Just like that, Blue Lake Township Park is expanding quickly in 2025. More trail sections are being built – another mile on the green trail has just been completed, in the northern central segment. Also two events occurred at the park recently. The first one was May 3, when the park hosted a spring clean-up. The following week, on May 10, BLT Park hosted a Spring Fling/Grand Opening of the trails.
May 3 was a beautiful sunny day, and eight volunteers walked the trails and picked up litter along the way. The piles of trash were identified with a pink ribbon earlier in the week, which made it easier for the volunteers to fill up their bags with refuse. Each group had a wagon to pull the heavy bags to the 18-foot trailer. Josh Will used his quad with a trailer to gather the larger objects. The township is thankful to Jan Erkenbrack, Rob Gaston, Teresa Siddel, Mike Grabill, Brandon Young, Scott Brannam, Josh Will, and Angel Brannam, who gathered 13 55-gallon bags of trash, a Buick 70ish hood, and some metal refuse.
May 10 turned out splendidly, with perfect weather - sunny and temperatures in the high 60s - to showcase Blue Lake Township Park. Thirty-five trail enthusiasts visited, receiving information on the history of the trails, learning about rare species and vegetation that they may see while hiking, and being given water bottles and essential oils aromatherapy spray to take home.Thanks go out to Chris Billie for organizing this event. Behind a successful event, you have a team. Township clerk Jeff Abram coordinated with firefighters, designed the water bottles, and helped with setup. Planning commission secretary Rob Gaston researched and produced information on rare species to put on display. Jan Erkenbrack assisted with setup, and Scott and Angel Brannam put in place the trail work trailer and volunteer table. Everyone interacted with the visitors. The township was able to get three additional volunteers to assist with trail work.
There is now another mile-long stretch of green trail to enjoy as a result of these efforts. Many thanks go out to Scott Brannam for rough cutting and preparing the trail for the volunteers to finish the surface. Kudos to Jan Erkenbrack, Bob Tuttle, Maggie and Greg Maxey, and Angel Brannam for the finishing surface.
Take a visit to Blue Lake Township Park and enjoy. There is so much to see and enjoy at this idyllic, peaceful park. Please remember that trails are for hiking, jogging, and non-motorized bikes and don’t forget to use trail protocols.
If you are interested in volunteering to help the parks, contact Angel Brannam at liberg_am@yahoo.com or 231-571-2510. More crew members are always welcome.
