Kalamazoo Habitat Haven Trail Upgraded for Accessibility

Kalamazoo Nature Center (photo from their Facebook page)

from the Kalamazoo Nature Center

The Habitat Haven Trail at Kalamazoo Nature Center is a 0.6 mile loop that takes hikers through some of the most outstanding and beautiful habitats in southwest Michigan! Explore pond, fen, stream, and forest habitats with a spur trail into the middle of the fen.

This trail is temporarily closed while it receives upgrades to improve accessibility options. With recent acquisition of Grit and Trek all-terrain wheelchairs, the Nature Center has made it an important priority to have a safe and improved trail for visitors. Some small steps have already been taken, but significant infrastructure improvements will provide a hard packed and mostly flat trail that many visitors will be able to enjoy.

The trail is being resurfaced, and is expected to reopen around November 26. Other trails and programs are open and operational.

The Kalamazoo Nature Center is home to over 14 miles of hiking trails winding through woods, wetlands, and prairies. Cross country skis and snowshoes welcome (trails are not groomed).

Download a Kalamazoo Nature Center Trail Map


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Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Cleanup On Schedule

Kalamazoo River cleanup (photo from Enbridge)

based on a news story from WZZM TV13

Enbridge, the company whose pipeline burst, spilling oil into the Kalamazoo River in 2010, is staying on schedule with cleanup. The local Township Supervisor states that every deadline has been made, and efforts have exceeded the required work.

The final step is to purposely agitate sediments which causes the oil to be released and rise to the water surface. There it can be trapped with booms and removed. Work is focused on areas at Ceresco Dam, Morrow Lake and Mill Pond

The EPA has set a deadline of August 31 to remove as much oil as possible from the river bottom. Some sections of the river may be re-opened for recreation by the end of 2011.

Several new riverside parks will be created as part of the mitigation. These will include boat launches, picnic areas and parking.

It is still unknown what caused the pipe rupture despite study by the National Transportation Safety Board. Cleanup is projected to cost $550 million, but Enbridge says they are committed to completing the job



See Enbridge response updates
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Kalamazoo River Valley Trail in Fundraising Mode

Kalamazoo River Trail (photo from the Kalamazoo Shopper)

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based on a news article in the Kalamazoo Shopper

The Kalamazoo River Trail was born in 1991 through the efforts of the River Partners. The Partners' focus was to reclaim the Kalamazoo River. Five years later, in 1996, one section of trail was opened.

It takes years of planning to create this type of trail. In 2008, a section from Westnedge Ave. to Penn Street opened, and in November, 2009, another section from Mosel Ave. to Mayor’s Riverfront Park became reality.

Amy Knape is a grant writer and spokesperson for the project. she explained that all the advance work is being done by volunteers. As each segment is complete it is turned over to the county to be maintained as a park. When completed the trail will be paved for 35 miles. This requires $18.6 million, and another $2 for a maintenance endowment.

The fundraising is being accomplished in phases. Currently, $1.2 million must be raised by the end of January.

Anyone may use the trail at no charge.

See Kalamazoo River Trail
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Canoe Accident on Kalmazoo River

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based on news from WWMT Channel 3

A 69-year-old Gobles man died today while canoeing the Kalamazoo River. David and Marilyn Barber were canoeing the Kalamazoo River today, when the canoe tipped, sending them both into the water. Marilyn called 911, and the Fennville Fire Department was summoned.

The site was remote enough that GPS location had to be used to find the canoeists. Marilyn Barber had been able to pull her husband to shore, but he was not breathing. Barber is reported to have had an underlying medical condition, but it is not known at this time if that contributed to his death.

See Kayaker Rescued with Use of Cell Phone
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Mid-America Trails and Greenways Conference

from the Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance

The 4th Mid American Trails & Greenways creates an excellent opportunity for all those involved in trails and greenways to share our experiences learn from each other and continue connecting our trails and greenways.

Sponsored by eight Mid America states of Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, and Kentucky, and supported by a host of national, state, regional and local trail agencies and organizations, the conference will feature interactive educational sessions and exciting mobile workshops bringing together the best presenters from Mid America and the nation. An update on the state of trails and greenways in Mid America will be followed by informative sessions that will look at all aspects of trail and greenway development and operations.

