Wilderness Park

There’s a park that backs up to the fish pond at Saline Fisheries Research Station, and I find it amusing that it’s called Wilderness Park, being that it’s on the southern edge of downtown Saline. It’s two acres of wilderness right on the edge of suburbia. You’ll see a strip of mowed lawn along Willis Road, where it dead ends into Saline Milan Road. That’s the northern edge of the park, which goes all the way back to the pond.
Park on the street, or else in the gravel parking lot at Willis and Saline/​Milan, opposite Fifth Corner. There are two paths into the wilderness. There is a faded map to help you chart your course. The trees are tall, so it’s a good place to walk the dog on a chilly, windy day.
If you go all the way to the shore of the pond, there are some benches, in case you want to sit and meditate on nature for a while. The pond sees a lot of action: mallard ducks, Canada geese, kingfishers, egrets, herons, etc. Most years, I have seen a pair of swans raise babies.