Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
SNOWMOBILERS STOP along the Stateline Rail-Trail in Bessemer Township.
By RALPH ANSAMI
Wakefield - The Michigan Natural Resources Commission last week approved the purchase of seven permanent trail easements from private property owners in the Wakefield area.
The 30-foot-wide easements total 1.4 miles and are located along the former Chicago & North Western Railroad corridor in Wakefield Township.
That's good news for the local economy because Trail 2 from Ironwood to Wakefield is a highly used snowmobile route and it was in danger of being closed.
The trail would have ended at Ramsay if the easements along the trail were lost.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh said the Gogebic County easement purchases were part of several land transactions approved at the Sept. 10 meeting in Lansing.
"These U.P. land transactions will secure recreational opportunities for boaters, snowmobilers, off-road vehicle riders and others," said DNR Upper Peninsula Trails Coordinator Ronald Yesney. "Maintaining and improving these types of opportunities for the public are among the DNR's highest priorities, helping to cement Michigan's well-earned reputation as 'The Trails State.'"
The $28,413 the DNR spent on buying the easements in Gogebic County was funded through the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund State Trails Initiative.
"The acquisition of these easements will help aid our ongoing efforts to complete the roughly 120-mile Stateline Rail-Trail, which will run from Iron Mountain to Ironwood," said Darrell Welch, a DNR trails program land specialist in Marquette.
The route is used by snowmobilers, bikers, hikers, equestrians and, in some places, ORV riders.
Yesney said the completion of the Stateline Rail-Trail is of great importance to the DNR and the communities of Bessemer, Ironwood and Wakefield. He recognized local supporters for their continued commitment to trail development and mentioned the "extraordinary efforts" of Wakefield Township Supervisor John Cox.
Other purchases
In Houghton County, the DNR will acquire three-tenths of an acre from private landowners. The land will be managed as part of the Keweenaw Trail, in partnership with local trail groups.
The land is situated between M-26 and the former Copper Range Railroad, now the Keweenaw Trail. The purchase will allow the DNR to build a snowmobile staging area and resolve a longstanding trespass on the trail in Dollar Bay.
A mobile home and several small outbuildings will be removed prior to the DNR taking ownership of the land.
The DNR is participating with the National Park Service, Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission and the Michigan Department of Transportation in initial discussions on creating a Copper Heritage Trail - one similar to the successful Iron Ore Heritage Trail in Marquette County, which showcases the area's mining heritage and history.
The Keweenaw Trail is one of the corridors being considered in the Copper Heritage Trail talks.
In Mackinac County, the DNR will convey 16 acres, acquired by the state through tax reversion in 1939, to Hendricks Township.
The township has sought to acquire the property at Strouble Lake, having managed the site as a park under use permit and surface-use lease agreements with the DNR since 1988. The lake is situated about seven miles north of U.S. 2 and the village of Epoufette.
In June, the Land Exchange Review Committee recommended approval of the transaction with a stipulation that the property revert to the DNR if the maintained public boat launch at the park is discontinued.
