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Get Involved!
Were thinking big but realistically as your Board of Directors establishes
2011s goals for the Western Michigan Chapter of the North Country Trail
Association. We hope to make progress on projects started in previous years
and get started on some new ones.
The highlights:
- Continue working on routes north and south out of Lowell and the
remaining gaps in the Huron-Manistee National Forest.
- Fill out the landowner contact team by recruiting members to join the
volunteers who have already expressed interest in participating.
- Complete the inventory of trail crossings on local roads in Kent
and Newaygo Counties, determine signage needs, and seek approval from
county road commissions to erect or improve signs pointing to
the North Country National Scenic Trail.
- Look for and begin implementation of enhancements to the Manistee NF
section of trail to increase Newaygo County attraction to backpackers.
Consider spur trails to Minnie Pond and the Muskegon River,
and perhaps others, along with signage noting distances between
key landmarks.
- Continue trail construction and maintenance activities to high standards.
- Finish currently scheduled improvements to the schoolhouse - including
interior painting, ceiling repair, siding repair, and more - and evaluate
further needs.
- Partner with the Boy Scouts who have expressed an interest in earning Eagle
rank to design and build information kiosks at selected trail heads and to
improve existing ones. Development of standard information for our kiosks
is desirable and could use an experienced graphic artist.
- Restart the membership maintenance program.
- Continue to grow participation in chapter activities.
- Schedule hikes with both the hard-core hiker and the recreational hiker in
mind.
- Continue to build collaborative working relationships with
Michigan's Department of Natural Resources and the Environment and the
U.S. Forest Service.
that all seems like a lot for one year but entirely possible
if we could engage 50 percent new blood
- Paul Haan (WMI Trail Manager)
Will you participate? Ready to roll up your sleeves? If you are, contact the
leaders of our primary activities and volunteer your services. Their phone
numbers and e-mail addresses can be found at the top of this page.
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