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Thursday, January 24, 2008

Meinert Park May Gain 91 Acres

Muskegon County Meinert Park (Michigan), may be able to acquire 91 additional acres with the assistance of The Trust for Public Land and an observant couple.

Chris Knopf lives in Minnesota and is a director of regional programs for The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national non-profit conservation organization. But his parents live in Whitehall, and they noticed that the land adjacent to the southeast corner of the park was for sale. The land is in White River Township, and does not include any Lake Michigan frontage.

The parcel is mostly forested duneland area, with wetlands mixed in. The property is rugged and hilly in spots, has lots of wildlife, includes a "lost lake" and many existing hiking trails. It is possible that the county would simply install directional signs and otherwise leave the area alone.

The forested dunes would double the size of Meinert Park, if purchased. The TPL has an option to buy the land from two trusts which are the current owners of the properties. The option is good through December 2008. About $820,000 is needed

Muskegon County Commissioners voted Tuesday to eventually acquire the property from the trust and add it to Meinert County Park. The TPL will help county staff apply for grants from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Federal Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program.

from the Muskegon Chronicle, "Duneland would double size of park", by Steve Gunn, Jan 23, 2008
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

this is great news. my family has a cottage nearby, and I'm happy to see that the land is likely to be preserved as-is.

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