Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
The Montreal River runs under the non-motorized bridge in Hurley Sunday afternoon. A fundraiser is planned for early December to raise money to fund the purchase of the rail grade between the two branches of the Montreal River to extend the non-motorized trail west.
By RICHARD JENKINS
Hurley - Supporters of the effort to develop non-motorized trails in Iron County are looking to raise the money needed to continue their efforts, with a fundraiser planned in early December.
Iron County Outdoor Recreation Enthusiasts will hold a fundraising dinner Dec. 2 at Sharon's Coffee Company in Hurley.
ICORE treasurer Bob Traczyk said the event, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., will feature a menu of salad, pizza, pasta and dessert.
There will also be a raffle featuring various prizes, including a bicycle, photo of Gabbro Falls and $200.
Along with the money raised at the fundraiser, Dec. 2 will also be the kick-off of a capital campaign.
Traczyk said the campaign wouldn't require any immediate donations.
"They don't have to give money right away, but we're asking them to pledge so we can start writing a grant," Traczyk said.
The money raised during the fundraiser and capital campaign will be used to provide local matching funds for a Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Grant the group is planning to seek in the spring to purchase the rail grade between the two branches of the Montreal River.
"The (Hurley) city attorney is going to contact Canadian National Railway and come up with a price for the rail grade between the two rivers," Traczyk said.
He said the donations would only be used when the grant was awarded, so people wouldn't have to worry about donating money to a purchase that doesn't happen.
The purchase of the rail grade would be used to extend the non-motorized trail from the Hurley trailhead between the Montreal River and 2nd Avenue/U.S. 51 and Cary Park before eventually continuing on to a planned trailhead in the city of Montreal.
The non-motorized trail in Hurley already connects to the local section of Michigan's Iron Belle Trail, which currently runs from Ironwood to Bessemer. Efforts continue to extend Michigan's trail through Ramsay and Wakefield, eventually the Iron Belle will run from Ironwood to Belle Island in Detroit.