Four post-conference workshops on the development and management of water trails, development of regional/multi-state trail networks, an on-site workshop building sustainable trails sponsored by the Michigan Mountain Biking Association, and a soup-to-nuts look at successful strategies for trail development will provide the opportunity to further explore and share ideas.

An exhibit area with more than forty exhibitors displaying their products and services will be a part of this event!

See Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance
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Help Shape the Kalamazoo County Trails

a news release of Southwest Michigan Planning Commission

Where do you want to see Trails, Bike Lanes and Non-Motorized facilities in Kalamazoo County? Give your input, this event is free and open to the public. Tell your friends and anyone who has an interest in Trails, Bike Lanes and Non-Motorized facilities in Kalamazoo County!

At this meeting attendees will accomplish the following:
1.Create a vision of connected trails in southwest Michigan.
2.Discuss the prioritization of projects.
3.Test the usability of the map.

This public input meeting will contribute to the progress of the 9-County Non-Motorized Transportation Plan for Southwest Michigan. The 9-county plan will be utilized by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), local officials and advocacy groups to prioritize non-motorized investments in the region and will provide a vision for a non-motorized transportation network that will be used to secure private and governmental funding for implementation. Plan development is being funded by MDOT. The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) is facilitating and writing the 9-county plan with assistance from the Southwest Michigan Alliance for Recreation Trails (SMART). The SWMPC is working with several partners to develop the plan, including Kalamazoo County Parks, Kalamazoo County Road Commission, Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study and many others.

Let’s work together to create a connected non-motorized trail system!

For more information on SMART, see Southwest Michigan Planning Commission
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Kalamazoo River Cleanup Closes Segment

the Kalamazoo River now flows freely past the previous site of Plainwell Dam (from Kalamazoo River Webline)

a news release of the Michigan DNR

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced that a one-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River between the Penn Central Railroad Crossing and the Plainwell No. 2 Dam will be closed to public access starting Saturday, Aug. 1. Cleanup operations to remove targeted soils and sediments containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are slated to begin at that time and will continue until December 2010.

Contractors will be operating heavy construction equipment on both sides of the river as well as on two mid-channel islands, making it too dangerous to allow access to canoeists, kayakers and other boaters. Signs will be posted to alert river users of the closure.

Boaters also will not be able to access or pass the Plainwell No. 2 Dam structures or the Mill Race; no form of portage is available around the dam or through the Mill Race.

The recently completed cleanup effort on the Kalamazoo River - located between the Main Street Bridge in Plainwell and the old Plainwell Dam three and one-half miles downstream from the current work site -- began in 2007 and was completed in early 2009. This project included the removal of the old Plainwell Dam, allowing the river to flow freely in its historical channel as well as unobstructed passage of fish, canoes and kayaks.

See Kalamazoo River Cleanup Continues
See Portion of Kalamzoo River Reopened for Public Use
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Kalamazoo Portage Trail Section Closing for 3 Years

based on a news article in the Kalamazoo News, "Portage trail section to close for I-94 work," by Tom Haroldson, July 4, 2009

While the I-94 Freeway is being widened a section of the Bicentennial Park Trail will be closed. M-DOT has stated that it may need as much as three years for the work to be completed.

Work will begin Monday, July 6 on the $52 million I-94 project. Most motorists will only experience single-lane closures or traffic shifts. But runners, cyclists or walkers who used to pass beneath the overpass north of Milham Avenue will need to take a detour for the entire time.

Thanks to recent improvements to Lovers Lane with sidewalks and bike lanes, an alternate route between Milham Avenue and the Bicentennial Park activity area exists for trail users.

Barricades will be put in place and the detour posted. Sections of the trail from the Kilgore and Milham entrances will remain open, but dead-end barricades will be set up near the closed part of the trail. The dead end sections may be used by turning around at the barricades.

Complete information and a map of the detour is provided at the City of Portage web site.

See City of Portage
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Kalamazoo River Cleanup Continues

Pictured here is the Kalamazoo River near the Rose Park Veteran's Memorial on E. Michigan Ave. (photo by Tess McEnroe / Kalamazoo Gazette)

based on a news release of theKalamazoo Gazette

Monday, June 9, people gathered at Rose Park in Kalamazoo, Michigan to celebrate the continuing restoration of the Kalamazoo River.

