60-Mile Marquette Greenway Will Connect New Buffalo to Chicago

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Marquette Greenway map (from Berrien Trails)

from Berrien Trails

Imagine being able to ride your bike safely from Chicago all the way to New Buffalo or to spend a sunny afternoon hiking from Michigan City to New Buffalo and back. Dozens of volunteers have been working on this project for over a decade to make this dream a reality.

The Marquette Greenway is an ambitious project. The goal is to finish a regional, non-motorized greenway which will span about 60 miles in length along the south shore of Lake Michigan from Calumet Park in Chicago to downtown New Buffalo, Michigan. Residents throughout the region have long been hoping for an uninterrupted trail connecting these three states and providing access to a wide variety of destinations along the lakefront.

A ribbon cutting was held on April 25, 2025 for his first section of the trail in Michigan. There are almost 40 miles of trail completed of the 60-mile trail that will connect New Buffalo to East Chicago.

Read the full article at the link above.


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The Lone Star Tick Now in Michigan

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caption (photo by James Gathany, Public Health Image Library, public domain)

compiled from several sources

The Lone Star Tick (also called northeastern water tick). Amblyomma americanum is now confirmed in Michigan. Berrien County in particular has seen a population develop, although it has been seen in most of southern Michigan.

This is significant because it is a regular carrier of Ehrlichiosis and is the primary vector for Alpha-gal Syndrome—a severe, newly recognized condition where the tick's saliva triggers a lifelong, sometimes life-threatening allergic reaction to mammalian meat (beef, pork, lamb). It does not transmit Lyme disease.

The females display the central white spot on the back while males may have smaller dispersed spots around the perimeter.

While it's common to talk about seeing ticks come out around a particular date, it's more reliable to look at the thermometer. If the weather hits 50° you should expect to see ticks emerging and looking for a blood meal.

And, one rarely feels a tick bite. Their saliva include and anesthetic, anticoagulants and antihistimines that work to keep you from feeling the bite or having an immediate itching reaction. Once they do puncture the skin, the anticoagulant keeps your blood flowing. So don't forget to start visually checking for attached ticks if the weather becomes mild and the leaf litter where they over-winter is exposed.

See Lone Star Tick on Wikipedia


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Benton Harbor- St. Joe Trail Open

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concept drawing (graphic from patronicity)

compiled from several sources

Phase 1 of the Lakeshore Trail connecting downtown Benton Harbor and St. Joseph in Berrien County, Michigan, is now open. This 2.5-mile section of the Lakeshore Trail is a paved, multi-use walking and biking trail from the Harbor Shores Trails on Higman Park Road in Benton Charter Township, along M-63, to the Monte Road trailhead of the Lakeview Mountain Bike Trail. It is ADA-compliant with grades below 5% to allow many abilities and skill levels to utilize the trail.

Nature restoration, including the planting of new trees, will be completed before the anticipated official opening of the trail in spring 2026.

The Lakeshore Trail is the first phase of a larger effort to ultimately connect the trail system in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor to the Van Buren State Park Trail in Covert Township, Van Buren County.

Although the trail is open, it is not plowed or groomed.

See maps at Berrien Trails


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Chikaming Preserve in Berrien County

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Chikaming Nature Preserve (photo from Chikaming Open Lands)

from a news article at Moody on the Market

Chikaming Township in Berrien County, Michigan, has recently purchased a total of 87 acres to be conbined into a nature preserve. The area is a mix of former agricultural land, forest, and wetland. Over 200 donors contributed to make the acquisition possible.

Chikaming Open Lands (COL) Director Ryan Postema states that over the winter a plan will be developed to create trails and a parking area to make the land more accessible to the public. “This property is desirable. It’s a high-profile location along Three Oaks Road between Sawyer and Three Oaks. And so it’ll be a really great asset to the community," he said. He hopes there will be guided hikes, educational and service opportunities available within a year.

Since its founding in 1999, COL has protected nearly 2,500 acres across Berrien County. Chikaming Open Lands is the local land conservancy dedicated to preserving the open spaces and natural rural character of southwest Berrien County. Their mission is to "protect and restore native plant and animal habitat in the area, improve water quality in our rivers, streams and in Lake Michigan, and permanently preserve ecologically significant forests, prairies and wetlands, as well as prime farmland and other open spaces in this community."



See Chickaming Open Lands


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LWCF Money to Benefit 6 West Michigan Communities

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Eaton Park Playground (photo from the St. Joseph Township website)

from a news release of the Michigan DNR

Eleven Michigan community parks will receive funding for improvements from 2025 Land and Water Conservation Fund money. This source of money comes from fees paid for rights for oil and gas drilling and must be used for land acquisition or recreational purposes. Six of the eleven 2025 recipients are located in west Michigan.

