Tracking the Proposed Ludington Water Trails

[XLFD]

One of the more memorable and enjoyable summer activities I had while growing up was going down the Pere Marquette River on inflatable boats with my family.  Whether we made a daylong trek from Scottville to Ludington with my brothers and father, or an afternoon jaunt from Walhalla back to Scottville, we had adventures for at least a couple of weekends in the summer.

As I grew older, I still made an effort to make at least one seasonal sojourn with others down the PM or some of the other local rivers and lakes, sometimes utilizing borrowed or rented canoes or kayaks, if not the traditional vinyl/rubber boats.  Never in that time did I or others think we were going down some trail. 

Which is why I think it is a bit odd that in recent years the notion of water trails have come up.  A trail in water really doesn't make that much sense, as a river is a defined trail in itself and in any lake, your path between point A and point B can be as straight or crooked as you'd like.  It's not like there's vegetation or any change of elevation in your way. 

But there is a definite group called "Michigan Water Trails" which markets itself as "a visionary group of volunteers from all over the state - people who work with coastal communities and love the Great Lakes. Their ambitious goal is to promote coastal public access by linking regional water trails to form a statewide water trail system along every mile of Great Lakes shoreline."

These visionaries are from several organizations:  Michigan Sea Grant, LIAA, the MDEQ, the MI DNR- Parks Division, US Nat'l Parks Service, the East Michigan Council of Governments, the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments, the Eastern Upper Peninsula Regional Planning and Development Commission, the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Regional Commission, the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission, the West Michigan Regional Planning Commission, the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, etc.   

With all these government and quasi-government agencies in the mix, you know there's plenty of your state and federal taxes going into this effort of making trails for small unpowered watercraft through open water.  Unbeknownst to them, however, the trails are already there, unencumbered by needless constructions and signage that they envision.

The underlying theme seems to be to make and market these trails by creating a bunch of new fully accessible launch/docking areas, putting up wayfaring signs along rivers and lakes, and attempting to make coastal journeys along the lake look like an interesting adventure for canoe and kayak users. 

But there is a good reason why you see plenty of people on small unpowered watercraft going down the PM River and hardly any out on Lake Michigan.  It's a much more interesting 'trail' and you have the river current working with you.  You need to pay attention to steer away from the river obstructions, which gives you a good workout in itself.  On the lake, you often have to work against the current trying to take you to the beach, supply most of the power to go down shore, and have the same background for a long time.

The PM River, and other great Michigan rivers, have become recreational conduits simply because private concerns along the rivers have took the initiative to create their own 'trail' amenities such as launches and rentals.   The Michigan Water Trail push will put your tax money into many meaningless 'improvements, then spend even more marketing them with their Pure Michigan campaign.  As envisioned, I only see it as detrimental, putting superfluous docks and signs in shoreline areas that are more scenic without them. 

The local push is likely being done by the same folks who brought us our latest master plan, the Land Information Access Association (LIAA), and others from the state that have begun creating these blueways on other Great Lakes shores.  It was publicly announced in August that some planning was going on to change the west end of Ludington Avenue into a trailhead:

Trail Town designation eyed for Ludington

Ludington City Councilor Dick Rathsack holds his hat in the air to mark a possible spot for a 40-foot-tall flag to mark the site of a water trail landing being considered at the west end of Ludington Avenue. Cindy Burkhour of Access Recreation Group points out the flags and has Heather Tykoski, Kathy Maclean, Spence Riggs and Bill Anderson mark off an area for a landing. The city and regional planners are considering two possible sites in the Ludington harbor for kayak landing locations, the west end of Ludington Avenue, here, and the west side of Waterfront Park. The city might consider trying to establish both locations.

Our city leaders totally ignore a section of our city charter that says that only the people voting in a majority in an election have the power to divert parkland into any other public use.  They interpret the section as saying they can make 'improvements' without such approval, but I think that goes against the law's intent. 

You may recognize Spence Riggs as the person who came in front of the council twice to get that same area zoned as a leash-required dog beach at about that time.  It was fairly quiet for a couple of months, but then a public meeting was announced. 

"A meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at Ludington City Hall to reveal the design of two potential Lake Michigan Water Trail Stop locations in the City of Ludington.

The plan will also look at the connectivity of those trails and surrounding trails to the downtown.

Supported in part by a service grant known as the Great Lakes Trail Towns Planning Initiative, local officials and trail advocates from Ludington are working together to determine ways to better leverage and maximize the economic potential of trail-based tourism within the community, a strategy often referred to as “Trail Towns.”

Funding for the project is being provided through Michigan’s Coastal Zone Management Program (CZMP), which aims to build on and expand the recommendations of the Lake Michigan Water Trail Plan completed in 2014. The planning initiative is being led by the Land Information Access Association (LIAA), a nonprofit service organization based in Traverse City, along with Access Recreation Group, LLC.

Harry Burkholder, director of planning for LIAA, said the Trail Towns service grant is designed to make communities more aware of the economic opportunities that come from trail-based tourism.

“Trails were once considered to be undesirable and unnecessary infrastructure in most communities,” Burkholder said. “People worried that trails would bring crime and unwanted activity into their neighborhoods. However, in reality the opposite happens. Trails not only increase nearby property values, they contribute to sense of place and offer new economic development potential.”

As an example, Burkholder cited a recent study by the Michigan Department of Transportation that values the total economic impact of bicycle tourism throughout Michigan at $668 million annually.

“The initiative will identify specific projects that address accessibility and we anticipate these will be included in local recreation plans and therefore be eligible for grant funding,” Burkholder said.

