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The first phase of the Pere Marquette Township Conservation Park included a boat launch on the PM River
PERE MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP — Pere Marquette Charter Township and Mason County each has been awarded separate $400,000 grants for trail work at Pere Marquette Township’s Conservation Park and Mason County Picnic Area through the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF). The two parks are within about a mile of one another and along an envisioned potential multi-use trail route from Ludington to connect with the Hart-Montague Bicycle Trail. The Mason County Picnic Area is located in Pere Marquette Township.
The local projects were among 68 recreation development projects and 17 land acquisitions totaling $41.7 million the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board last week recommended Michigan Legislature approve fund in 2025.
Pere Marquette Township involves an entry and trail at its new Conservation Park.
Mason County intends to develop a 10-foot wide, paved, non-motorized, multi-use trail connecting Mason County Campground with Mason County Picnic Area Trail including development of trailheads on the property leased from Consumers Energy adjacent to the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant. Plans call for upgrading and extending an existing footpath from just west of the campground to the parking area at Consumers Lake Michigan overlook immediately adjacent to the southwest edge of the picnic area.
“This will help greatly with the next phase of development at the new Conservation Park where an improved and safe entrance to the park was needed along South Lakeshore Drive,” said PM Township Supervisor Kelly Smith.
The grant will also make it possible to focus on trails within the park, specifically a paved 10-foot wide non-motorized multi use trail that will provide connectivity from an area of the conservation park formerly known as the DOW A.C. park to the Buttersville Beach and campground.
“We also hope this will spark an initiative to make a more regional connection between our township parks and the county and city parks,” Smith said.
“Mason County residents and visitors to the County have shown tremendous interest in multi-use trails in Mason County,” said Janet Anderson, chair of the Mason County Board of Commissioners. “The vision of the Parks and Recreation Commission and the award of the DNR Trust Fund Grant will make the beginning of a multi-use trail a reality”
“The desire expressed by residents for non-motorized trails in Mason County prompted the Mason County Parks Commission to make developing trails a priority in its 2023-2027 Recreation Plan,” Steve Begnoche, county parks chair said. “The grants for Pere Marquette’s and Mason County’s projects, which require local match, are a step to fulfilling that expressed need.”
“In addition to the work already in progress on a trail from Ludington to the State Park, these two grants will be a great catalyst for developing non-motorized trails in Mason County,” said Kathryn Maclean, a representative of a group seeking to develop such trails here.
The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund is a restricted fund that was established in 1976 to provide funding for public acquisition of lands for resource protection and outdoor recreation, as well as for public outdoor recreation development projects. It is funded through interest and earnings on funds derived from the revenues of state-owned oil, gas and minerals.
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