From south to north in west Michigan these are:
• St. Joseph Charter Township (Berrien County) Eaton Park Restroom and Park Improvements $359,000
• Village of Lawerence (Van Buren County) Lawrence Village Park Playground Improvements $301,200.
• City of Kalamazoo (Kalamazoo County) Milham Park Improvements $500,000.
• City of East Grand Rapids (Kent County) Waterfront Park Improvement Project Phase 2 $500,000.
• Shelby Township (Oceana County) Shelby Community Pool $500,000.
• Village of Elberta (Benzie County) Terminus Park Acquisition $5,347,600.

If further news becomes available on particulars of these upgrades, they will be featured.


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SW MI Non-Motorized Plan Offers Free Bike Trail Maps

from SW Michigan Planning Commission

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission is excited to announce the completion of the 9 county non-motorized transportation plan and maps. The region wide vision created in the planning document is a tool for local and state agencies regarding the investment in non-motorized transportation around the region.

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission will update the 9-County Bike Map, and facilitate the development of a comprehensive, regional Non-Motorized Transportation Plan for MDOT's Southwest Region (Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren Counties).

The map includes the following non-motorized trails: Battle Creek Linear Trail, Holland-Zeeland Bike Path Network, Kalamazoo River Valley Trail, Kal-Haven Trail, Paul Henry Thornapple Trail, Portage Bicentennial Linear Park, and the Van Buren Trail.

Also on the map are mountain biking trails: Al Sabo Land Preserve, TK Lawless Park, Fort Custer Recreation Area, Kellogg Forest, Madeline Bertrand Park, Love Creek Park, Markin Glen Park, and Yankee Springs Rec Area.

A number of pdfs are available for planning an outing. Text descriptions of the trails give mileages, basic info, and contact. Maps are available in two resolutions for downloading. Note: the high resolution files are really large.

Non-motorized transportation plans seek to identify non-motorized routes for people to use as an alternative to traditional transportation methods such as driving a car. Non-motorized routes allow people to get out of their car and bike or walk to jobs, businesses, and community events.



See SW MI Non-Motorized Plan
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Southwest Michigan Non-Motorized Trails Project

if you like this article, click the Blip chiclet!
a news release of theSouthwest Michigan Planning Commission

August 15, 2010- Comment Period For 9 County Project Ending
Last day that the SWMPC will be taking comment on the county existing and planned maps for the 9 County Non-Motorized Project. If you have any comments please send them to Suzann Flowers at (269) 925-1137 x 17 or flowerss@swmpc.org. You can view the maps at SWMPC. A big thank you to everyone for all the great participation and feedback that we have gotten. Please forward the maps to anyone you think may want to comment on the maps.

August 23, 2010 Connecting Communities and People With Trails Workshop Session 3
The SWMPC and West Michigan Trails and Greenways Coalition will host its next session of the 4-part workshop series on Liability and Maintenance for Trails. Josh DeBruyn from the Michigan Department of Transportation will be discussing Liability for Bike Routes and Jeff Mitchell from the Van Buren County Road Commission will be discussing Maintenance Part 1 and 2. Please join us on August 23, 2010 from 8:30am-noon at the Van Buren County Conference Center in Lawrence, MI. For more details please visit SWMPC Trails Workshop

If you have any trail related events in the 9-county region of SW Michigan that you would like to share with our friends, please become a member of the Southwest Michigan Alliance for Recreational Trails friend on Facebook or send Suzann Flowers a message. There are usually updates every couple of months.

Contact Suzann Flowers
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Galien River Park, Water Trail Will Be Big Change

the last remaining Pony Truss Bridge spans the Galien River in Berrien County (photo from the MI DOT)

based on a news article in the South Bend Tribune, "New park a win for Galien River," April 17, 2009

"The proposed Galien River County Park in New Buffalo is the waterway's best news in perhaps a century." Over time, millions of dollars in EPA money has gone for clean up of the damage to the river, known for having the highest E. coli counts in the state of Michigan.

Now an $8 million development along the Galien River in New Buffalo Township will include a lodge, interpretative center, walking trails and observation decks. The park encompasses 86 acres.

The National Parks Service and Chikaming Open Lands are partnering to create the nearby Galien Marsh Water Trail. This phase will likely take two years to develop, but will include a canoe livery and interpretive signage. The marsh is the largest remaining in southwest Michigan, and is a sanctuary for migrating birds. It also contains a diverse collection of native plants and wildlife.

The park land was purchased with money from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust, Pokagon Fund, the Great Lakes Fisheries Trust and federal stimulus funds.

map of the Galien River watershed (from the MI DEQ)

The river is the historic home of the Potawatomi Indians who fished and hunted these woods and waters. Peg Kohring, a Sawyer botanist and Midwest director of The Conservation Fund, says that good water quality is critical to the current projects. Suspected septic failures in Three Oaks and Weesaw Township are the next pollution problems to be solved along the river.

Volunteers occasionally help with a river cleanup day. Broad-based support from people in the New Buffalo area will be important for this park and increased recreational use of the Galien River to succeed.

See Pony Truss Bridge
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