The “Trail Town” concept was originally developed by the Allegheny Trail Alliance, a coalition of seven trail organizations along the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile multiuse trail running through Pennsylvania and Maryland. The basic Trail Town concept is simple: ensure that communities along the trail are better able to maximize the economic potential of trail-based tourism. Over the last several years, as the full economic potential of linking trails, recreation, tourism and business development has become better known, the Trail Town concept has caught on. Over a dozen communities throughout in Michigan have already created formal Trail Town plans and programs.

Under the Great Lakes Trail Towns Planning Initiative, Ludington is participating along with nine other communities along the Lake Michigan coastline.

http://www.shorelinemedia.net/ludington_daily_news/news/local/ludin...

So once again, Ludington is being led down a path, or a trail if you prefer, that has been trod on before in a nebulous concept.  It seems to be an accepted point that there is plenty of money to be made on these effectively free trails.  Leading one to wonder if a jaunt on a water trail is taken by a tourist, do we count all the other money that is spent by him during his whole vacation as water trail tourism money, even if the jaunt was only a small part?

On November 6, the newspaper had a front page story and a big write up, along with some pictures:

The sites would include an accessible kayak ramp, kayak lockers, signage, parking, and restrooms?!  That requires a lot of money and space for that area, and it's going to be coming from grants (i.e. your taxes).  You may want to ask yourself:  Why hasn't the City Marina or Stearn's Park developed this before?  The answer is because it would be unprofitable, unsustainable, and detract from the general character of the marina (which is exclusivity).  But just wait until you see the redevelopment of the West End pictured below:

To all those people who love seeing the lake and lighthouse as you drive up Ludington Avenue, prepare to have that blocked by rows of kayaks and signs.  Prepare to not be able to find a parking spot next to the mostly unused facility.  It looks like they want to 'intuitively' incorporate some of the Tykoski's gold plated signage to make it extra inviting for the city leaders, a very good reason why Mrs. Ty loves the ideas.

Burkholder shows a lot of ignorance of the area, suggesting your typical Ludington resident uses golf carts to get around town.  If I was a guest and taken to the spot(s) as envisioned I would chide those involved for screwing the area(s) up all over a silly idea. 

Our area is not the only one getting hit by the water trail hyperbole, it's happening all over Michigan shorelines as witnessed by a national movement that met in Michigan earlier this year with highlights depicted below.  

Interviews and information from the first US National Water Trails Forum, held in Southeast Michigan June 24 to 26, 2015.

Our area has plenty of kayak and canoe rentals along the PM and out at the Ludington State Park that retain the natural look for those who want to navigate the rivers or take a paddle boat out on Hamlin Lake.  Just beyond the twin bridges, you can hook up with Pere Marquette Expeditions and rent watercraft to go on the PM River or PM Lake and beyond. 

If you really want to get on these proposed artificial lake trails because some pamphlet told you it was going to be a hoot, go to PM Expeditions and travel the additional mile or two to get on the lake.  If you do, you'll become aware that the PM River and Lake were your most memorable parts of the journey.

Why have our state and federal government spend hundreds of thousands of your dollars to compete with these private maritime concerns when there is no currently existing need for it?   That question is important now, just as it was back in the late 1970s, when state and federal funds created the Ludington Municipal Marina, which has used its unfair advantages and state money to run the private marinas of our town to the breaking point. 

The water trail program will just be another drain or our public resources and another way our tax dollars can be used against our private sector, the source of that revenue.

[AQUAMAN]

The only water trails I have seen of recent, and want to see into the future, are the water trails running down the legs of CA Wilson, and CM Shyster Shay for their illegal and unethical conduct in governing the Ludington taxpayers. You can also include Tykoski and Maclean, running down their knarly legs and skirts. 

[XLFD]

And I always thought those were just slime trails being left behind by those slugs. 

You've been navigating these waters your whole life, Aquaman, how practical is this exercise in your opinion?

[Willy]

A million thanks for looking into this X. I wasn't sure if the second hand information I had gotten about this was an exaggeration or not but it sure looks like they were right. There really is a limited number of people that kayak and an even smaller number who can skillfully navigate the seas known has the Great Lakes. Treacherous waves and currents can easily turn a pleasant outing into a funeral. It's a staggering list of public entities that are pushing for this tax wasting proposal. I recommend to those that want to kayak Michigan's waterways is to simply use the existing boat launches. There are thousands of them all over the State. If one thinks about it, this kind of program is very elitist. A small number of people want to have their own special launching area for a cheap piece of plastic that resembles a banana which can be put into any area that is wet. They don't seem to understand that a kayak was invented to be easily transported and launched and requires no special launching facilities. I'm sure Eskimos are laughing at the foolish white people who take such a simple device and surround it with complex facilities.

[XLFD]

Thanks, Willy, and this is more of a look at the publicly available resources that indicate it's pure folly being propelled by LIAA and other agencies that benefit from the grants and public recognition to be issued and directed by individuals with a very high degree of elitism-- people that will gladly use public funds on the path of whimsical pursuits that no private venture capitalist would take.  These boondoggles will not only be built, but maintained and ran with public funds until they are abandoned as even they lose interest and move onto some newer and more bizarre project.

[AQUAMAN]

Yes X, we are now surrounded by bizarre projects and downstate citizens that permeate the territory here in Ludville. Used to be unassuming, quaint, fun, beautiful on it's own virtues. Now we must add even more ideas to block this part of West Lud. Ave. with more blockage of breakwall views. Insulting and far from practical imho.