Bay City State Park

Bay City State Recreation Area
Location within the state of Michigan
Location	Bay County, Michigan, USA
Nearest city	Bay City, Michigan
Coordinates	43°39′58″N 83°54′19″W / 43.66611°N 83.90528°W / 43.66611; -83.90528Coordinates: 43°39′58″N 83°54′19″W / 43.66611°N 83.90528°W / 43.66611; -83.90528
Area	2,100 acres (850 ha)
Governing body	Michigan Department of Natural Resources
http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=437&type=SPRK

Bay City State Recreation Area (formerly Bay City State Park) is a 2,100-acre (850 ha) state park located near Bay City, Michigan in Bay County, Michigan, on the shore of Saginaw Bay. The Tobico Marsh, one of the largest remaining freshwater, coastal wetlands on the Great Lakes is located in the park. Other natural features of the park include a mile of sandy beach, over 2,000 acres (810 ha) of wetland woods, meadows, oak savannah prairies, and cattail marshes. The park is a haven for migratory birds and wetland wildlife.

Pollution on the beaches bordering the Saginaw Bay consisting of organic matter has been a significant issue to park patrons and local waterfront land owners in recent years. Although beach grooming has been implemented to clean up the beaches, much of the shoreline along the bay is muddied with "muck".

Much of the pollution found along the bay shore has been attributed to waste runoff from local farms settled within the Saginaw River watershed, wastewater treatment failures, and leaking septic systems, which contribute nutrients into the water, causing algae blooms.