Escanaba to Hermansville Rail-Trail

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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
• Michigans 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
• GPSd 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 Orders
  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 corridors
  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