DNR Promises... If Legislature Comes Through with $500K

In western Michigan, the Traverse City area in particular, cross-country ski trails are popular and well-used. The recent angst over whether state trails would be groomed has been relieved in the short term.

Joyce Angel-Ling, the DNR unit manager in Gaylord says that grooming will begin early this week on the Muncie Lakes trail system in Grand Traverse County, Pine Baron Trail in Otsego County and Wild Wood Hills trail in Cheboygan County.

But continued grooming, and the future of 20 campgrounds closed last summer, depends on the approval of $500,000 by the Michigan Legislature. If that happens in early 2008, the grooming machines will stay out of mothballs. And campers can expect to see Pinney Bridge in Antrim County; Walsh Road Trail Camp in Crawford County; Forks in Grand Traverse County; Johnson's Crossing in Otsego County; Long Lake in Wexford County; plus three more campgrounds in Cheboygan County reopen for summer.

Northern Michigan lawmakers, including State Representative Howard Walker, R-Traverse City, worked to negotiate the deal for both the cross country trails and the state forest campgrounds.

Now it's up to Lansing, again.

read more in the Traverse City Record-Eagle, Dec 16, 2007
read more: DNR Finds $10 Million! Huh? Dec 12, 2007
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