Campaign for Generations - Universal Access Projects and Impacts

FALL 2020

Universal Access projects and impacts

photo courtesy of Gosling Czubak Engineering

GTRLC.ORG 1

Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy

Access for All Since our founding in 1991, a core driver of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy’s work is the desire to protect land for future generations to enjoy. With each preserve or natural area we create, we open a little more of the region’s natural beauty for hiking, birdwatching, swimming and countless other public activities. By engaging residents and visitors with our natural resources, we build support for our mission and encourage healthy and active lifestyles.

Because we believe that the natural beauty of our region should be available to people of ALL ages and abilities, GTRLC has made a conscious effort to provide and plan for Universal Access (UA) opportunities in our preserves and natural areas.

Lifelong access to nature shouldn’t be a luxury.

The need for UA opportunities is clear. A large – and growing – segment of the population has trouble accessing our wonderful natural resources due to mobility issues. Even a slightly rocky path can become an impassable barrier for someone in a wheelchair. To someone using a cane or walker, an uneven trail can present hazards. As the baby boomer population ages and lifespans continue to extend – the population of people age 65 and older is projected to double in about 40 years – the prevalence of age-related mobility challenges will rise.

Mobility issues are not limited to older people, of course. According to the National Institutes of Health, about a third of people with mobility difficulties had them before age 50. Nearly one in five people of all ages in the country are physically limited by some form of disability. Mobility challenges are also not always medical in nature.

Families with young children in strollers can have a difficult time traversing uneven terrain, as even today’s rugged strollers can only handle so much.

Because of our strong belief that nature’s wonders should be accessible to everyone, regardless of age or ability, we have completed several UA projects as part of the Campaign for Generations. And more are in the works!

Attendees enjoying the boardwalk at the UA trail opening ceremony event in 2019.

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Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy

Campaign for Generations Universal Access Projects

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1. Arcadia Marsh

5. Pyatt Lake

2. Overlook Trail at Arcadia Dunes

6. Milton Twp Beach

3. Tmbers Rec. Area 4. Acme Bayside Park

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Universal Access

PROJECT IMPACTS

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UA Projects Region Wide Miles of UA Trail

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7. St. Clair Lake Six Mile Lake 8. Upper Manistee Headwaters

UA Trails UA Fishing Platforms

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UA Water Access Points UA Viewing Platforms

*numbers include proposed upgrades at Pyatt Lake

photo by: Art Bukowski

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Campaign for Generations Universal Access Projects

The following pages include snapshots of the universal access projects we’ve completed throughout the service area so far during the Campaign for Generations.

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Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve

photo by: Jacqueline Southby

Opened on a stunning summer day in 2019, this trail has already become a popular destination and point of pride for the entire Arcadia community.

The trail is mostly boardwalk and about ¾ of a mile in length. In addition to smooth, even surfaces, the boardwalk provides excellent viewing of the marsh. A series of bumpouts with benches, elevated observation decks and three small fishing piers (all to UA standards) add to the experience. The trail was designed to be raised or lowered to accommodate fluctuating water levels, and sections of it were raised in 2020.

Like the Overlook Trail just down the road, reception has been tremendous.

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The Overlook Trail at Arcadia Dunes: The C.S. Mott Nature Preserve

photo by:Art Bukowski

This roughly half-mile, out-and-back style trail takes users from the Baldy parking lot to a magnificent overlook of Lake Michigan about a half mile south of Old Baldy. The path, a combination of crushed aggregate and boardwalk, utilizes switchbacks to ensure that the grade never exceeds five percent, a key element of universal accessibility.

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Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy

Completed in 2017, this trail has become a favorite. We’ve heard from many users about how important and inspiring this trail is to them. The C.S. Mott Foundation, a longtime GTRLC supporter, provided key funding for this project and the Arcadia Marsh trail.

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Timbers Recreation Area

This beautiful trail opened in the summer of 2020. It is another out-and-back trail that begins at the parking area and goes down to Long Lake, then over to the south end of Fern Lake, ending at a small overlook and fishing platform.

This is an example of a project funded by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund with local match fundraising by GTRLC. We are especially proud to provide a quality UA trail so close to the region’s population center in Traverse City.

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photo by: Maia Turek

In addition to taking visitors down to the water and through the woods, the trail goes by the striking stone and wood barns that date to when the property was a large vacation estate owned by the Chicago-based Armour family.

