Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RALPH ANSAMI
LANSING — A $500,000 grant recommendation for acquiring land for the Iron Belle Trail was announced Friday by Gov. Rick Snyder.
Snyder said the Gogebic County acquisition of the Cottens property would involve 6 acres of land with frontage on Lake Superior to support the Iron Belle Trail and improve land management of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
The parcel is surrounded by the park on three sides, with Lake Superior located on the fourth side.
The parcel has the potential to offer overnight accommodations for park visitors and Iron Belle Trail travelers, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The Iron Belle Trail is also part of the North Country Scenic Trail and will be routed through the parcel once acquisition of the parcel is complete, the µDNR said.
Snyder applauded the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund board for its submission of grant recommendations for recreational development and land acquisition projects to the state Legislature.
“For 40 years, the MNRT Fund has provided opportunities to Michiganders to experience our state’s world-class natural resources. These recommendations reflect that ongoing commitment to a better quality of life for Michigan citizens in every part of our state,” Snyder said.
The board’s recommendations total more than $47.6 million for projects in 2017, including $19.9 million in recreational development and $27.7 million in land acquisition projects.
Locally, with the Ironwood to Bessemer stretch of the Iron Belle completed over the summer, the Bessemer to Ramsay stretch will be the next targeted area, although it won’t be constructed next summer.
A DNR Trust Fund grant provided $300,000 for the first phase of trail work in the Ironwood area.
The third phase of local trail construction could be as much as three years away.
The trails from Belle Isle Park in Detroit to Ironwood will feature two distinct routes for hiking and bicycling that together cover 2,000 scenic miles.
