Environment

Sleeping Bear trail system expands

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By HANNAH BRENNER
Capital News Service
LANSING — A ribbon-cutting ceremony has marked the opening of a new segment of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the Leelanau Peninsula. But a delay in delivering parts for a boardwalk over Narada Lake means that it is not yet fully in use, said Lee Jameson, the facility manager at the lakeshore park. Work on the segment is expected to continue through the fall and possibly into next spring. When finished, the latest addition to the bicycle and ski trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes on Lake Michigan will run 3.6 miles from Port Oneida to Bohemian Road. That will bring the current length to 17 miles of asphalt, boardwalk and gravel.

Environment

State officials launch tourism initiative to promote trail network

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By DANIELLE WOODWARD
Capital News Service
LANSING — Information for all Michigan trails – including those on the water – would soon be available at the click of a button under legislation recently introduced by lawmakers. That kind of accessibility is part of the Department of Natural Resource’s  plan to attract tourists to Michigan’s trails by improving them and making them easier to find. Lawmakers recently introduced a package of five bills that would label all state trails as Pure Michigan trails, use “trail towns” to connect trails between communities and make trail information available both on a computer and through an app. The department worked closely with the Michigan Trails and Greenway Alliance to develop the plan and the legislation to implement it. The legislation also includes a bill that would take the snowmobile specification out of the Michigan snowmobile and trails advisory council.

Environment

More trails, more water access recommended in public lands report

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By MATTHEW HALL
Capital News Service
LANSING – More public access to forests, lakes and trails are among the goals the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has in store for public lands. A department report details a strategy for increasing recreation, protection for natural resources and economic growth, said Donna Stine, the policy coordinator for the agency. One component is more trails for horse enthusiasts, especially in Southeast Michigan. “We have a large equestrian community and they do like to use our trails,” Stine said. “We have trails in Northern Michigan and some in Southern Michigan, primarily at state parks, but there is a lot of community interest in creating more of them.”
The report calls for connecting and extending 10 existing trails in Macomb, Oakland and Livingston counties.