Acme Bayside Park

These improvements enhance investments made by foundations and community members in previous phases of this project (nearly six acres of land and 1,300 feet of shoreline were protected and opened to the public from 2007-2013).

photo photoby:Dana by: Angie Vannoy Lucas

GTRLC helped Acme Township secure and raise matching funds for a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) grant. The grant funded improvements including new gardens, parking lots, updated restrooms, a playground, beach enhancements and more, much of which is designed for universal access.

photo by: Anthony Rupard

The latest chapter in a bold, community-driven plan to provide recreational opportunities and access to nature in Acme Township includes many UA elements.

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Pyatt Lake: The Bill Carls Nature Preserve

rendering by: David Foote

One of the Conservancy’s oldest and most treasured preserves is set to receive a major UA upgrade in the fall of 2020, bringing the first UA trail to Old Mission Peninsula.

High Lake Michigan water levels have swamped current infrastructure at Pyatt, creating an opportunity to replace boardwalk and platforms there with universally accessible versions.

Construction will carefully follow UA standards to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for people with mobility issues. An aggregate trail, boardwalk, parking lot and two decks – all to UA standards – are planned.

Pending successful fundraising, construction is expected to begin late this summer and finish by early winter.

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Milton Township Beach

photo by: Todd Vigland

In the early stages of the Campaign for Generations, GTRLC helped Milton Township acquire the former Water’s Edge Resort in Kewadin so it could be transformed into a public park. A subsequent investment by Rotary Charities of Traverse City allowed for the first universal access kayak launch on the entire Chain of Lakes.

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Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy

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Mary Behrens Sorrell Trail at St. Clair Lake-Six Mile Lake Nature Preserve

With friends and supporters looking on, GTRLC formally dedicated the Mary Behrens Sorrell Trail at the St. Clair Lake-Six Mile Lake Nature Preserve in 2019.

The trail was named for Mary Behrens Sorrell, a longtime volunteer who loved St. Clair LakeSix Mile Lake and worked hard to make it as beautiful as possible. Her widower, Cliff Sorrell, provided the funding for this special project.

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photo by: Angie Lucas

The new universal access (UA) trail replaces outdated infrastructure at a beloved gem in the Chain of Lakes Watershed. An aggregate and boardwalk trail leads to a beautiful platform overlooking the water.

Upper Manistee Headwaters: The Milock Family Preserve

As of late 2020, a crushed aggregate trail takes users from an event parking space up to the waterfront, as well as over to the preserve’s restrooms and beautiful waterside pavilion.

The trail wraps around and into the pavilion to ensure those with mobility issues can have full access to that facility.

If funding is secured, we hope to extend the trail down to the main preserve parking lot.

photo by: Nate Richardson

It wouldn’t feel right to not have a universal access opportunity at the Campaign for Generations’ largest – and one of its most exciting – new preserves.

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photo by:Nate Richardson

Universal Access: Changing Lives for the Better Kim De Bruin fought back tears as she described her first trip to the Overlook Trail at Arcadia Dunes.

De Bruin, who has muscular dystrophy, has been in a wheelchair most of her life. The last time she was able to climb across the dunes was decades ago, when she was a teenager. But when the Overlook Trail opened in early 2017, she was once again able to explore the forests and dunes of her youth.

Shortly before the trail officially opened, she and her husband, Rob, visited the trail on a beautiful spring day. She became emotional as she recalled that first visit.

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Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy

Kim De Bruin ejoying the view of Lake Michigan with friends and family from the Overlook Trail viewing platform.

“I can’t even put into words….I wish I could paint a picture of what that was like the first time and what it meant to me,” she said. “I just cried and cried. It took my breath away.”

De Bruin, who has ties to Arcadia that stretch back several generations, had always been able to see the woods and water from a vehicle. But there’s something different – something much more meaningful – about immersing one’s self in nature the way that the Overlook Trail allowed her to do.

“To see those things now, from a car, it’s all still beautiful. But on this trail, my wheels were on the ground,” she said. “Those are my feet.”

The Campaign for Generations includes multiple projects with UA components, demonstrating GTRLC’s commitment to providing access to nature of all people, regardless of age or ability.

“For a variety of reasons, many people in our community simply aren’t able to go on the hikes or enjoy the outdoor experiences that so many of us take for granted,” GTRLC Executive Director Glen Chown said. “Everyone deserves access to nature, and we’re thrilled to offer universally accessible ways to enjoy some of our region’s best natural attractions.”