"I heard the current," said state Senator Patty Birkholz (R-Saugatuck) "and I said, 'Thank you, Lord."

The river cleanup has been a large and ongoing project that has overcome many financial roadblocks as several of the companies paying for the work became bankrupt. Georgia-Pacific and Millenium Holdings have paid $25 million for this phase of the work. The river was heavily contaminated with PCB's in the past and the sediments have all been dredged and cleaned.

Also, remnants of the old dam and powerhouse have been demolished, and more than 2,000 trees, shrubs and plants planted. Participants were excited to be told that plans for restoring the 2.5 mile stretch north of Plainwell will be announced very soon. That section is expected to need $10 million worth of work.

Jim Saric, EPA project manager, explained that the Plainwell section will require two years of work, and studies will continue downstream, "toward Otsego, laying the groundwork for the march of the cleanup to continue all the way to Lake Michigan." An advisory about eating fish from the Kalamazoo is still in effect according to the DEC.

Many miles of attractive river are open to paddling as the Kalamazoo nears Lake Michigan. It is hoped that the continuing cleanup will eventually open the entire length of the river to recreation.
See Portions of Kalamazoo River Reopened for Public Use

See Kalamazoo River Webline
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Mark Fenton to Keynote Planning for Tomorrow’s Transportation Needs

from the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study

Mark Fenton is one of the nation's foremost experts on walking. He is a former editor of Walking Magazine, and currently hosts a PBS series, "America's Walking." He will be the keynote speaker at the 2009 Michigan Transportation Planning Association Conference, July 14 – 17, 2009 downtown Kalamazoo.

This year’s conference “Planning for Tomorrow’s Transportation Needs” is being held in conjunction with the Michigan Association of Regions and covers a wide variety of topics, ranging from freight planning to healthy communities to transit planning for metropolitan areas.

The “Planning for Tomorrow’s Transportation Needs” conference is also for those people interested in non-motorized transportation planning. We are excited to have Mark Fenton, a dynamic speaker and former PBS Television Host, on Thursday, July 16th to discuss the health impacts of walking and how to create a walkable community. He will also lead us in a discussion on working with the media, as well as a walking excursion in downtown Kalamazoo, highlighting the importance of Walkable communities.

See Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study for more information and registration materials.
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Portion of Kalamazoo River Reopened for Public Use

the Kalamazoo River now flows freely past the previous site of Plainwell Dam (from Kalamazoo River Webline)

compiled from several sources

The Michigan DNR has announced that a one and one-half mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River that had been closed in June of 2007 for the removal of PCB-contaminated sediments is now reopen to public use

The stretch between the city of Plainwell and the city of Otsego has been the site of remediation work to remove river sediments contaminated with PCBs. PCBs are polychlorinated biphenyls, which are toxic organic pollutants.

The final activities on the river were completed in February. The old Plainwell Dam also was removed, and now the Kalamazoo River flows freely in its historical channel for the first time in more than 100 years.

Although LyondellBasell Industries, one of the two companies that had been paying for the work filed for bankruptcy last month, the $25 million cleanup of the section has been wrapped up. This leaves Georgia Pacific as the lone source of revenue for future cleanup projects scheduled both up and downstream.

The EPA, with help from Georgia Pacific, is continuing to try identify other companies that might have polluted the river with PCBs. The timeline for future work divides the river into annual project areas starting from the Plainwell Dam to Otsego City Dam in 2010 and ending with Lake Allegan Dam to Lake Michigan in 2015.

Some work will progress in spite of the reduced funding. Native vegetation, including shrubs, trees and grasses, will be planted along the renovated waterway near Plainwell this spring. A three-year water monitoring program along the 1.5-mile stretch has been instituted.

"With the cleanup complete and vegetation restoration underway, the public can once again enjoy this stretch of the river," said Sharon Hanshue, DNR Fisheries Habitat Unit supervisor.

See Michigan DNR, "Portion of Kalamazoo River Reopened to Public Use"
See Kalamazoo News, "Bankruptcy brings cleanup of Kalamazoo River nearly to a halt"
See Kalamazoo River Webline
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