. Now, we see the plants filling in and the wildlife responding. This additional funding will allow us to continue to expand this project, improving the quality of life for residents in central Sterling Heights and beyond.”

Red Run is part of the Clinton River watershed and, as a small stream, was partly buried in the 1920s to serve as drainage. It flows from Madison Heights in Oakland County through Sterling Heights in Macomb County.

The project aims to restore river habitat and native animals, cut erosion and develop a waterfront trail for public hiking along a 1.3-mile stretch of the Red Run and Sterling Relief drains. The resulting greenbelt will contain trees native to Michigan and attract wildlife, including a butterfly fly zone.

Over 30 acres of habitat will be restored in all, Hackel said.

He added that the new funding is in addition to $1.8 million in grants that have already made improvements to 5.5 miles of the route along the Sterling Relief drain. That part of the project completed earlier this year installed several hundred trees and native plant species at the site. Funding was made available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the NFWF and the Macomb County Public Works Planning and Economic Development Department.

“This project fulfills an important portion of our master plan for parks and natural resources," Director of the Macomb County Planning & Economic Development Department Vicky Rad said on the county's website. “Overall, this will expand an important greenway in a densely populated community.”