“We know that anytime we do something for people with disabilities, it actually makes things safer and more convenient for everybody else, whether you have small children and are pushing a stroller, or using a cane or walker, or have trouble getting around due to age,” Moore said.

Down the road at Arcadia Marsh, GTRLC completed a UA trail that improves public access at a place that’s brimming with things to see. The Flint-based Charles Stewart Mott Foundation provided a lead

Work by GTRLC and others to provide universal access is welcome news to those with disabilities and those who support them throughout the community.

“It’s very exciting when we can create these types of recreational opportunities for people with disabilities in the beautiful northern region of our state, especially because there aren’t really enough opportunities for them to get out and enjoy our natural splendor,” said Jim Moore, Executive Director of Disability Network Northern Michigan.

Over the past few decades, much work has been done to provide basic elements of accessibility for people with disabilities, particularly in public buildings and venues. Features such as the Overlook Trail begin to add that next layer of life-enriching elements, Moore said.

“People with disabilities have desires and dreams and interests just like the rest of us,” Moore said.

“By eliminating more barriers, it allows people with disabilities to enjoy full and exciting lives.”

Although such trails are designed for people with disabilities in mind, studies have shown that UA trails benefit the entire community.

GTRLC Executive Director, Glen Chown with former Mott Foundation Chairman Bill White at the Overlook Trail at Arcadia Dunes: The C.S. Mott Nature Preserve.

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grant of $500,000 to be split between the Overlook trail and the new marsh trail.

Longtime Mott Foundation Chairman Bill White, who died in 2019, visited the Overlook Trail in 2017 and was personally inspired by both the trail and GTRLC’s commitment to UA opportunities.

“I’ve reached the point where it’s difficult for me to do any walking in heavy sand, but on that accessible trail, I can make it up there and enjoy a great view,” he said after the visit. “We really enjoyed sitting out there and looking at the lake – it’s just a wonderful place.”

UA opportunities are a great way to get multiple generations engaged with nature, White continued.

“If I go to Sleeping Bear Dunes, let’s say, and

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my grandson is with me, well that guy can run up and down the sand dune three or four times without even thinking twice about it,” he said.

“Well, I myself have trouble even getting to it. So if you want people at different stages of their lives to enjoy something, you’ve really got to look at things with a long-term view.”

Sam Passmore, director of Mott’s environmental program, said including people of all abilities in outdoor recreation strengthens efforts to protect important natural resources such as, in the case of the Overlook Trail, the Great Lakes.

“It’s really important that people of all backgrounds and all abilities have the opportunity to experience the grandeur of the Great Lakes and develop that attachment,” he said. “It’s restorative on a personal level, of course, but from a practical level, if people don’t know about it, they won’t care about it, and it won’t be possible to sustain interest in protecting and restoring it. So that’s

another reason to build those types of facilities, so everyone in society gets a chance to experience and value how important that resource is.”

The Conservancy’s UA efforts aren’t limited to its own preserves. In 2017, we helped Grand Traverse County’s Long Lake Township secure a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for a UA trail at the Timbers Recreation Area. The trail, which opened in 2020, made it possible for people with mobility issues to enjoy the full beauty of this popular natural area that GTRLC helped create.

Many things combine to make Timbers a very special place. Its central location close to the region’s population center means it’s only a short commute for thousands of people looking for an outdoor escape. Frontage on three different lakes – including the entirety of peaceful Fern Lake – and trails through beautiful woods and fields offer plenty to see, hear and enjoy.

But what’s a simple walk for most people can be riddled with barriers for others. Long Lake Township Supervisor Karen Rosa and other township officials desired something that would allow more people to experience Timbers’ wonders.

“It’s quite a distance from the parking area down to Long Lake or Fern Lake, which are two very popular elements of Timbers that people really want to see,” Rosa said. “We got to thinking that that’s fine for people who can walk well, but what about people in wheelchairs, or those who would like to take their children in strollers, or that kind of thing?”

The trail opened in 2020, providing the latest UA option for residents of and visitors to our region.

“We’re just so excited to offer this opportunity to people who may have never been able to experience these things before,” Rosa said.

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3860 N. Long Lake Rd. Ste. D Traverse City, MI 49684

GTRLC.ORG

photo by: Art Bukowski