History
Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a
land acknowledgement from the city and learn more about the early history of the land
here.
Molin Nature Area was at one point being looked at by developers interested in building single-family homes, but in 1978 the neighborhood recognized that it was the last remaining bit of nature in their neighborhood; a push to help the City purchase the land to secure it as public land began. It took many years, but the Kimberly Colony Neighborhood Association (KCNA) was successful. In 1989, the 7.2 acre stretch of nature was originally dedicated as the Kimberly Colony Nature Park. It was the first park land acquired through a park acquisition millage which was active from 1988 – 1992, with the neighborhood raising the matching funds required. The park was then rededicated as Molin Nature Area in 1996 in memory of Peg Molin who was a member of, and later chaired, the Ann Arbor Park Advisory Commission from 1981 – 1990.
In 1996, friends and family of Peg Molin proposed renaming the Kimberly-Colony Nature Area in honor of Peg Molin. In accordance with the park naming policy a petition was circulated throughout the neighborhood surrounding Kimberly-Colony Nature Area with the result that the majority of the neighborhood supported the renaming. The Mayor and City Council approved the renaming on August 5, 1996. Peg Molin was chair of the Park Advisory Commission in 1988 when the Kimberly-Colony Nature Area was purchased with funds contributed by the neighborhood; the purchase was one of the first expenditures from the Park Acquisition Millage. The boulder and bronze plaque in memoriam of Peg Molin was installed in early 1997.
The Molin/ Morris Award was created in 1996 and inspired by Leslie Morris and Peg Molin. This award is annually presented by the Park Advisory Commission and the Ann Arbor Department of Parks and Recreation. The award recognizes an individual for outstanding volunteer contributions to the City of Ann Arbor Parks and recreation system and the community which have resulted in an enhanced quality of life and improved environment for all.
Park Focus: Molin Nature Area by Sara E. Jackson, 2012
