13 minute read
AN ADMIRABLE
salute to our veterans
An Admirable Endeavor – The OIS Riders
HEARST.qxp_HEARST 8/26/19 11:56 AM Page 17 BY JIM DUKE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Irecently became aware of an organization that honors and supports our nation’s veterans, specifically a division of that organization that’s dedicated to providing a opportunity to get out and enjoy a variety of fun activities. The organization is Operation Injured Soldiers, a 501(c)3 charity located in South Lyon, Michigan which provides recreational therapy for injured soldiers. Now in it’s 10th year, it is comprised of an all-volunteer board of directors, including their administrators.
As a charity, their major source of operating capital comes from fundraising events held statewide, and donations from supporting 8 | FEBRUARY • 2022 • MICHIGAN SNOWMOBILER + ORV
individuals and businesses, and according to the OIS Treasurer, an average of 93% of every dollar donated is applied to one or more of the veteran programs.
The therapy, as mentioned, is provided through some means of recreational activity and depending on the needs of the individual, the OIS is there to assist in getting the soldiers what they need. The recreation may be in the form
of a hunting or fishing excurTOP: The large house sion, or maybe just going to a ball game. It may also be a bit more physical like playing hockey, baseball, or other provides lodging for September,2019-MICHIGANSNOWMOBILER17 veterans and their families. such sporting activities. But it can also be a more rigorEntrance Sign ous activity such as riding at the Brave motorcycles, snowmobiles, Hearts Estate. and off-road vehicles, and that’s where the OIS Riders Division comes in. I first met Jason Middleton, the Director of the OIS Riders at the Snowmobile USA TheEastJordanSno- Show in Novi, Michigan last BlastCommitteehaskicked off their festival planning meetingforthe39thAnnual November where we briefly discussed the possibility of joining in on one of their snowmobiling events. Since Sno-Blast Winter Festival that time, I’ve done quite scheduledforFebruary21– a bit of research into the 23, 2020 in East Jordan. organization and have had Lookingforanotherwonderfulfamily-friendlyfestivalcelebration winter in northern Michiganforsnowandnonsnow-loversalike!Thefestival offers a multitude of activitiesincludingsnowmobile radar runs, antique snowmobile snow, snow sculpturecompetition,food ventsATVandsnowmobile rides,plusmuchmore. Inthemeantime,EastJordan “owns”thefallwhenitcomes tofallsplendorandbeauty! Theareaisabundantwithfall communities offer from orchards,cornmazes,pumpkin patches,artgalleries,resale shops, hand blown glass shop,antiques,restaurants andmuchmore. The East Jordan Pumpkin Fest will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 16th from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM downtownEastJordanfeaturingchildren’sgames,vendors,businessspecialsales andevents,piecontest,face painting and Twister Joe NorthernMichigan’sFavorite BalloonArtistplusmore. Whenplanningyourfallcolor tourandeventdestinations… make sure East Jordan is number#1onyourlist!Email orcallustodayforcolortour routes,areainformationand more at 231-536-7351 or emailinfo@ejchamber.org–
y y of f Activities Visit our website at www.ejchamber.org.
Before e
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*Models may not be exactly as shown. Shown with optional accessories. ©2019 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. Product and specifications subject to change without notice. Professional rider on closed *Models may not be exactly as shown. Shown with optional accessories. ©2019 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. Product and specifications subject to change without notice. Professional rider on closed course under controlled conditions. Always wear an approved helmet, eye protection and protective clothing. Ride responsibly and always ride within your capabilities, allowing time and distance for maneuvering, and respect *Models may not be exactly as shown. Shown with optional accessories. ©2019 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. Product and specifications subject to change without notice. Professional rider on closed course under controlled conditions. Always wear an approved helmet, eye protection and protective clothing. Ride responsibly and always ride within your capabilities, allowing time and distance for maneuvering, and respect others around you. Know the conditions. Observe all state and local laws. Don’t drink and ride.course under controlled conditions. Always wear an approved helmet, eye protection and protective clothing. Ride responsibly and always ride within your capabilities, allowing time and distance for maneuvering, and respect others around you. Know the conditions. Observe all state and local laws. Don’t drink and ride. others around you. Know the conditions. Observe all state and local laws. Don’t drink and ride.
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continued from page 8 more communications with Mr. Middleton where I’ve learned that the OIS actually has a second facility, a vacation retreat of sorts, located in Pellston, MI. It is the Brave Hearts Estate, donated by an anonymous veteran on Veteran’s Day in 2014 with just one stipulation, that it be used strictly as a retreat and a place where veterans and their families can come for rest & relaxation so essential to the health and well being of our brave men and women warriors.
The Brave Hearts Estate, located in Emmet County just a couple of miles west of town at 4171 Ely Road in Pellston, sits on 238 acres of prime real estate which offers ideal hunting opportunities as well as many other outdoor recreational endeavors. It is managed by the all-volunteer OIS Board and is the assembly point for many OIS events including the OIS Rider activities. The building has eight bedrooms, many with enough beds to accommodate up to four or even six per room.
