escanaba to hermansville rail-trail forest management division 4-5-11
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Escanaba to Hermansville Rail-Trail Forest Management Division 4-5-11. Content. Mission West U.P. Rail-Trail System Multi-use Trails Non-Motorized Trails Trail and Recreation Economics Escanaba to Hermansville Specifics DNR Action Steps DNR Proposed Action - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Escanaba to Hermansville Rail-Trail
Forest Management Division
4-5-11
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Content
• Mission• West U.P. Rail-Trail System• Multi-use Trails• Non-Motorized Trails• Trail and Recreation Economics• Escanaba to Hermansville Specifics• DNR Action Steps• DNR Proposed Action• Review of Management Alternatives• Public Comment Ground Rules• DNR Planning Processes• Questions and Discussion
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Mission of MDNR
• The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the State's natural resources for current and future generations
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Summary of West U.P. Multi-use Trails
• State Managed Rail-Trails in West U.P.• Total of 350.5 miles of trail
– Mass City to Houghton (Bill Nichols) – 38 miles– Hancock to Calumet – 14 miles– Hancock to Laurium – 15 miles– South Range to Freda (Freda Grade) – 13 miles– Chassell to MTU – 9 miles– Bergland to Sidnaw – 38 – Iron River to Marenisco – 64– Arnheim to Chassell – 8 miles– Felch Grade – 38 miles– Escanaba to Hermansville – 25.5 miles– Baraga to Arnheim – 13 Miles– Marquette to Munising Jct – 38 miles– Iron Mountain to Norway – 12 miles– Chatham to Little Lake – 25 miles
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Rail-Trails, Current and Future; Working to Connect Communities
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Multi-use Trails• Trail usage
– Most rail-trails in U.P. are multi-use – they are open to motorized and non-motorized users
– Maintenance dollars come from Snowmobile, ORV, and RIF/RTP grants
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Non-motorized Trails
• Facts– MDNR manages 77 miles of State Forest Pathway
in the West U.P.– MDNR manages one non-motorized rail-trail in west
U.P. equaling 8 miles– Non-motorized trails are maintained with dollars
from Recreation Improvement Funds (RIF) – The Recreation Passport program has been
developed with a mechanism to help fund State Forest non-motorized trails
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Recreation Trail Economics
• Many U.P. communities rely heavily on recreation and tourism dollars associated with rail-trails
• Michigan’s rail-trail network will stimulate more recreational and economic opportunities for communities
• Tourism/Recreation and Forestry are the two most prominent economic drivers in the U.P.
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Escanaba to Hermansville Specifics
The Corridor: – The corridor was built by Soo Line in 1901– Was acquired from CN Railroad in 2007 with funds
from Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF)
– Is Railbanked under State Law and by law will need to stay in its current configuration in case it needs to be reactivated for railroad use
– Was purchased with goal of connecting communities and providing recreation opportunities
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Escanaba to Hermansville
• Specifics: – Is 25.5 miles in length and is
mostly 100’ wide– Connects with the 38 mile
Felch Grade ORV route and multi-use trail
– Will be managed for recreational trail use – with additional focus on preserving corridor for future rail use
– The surface material is large aggregate Interconnects with Felch Grade
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DNR Action Steps Since 2009
The DNR has:• Partnered with Normenco Sportsman Club to remove
trash from rail-trail – 2 days, 10 volunteers, 128 man hours, 278 tires and 7.5 tons of trash
• GPS’d and inspected the corridor and recorded all of the driveways, trespasses, and bridges
• Compiled public input from previous public input period• Addressed public concerns at specific sites• Developed a list of four proposed management
alternatives for the corridor• Elected to pursue two Directors Order’s prohibiting
specific activities on the rail-trail
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Proposed Actions
Based on public comment, the DNR is proposing to:
• Continue to look for ways to improve the rail-trail and insure the rail-trail is an asset to the communities which it serves
• Create a Directors Order to restrict Full-size vehicles from using the rail-trail
• Create a Directors Order restricting hunting from the rail-trail
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Management Alternatives
• Proposal 1: Continuous multiple use from Hermansville to Escanaba, non-motorized use from M-69 to J Road.
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Management Alternatives
• Proposal 2: Multiple use from Hermansville to J Road and J Road to Escanaba; non-motorized use from M-69 to J.
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Management Alternatives
• Proposal 3: Non-motorized use from Hermansville to J Road, multiple use from M-69 to Escanaba
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Management Alternatives
• Proposal 4: Non-motorized use from Hermansville to J Road, multiple use from M-69 to J Road and J Road to Escanaba
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Public Comment Ground Rules
When Speaking:– Maintain professional relations and discourse
with all persons– Offer constructive and insightful input – Avoid discussions of recreational supremacy.
All forms of recreation and their respective groups shall be treated equally
– Public comments should not be directed toward others in the crowd
– Refrain from making comments about the corridor’s ownership, the Rails to Trails Act, or requesting the State sell the rail-trail back to private landowners
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DNR Planning and Decision Making Processes
• Where do we go from here: – Analyze public comments– Process information and develop plan– Evaluate Trail Proposal– Finalize management plan– Pursue engineering and construction funding to
finance the construction of a safe and sustainable trail
– Develop management agreements with user groups
– Continuously improve and maintain the rail-trail
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Questions
Thank Youwww.michigan.gov