Ottawa County Parks has established a management plan to limit the spread of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). The county has opted for injections of a pesticide in high-risk areas of two parks, a treatment that is expected to be effective for 3-5 years.
The parasite was first discovered in 2015 at Historic Ottawa Beach Parks, which include Black Lake Boardwalks, Mount Pisgah and the Lake Michigan beach adjacent to Holland State Park. HWA was most recently detected at North Ottawa Dunes this past April.