Area Near Pere Marquette River Opened to Public

Pere Marquette River flats (photo by jhy)

from Mason County Press

The area on the north side of the Pere Marquette River, south of Ludington, Michigan, where Conrad road meets Pere Marquette Highway (old US 31) has for many years been the location of a waterfowl viewing platform.

That platform will remain in place and an additional 51 acres of land (mostly cattail marsh) will now be open to the public.

The Michigan DNR has amended the land use which had restricted people from entering. The land was donated to the state by Ducks Unlimited in 1987. No restrictions were placed on the deed. No one seems to have a clear answer as to why it was closed to the public. The best surmise is that a discharge point from the Ludington sewage treatment plant presented a health hazard. However, that discharge point was decomissioned almost 10 years ago.

When a check of the deed showed no restrictions, the DNR rescinded the closure. Technically, the parking area and viewing platform have been in the restricted zone for decades. If the restrictions had been found to be valid, these amenities would need to be removed.

The area, including the north channel of the Pere Marquette River, are now legally open for public use.

See Pere Marquette River Flats


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