Manistee to Buy Man-Made Lake Shore, Increase Accessibility

Existing and Proposed Access to Man-Made Lake, Manistee

The city of Manistee recently announced that it has received a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant. The $2 million from this source, combined with $1.1 million which was locally raised will allow the city to purchase almost all of the shoreline of Man-Made Lake on the city's north side. Over 1500 local residents contributed to the fund. "It turned into a groundswell of people saying, 'Let's do this,'" said Bob Strohs, an active member of a citizen group interested in securing the property.

Twenty-two acres will be purchased from Sand Products, the current owner. This will give the city ownership of all the shoreline except for a small area about the size of two city lots. The money has yet to be disbursed, but community development director, Jon Rose, stated that since the money comes from a trust fund, the Michigan Legislature cannot divert the money to other uses.

Plans to upgrade the recreational facilities are numerous:
- expanded paved parking
- a barrier-free fishing dock will be built at the north end of the lake
- a wooden walkway will be built from the parking area, past the dock, to Lake Michigan, and will include an observation platform on a high location
- several additional walkways will be built around the lake, including one which will pass near an area of protected Pitcher's Thistle plants.

The first phase of the project is likely to begin in 2009, and will include the paved parking and dock.

The lake itself has an odd history. Between 1928 and 1970 the lake bed was created by the removal of sand which was sold primarily to the auto industry. The resulting depression filled with water. But the high levels of Lake Michigan in 1985 washed away the barrier between the two lakes, and thus Man-Made Lake was simply a part of Lake Michigan. Since then, sand from dredging the Manistee Channel, and other building projects has been re-deposited to create the barrier again.

read more in the Ludington Daily News
read more in the Traverse City Record-Eagle
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