Boyne Forest Bicycle Trails to Expand

TOMMBA biker (photo from TOMMBA)

from an article on MLive

The popular Boyne Forest mountain biking trails will soon be expanding onto an additional 36 acres of adjoining land.

The Little Traverse Conservancy and Top of Michigan Mountain Bike Association (TOMMBA) are partnering to raise $300,000 to purchace land adjecent to the Boyne School Forest and a trail excavator for use by TOMMBA.

Conservancy staff will conduct a thorough inventory of the land’s natural features and ecological characteristics before any trail construction begins. The Conservancy's interest is in preservation of the land, and the trails will be designed to minimize environmental impacts.

Nearby communities were recently surveyed and TOMMBA reports that the overwhelming response was to build more trails. There are currently three loops and about 15 miles of trails in the Forest.

See more about the Boyne Forest Trail


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Final Phase Boyne City- Charlevoix Trail Proceeds

Boyne City- Charlevoix Trail (photo from Top of Michigan Trails Council)

from the Boyne Citizen

Phases 4 and 5 of the Boyne City-to-Charlevoix bike and pedestrian trail are coming into focus for completion.

The trail has been in progress for over ten years. A new round of fundraising is being launched to begin the engineering work for the final stretch. 93% of the total trail has been funded, and filling in the final gap is critical to the economic success of the trail.

Top of Michigan Trails Council and the Charlevoix County Trail Team are partnering to lead the project. The first goal is $50,000 for the design and engineering portion of this phase. Possible routes will be identified, a conceptual design created and potential problems addressed.

Finding additional volunteers to assist with the project is also deemed critical.

See more and a map at Top of Michigan Trails Council


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Boyne City May Get Skate Park

proposed Boyne City skate park (graphic from city of Boyne City)

from the Boyne Citizen

A long-planned community skate park in Boyne City, Michigan, has moved one step closer to becoming a reality. City commissioners have unanimously approved a grant application from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for $376,000.

If the grant is approved, this would provide the largest portion of funds raised to date. The amount would cover most of what is needed to complete the park. Trust Fund grants have to be matched with 25% local funding. This is already raised by the non-profit skate park organization

No money will come from the city budget. However, the city will help maintain the park, once constructed.

City Manager Sam Demel called the park “a great asset for the community.” It will be built at Rotary Park at Boyne City. There is currently no skateboard facility in the city.


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Phase 3 Boyne City- Charlevoix Trail to Open Nov 21

Boyne City- Charlevoix Trail (photo from Top of Michigan Trails Council)

a news release of Top of Michigan Trails Council

A ribbon cutting will officially open Phase 3 of the Boyne City-Charlevoix Trail on Friday, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m. at the Horton Bay Community Church, 4961 Boyne City Road, in Horton Bay. The event will feature a few guest speakers and light refreshments.

Workers completed the 2.6-mile segment in early spring. The new pavement extends from North Springwater Beach Road (the Evangeline/Bay Township line) and continues to Horton Bay. The trail is multi-use and non-motorized.

The Charlevoix County Trail Team is taking the lead in tackling the first steps needed to complete Phases 4 and 5, which they hope can be rolled into one final project, instead of two.

See Boyne City to Charlevoix Trail

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Deed Restrictions May Block Bike Trail

from information on Top of Michigan Trails Council

The Boyne City to Charlevoix bike trail is still just a dream, and another measure of uncertainty has just been introduced. Deed restrictions on highway rights-of-way purchases from the 1950s may exclude uses other than vehicular traffic.

Although the concept for the trail exists, through Young State Park and Horton Bay to the Little Traverse Wheelway. Charlevoix County is prepared to own and maintain the trail.

The ultimate plan is to connect Charlevoix with Elk Rapids and then to the TART trail near Williamsburg.

Grants for phase one have been applied for. Yet, a snag has been found in the old deeds. The Charlevoix County Road Commission was contacted by Bay Township residents who realized that their deeds said that the right of way may be used for "highway purposes" only.

The language appears in at least six parcels of property which the trail would need to cross. It is not known how many other deeds contain this clause.

The question, manager Pat Harmon said, may be: Does a bicycle path qualify as a "highway use."

See Boyne City - Charlevoix Trail
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Cheboygan, South Haven, Boyne City Certify Clean Marinas

a news release of Michigan Sea Grant

Three Michigan marinas—Walstrom Marine in Cheboygan, South Haven Municipal Marina group in South Haven and Grant Moore Municipal Marina in Boyne City—are the most recent facilities to achieve official designation as clean marinas through the Michigan Clean Marina Program.

The new designations bring the total number of clean marinas in Michigan to 21. Designated clean marinas have implemented a suite of best management practices that promote environmentally sound marina and boating practices. “The program is a win-win situation,” said Chuck Pistis, state coordinator for Michigan Sea Grant. “Marinas – all marinas – play an important role in the critical areas of where land meets water. The Clean Marina Program helps address how to protect those areas while looking at the long-term sustainability of a marina from a business perspective.”

The Michigan Clean Marina Program is a voluntary stewardship program open to all public and private marinas in the state. The designation process begins with a pledge to participate, followed by workshops where the marina management and staff receive a marina handbook, overview of the designation process and a review of best management practices related to topics such as storm water management, petroleum control, and boat maintenance and repair, among others.

The facilities then conduct self-evaluations of their environmental practices to determine strengths and weaknesses. After implementing improvements and reaching program benchmarks, the marina requests a visit by a CMP consultant, who evaluates the facility’s environmental stewardship. When the facility reaches established goals, it receives the designation as a clean marina.

“It’s great from a reducing-human-impact standpoint and it makes good business sense,” said Pistis. “Marinas need to be reflective of the attitudes and desires of their customers and they have to respond to what their customers know is important.”

The Clean Marina Program (CMP) is a joint undertaking by the Michigan Boating Industries Association, Michigan Sea Grant and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

Marina affiliates interested in the program can get more information at the upcoming Clean Marina workshop on December 5 in Bay City. Registration is due by November 24 and can be made by visiting www.mbia.org or by calling Jeff Spencer at 517-241-5719.

See Clean Marina Brochure (a pdf)
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