Ottawa Parks May Provide Free Services to Low Income Familits

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based on a news article in the Holland Sentinel

If the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners gives final approval, holders of Michigan Bridge Cards may be eligible for free admission to the county parks. Low-income persons receiving assistance through Family Independence, Supplemental Security, Food Assistance and State Disability may hold these cards.

Ottawa currently charges an annual fee for entrance into all lakeshore parks: Tunnel, Kirk, Rosy Mound, North Beach and the Riverside Park boat launch. That fee is $12 for residents, and double that for non-residents. Those with Bridge cards will now be able to enter at no charge.

The motivation isn't completely altruistic. The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grants are awarded partly on the basis of a point system to assess the quality of the application. Those who can provide services in urban areas and to those who may have less access to outdoor recreation, will score higher on this portion of the application.

Commissioner Dennis Swartout said that low-income people who may not qualify for Bridge Cards may also be considered for free admission, “If it’s good for these people, hopefully we can take the time to look for other low-income people,” he said.

See Ottawa County Parks
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Stronach Boat Launch Gets New Dock

from the Ludington Daily News

Stronach boat launch has a new dock, and the ribbon cutting ceremony will be Tuesday, November 25. A $289,400 grant from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust funded the project. The boat launch is just north of the village of Stronach at the mouth of Manistee Lake

The dock is constructed of aluminum, and has floats which allow the pier to fluctuate with water levels. It includes benches and railings. There are cutouts which allow anglers to land fish with nets. The dock can accommodate 20 people, and is accessible according to the ADA guidelines. It replaces a wooden dock.

The ceremony will be Tuesday at 11 am.

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Michigan's UP Becoming Less Wild and Free

Michigan's wild UP photo from Michigan Technical University report

Whether Yoopers or Trolls (those who live north of the Mackinac Bridge, or "under" it), Michiganders love the wildness of the vast undeveloped forests of the Upper Peninsula.

Central to all that is the UP are its forests: vast tracts of forestlands that are the linchpins of the region’s economy, natural resources and rugged identity.

Yet in 2005 and 2006 a million acres of privately owned UP forest changed hands. The Upper Peninsula’s unique identity could be changing as commercial forest ownership changes signal a break with the past, according to a report released December 12 by university researchers and conservation groups in Michigan.

For the past century the typical large landowner in the UP was directly tied to forest products industries (vertically integrated timber product companies). Now the largest holders of UP forests are Timber investment management organizations and real estate investment trusts. What this means is that economic considerations will drive use rather than sustainability.

Of particular concern in the report are "higher and better use" forestlands- those in proximity to assets such as lakes, rivers and roads. These locations might become more prone to parcelization than under previous owners.

"Our research shows that the sprawling forest tracts that have long been part of the UP’s allure are already getting smaller and more fragmented," said Robert Froese, of the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science at Michigan Technological University. "Lands along Great Lakes shoreline and along streams and rivers are increasingly owned by small private interests and therefore less accessible to the public." Typically, once ownership patterns head down this path public access becomes more limited.

The report offers 22 recommendations, grouped under four strategies, to maintain sustainable ownership and management of the UP’s forests while encouraging economic, recreational and conservation opportunities. The recommendations range from policy initiatives and education at the local and state levels to economic stimuli for forest products and industries.

The report, "Large-tract Forestland Ownership Change: Land Use, Conservation and Prosperity in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula" is a cooperative venture of Michigan Technological University, Michigan State University, the Michigan Environmental Council, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Upper Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development Council. The project was funded by People and Land, a program of the Kellogg Foundation administered by the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University.

news release of the Michigan Environmental Council, "Tradition of public access to UP forests threatened by ownership changes", Dec 12, 2007
See the full report: "Large-tract Forestland Ownership Change: Land Use, Conservation and Prosperity in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula", a 54 page pdf document
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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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Road End Public Access Changes- Good or Bad?

Traditionally when roads end at bodies of water the public has been allowed access, so what's all the fuss about this new legislation?

In June the Michigan House passed legislation increasing the scope of public access to bodies of water from the ends of public roads.

Yet, over the years, numerous court rulings have established the principle that public streets terminating at the edge of navigable waters are usually deemed to provide public access to the water. So, what's the big deal?

The bigger debate this time is what can be built at those access points and who would be in charge of them. House Bill 4463 states that a marina can be built by a local government at the end of any public road which terminates at a body of water of over 2500 acres. They can also issue permits for seasonal private docks. This means that township governments could build large docks with boat hoist facilities, making it difficult for private citizens to carry in their canoes, or let the kids take a quick swim. Yet Bill 4464 increases the rights of the public to include lounging, sunbathing, and picnicking, all land-based activities.

On the other side of the debate, the legislation clarifies that surrounding property owners can not put up "no trespassing signs" just because they would like to keep the lake access private.

one user group with a lot at stake are those who live near a lake, but not in the first tier of homes on the waterfront. Called "backlotters," some people believe that this legislation will allow them to seize road ends and make them essentially private beaches.

Exempt from this legislation is property owned by the State of Michigan.

The Detroit News quoted Houghton Lake property owner Marty Prehn, this is "only the beginning of a long and winding road. All it's going to do is open up a Pandora's box and have litigation over every one of these road ends."

Hamlin Lake, in Mason County, would be affected by this ruling. At 5000 acres, it has over 75 road ends which terminate at the lake. Property owners complain that they are regularly cleaning up messes left by the public. Some road ends have steep slopes and serious erosion would result from using them as boat ramps.

The Ludington Daily News reported that the Mason County Road Commission managing engineer, Gary Dittmer said "the issue is a constant source of irritation... but he does not think the bills will alleviate any problems."

by Joan H. Young
Read the text of House Bill 4463
Read the text of House Bill 4464
Read more in the Ludington Daily News
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