We are a rural township comprised basically of farmland (major crops include corn, soybeans and wheat; some farmers also grow sugar beets) located in central Michigan between the communities of St. Johns and Owosso in the northeast part of Clinton County.   We continue to research ways to preserve the farmland and still grow, while providing the same services to our constituents.
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The two largest businesses in the area include a local plant for Michigan Milk Producers Association  which is based in Novi and the largest dairy cooperative in Michigan; and Tom’s Western Store, a family-owned and operated business for 48 years.  A small portion of nearby Sleepy Hollow State Park also lies within the township and offers year-round opportunity for recreation.  The park contains over 2,600 acres including a river winding its way through the woods, fields and trails. A man-made lake, Lake Ovid, nestled in the middle of it all was developed by damming the Little Maple River and covers 410 acres. We also have access to the Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail.
 
School districts for the Township include the Ovid-Elsie Area Schools as well as a small portion within the St. Johns Public Schools district. 

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Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia- Shiawassee Trail

Trail is open to all non-motorized uses year round.
 
  Trail Length:  41.3 Miles
Trail Surface:  12 ft, compacted crushed limestone with 8 miles of asphalt in towns
Snowmobiles:   PROHIBITED
          Horses:   PROHIBITED
   4 Wheelers:   PROHIBITED
 
The Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail is a 41.3 mile, 12 ft. wide, packed crushed limestone, with 10 ft. wide asphalt surface in towns for a total of 8 miles of asphalt. It is non-motorized, non-equestrian, trail located in mid-Michigan in the counties of Clinton, Ionia and Shiawassee. It connects the communities of Owosso, Ovid, St. Johns, Fowler,  Pewamo, Muir/Lyons and Ionia utilizing a former railroad corridor.
 

The trail is part of the Midwest Regional Rail-Trail Network,  joining on the eastern end with the Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Trail (Ionia to Lowell), the Fred Meijer Flat River Valley Trail (Lowell to Greenville), and the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail (Greenville to Edmore to Alma) for a total of 125 miles.
 
The trail parallels M-21 and traverses mostly rural areas and farming communities, but portions also run near and across Stoney Creek, Maple River and Grand River watersheds in Ionia County
 
The trail is owned by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and is managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) with the Mid-West Michigan Trail Authority and maintained by volunteers of the Friends of the Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail.