A dedicated group of volunteers has been working to improve the Blue Lake Township parks over the past year, and the township received great news on that topic Dec. 12 when the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced it was recommending the township receive $120,000 in Trust Fund grant money.
Township clerk Jeff Abram said the plan is to use the Trust Fund money to improve accessibility to the township's trails, which local volunteers have been steadily improving. An Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant trail is planned that would give users a view of Grass Lake and local wildlife.
"Our lake is quite a bit (of distance) down there," Abram said. "The handicapped will be able to view the wildlife. There will also be an observation deck down there with ADA features like low railings. Halfway across the lake, we'll do a cut across the lake. There's a dry marshy area in there, and the tail will cut across the lake. It'll be like a deck all the way across, and you can shortcut across the lake."
Abram said he anticipates the project being completed by next fall, potentially sooner than that if the DNR releases funds to the township quickly enough. He said due to legal processes that must be followed, that usually takes place in the spring.
"We can only do so much until then, but certainly we want to have it done by the September/October time frame," Abram said.
The idea, Abram said, came in part from township resident Scott Brannam, who has done work with a group of volunteers on the Mosquito Creek Trails near Maple Island Road in Twin Lake. Abram said Brannam told the township upon hearing of the idea that it would be doable. The township applied for the grant in the spring and has drawn inspiration from similar trails at Mosquito Creek, Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon, Duck Lake State Park in Whitehall and others.
"If there's a trail around here, we've visited it," Abram said.
Due to the ADA compliance the township is pursuing, certain benchmarks must be met, Abram said. To be compliant, the trail cannot be of a more than 3% grade, and according to the nonprofit American Trails, materials used must be firm, slip-resistant and stable.
The new trail will be slightly under 1,000 feet from the parking lot to the viewing area, Abram added.
The grant will enable the township to supplement an already robust job volunteers have done adding to local trails. Since 2024 volunteers have worked to clear nearly eight miles of trail, which are best used for running and biking. The township is also moving toward hosting an orienteering course to teach outdoor enthusiasts how to find their way in the woods.
Abram said volunteers and community members deserve a lot of credit for the work that is being done and, thanks to the DNR grant, will continue to be done to improve township trails.
"I really appreciate the feedback I got from the public," Abram said. "Our volunteers have put in so many hours, and I'm so thankful for that. It made my job overseeing (this grant) easier...The community has rallied around and supported it, and I really appreciate it."