There is three dining rooms with adequate seating and an expansive kitchen. Each of the three levels has a large living room and the lower level is a walkout basement with three bedrooms, also has a living room and a full kitchen. There are no elevators in the house but that doesn’t mean it is not handicap accessible. There is a chairlift to give wheelchair bound veterans access to the third floor. The estate hosts two to three families each weekend free of charge with lodging, breakfast and a light dinner.
I asked how the OIS Rider Division of the organization came to be and Jason said he grew up racing motocross and has been an avid enthusiast of almost all motorized sports including ATV’s, snowmobiles and motorcycles. He says as a longtime volunteer of the OIS and seeing the events getting bigger and bigger with each passing year, he created the Riders Division as another outlet for veterans to enjoy the outdoors with scheduled and supervised rides, snowmobiles in the winter months and offroad vehicles in the warmer months. He says they view this as recreational therapy, and it gives everyone that participates a good feeling of accomplishment.
From an outsider’s point of view, this organization is doing a wonderful job of assisting injured servicemen, and their family members, along the road to rehabilitation. From a career veteran’s point of view, what they are doing is priceless! •
All Trails Point North
For pure enjoyment and world class snowmobile trail riding. Look north to Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. The picturesque trails and scenic overlooks abound in arguably the best snowmobile trail system in the Midwest. With an average snowfall of 250 inches and over 230 miles of groomed trails that start just 15 miles south of Houghton Michigan and reach the top of the Keweenaw at Copper Harbor. Riders find themselves engulfed in scenic natural beauty and a winter riding adventure that seems endless.
Mother nature blesses this playground with an abundance of snow. But the manicuring of Keweenaw’s wondrous winter world is the responsibility of the Keweenaw Snowmobile Club.
The Keweenaw Trails Services d.b.a. Keweenaw Snowmobile Club is a nonprofit organization, located in Calumet MI., responsible for grooming and maintaining 235 miles of snowmobile trails. The system runs from Toivola (about 15 miles south of Houghton) to Copper Harbor and extending further to the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. 235 miles of groomed trails, that’s like grooming from Calumet to Green Bay, Wi., and when two shifts are needed that is equal to turning around in Green Bay and heading back.
They have a fleet of five state-of-the-art groomers and a select team of dedicated and experienced trail groomers. Backing them up are a dedicated and knowledgeable team of volunteers. Snowmobile enthusiast that give of their time, talent, and treasure to provide the riding enthusiast with an unforgettable experience. The club works very hard building positive relationships with landowners, land managers both public and private, local business owners, politicians, law enforcement agencies, charities, and many others.
With that responsibility comes the challenge of continued success and growth.
We are talking about 8 percent of all the trails combined in the U.P. Financially can the Keweenaw Snowmobile Club survive in the present as well as the future?
How can the club which has taken on the task of maintaining the largest trail system in the state of Michigan survive?
To understand the financial challenges, lets step back a bit in time. Back to earlier times when the snowmobile tourism industry started to take off. When the Keweenaw Peninsula was not a winter fun destination. Fortunately, in the late 1970’s a pioneering group of local business owners from Houghton, Calumet, and Laurium, pooled their resources and formed the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. They recognized the need to promote a growing winter tourism opportunity. Working together, a hotel room tax mechanism was created, and that revenue was dedicated to building and maintaining a snowmobile trail network.
At the same time relationships were established with landowners that allowed property access and the use of old rail beds. Shortly after, progressive leaders in the DNR established a revenue generating trail pass program that is dedicated to assist in the maintenance of club trail systems. A true user fee.
Enthusiasm was in the air, trail riders came, people laid off in the winter months were able to find employment as groomers. And the club grew its trail system to where it is today.
But all was not rosy, as the club grew its span of responsibility, financial support has not kept up. The room tax assessment revenue that was originally created for promoting the local growth of snowmobile tourism has all but dried up. Hotel revenue has been affected these past two years and the managing entity that controls the room tax assessment revenue has redirected those funds.
The DNR which is charged with control of revenue generated from trail stickers, allocates the funds on certain criteria. One of major
concern is, that a club is supplemented based on miles of trails groomed. Unfortunately, the methodology used to allocate the funds treats the approximate 132 snowmobile clubs, (SnowGoer magazine list) in the state equally. By that, a club with one groomer and say 30 miles of trail is scored the same as the Keweenaw Snowmobile Club with 235 miles of groomed trails and 5 groomers. Which creates a great disparity in the allocation of revenue needed to cover operational costs.
Certainly, there are financial challenges the Keweenaw Snowmobile club faces. But like the copper miners of days past who faced the adversities underground, the club continues to build for the future. A new groomer maintenance building is currently under construction. All being done with donations, an army of volunteers, and the support of generous contractors. The bulk of operational cost are covered by the trail sticker revenue and donations.
How can you and I help?
Become a member, Join, there is strength in numbers. Becoming a member of the Keweenaw Snowmobile club helps that you and like-minded individuals can continue riding the trails, have input on the trails, support the local community, and ensure that the amazing trails of the Keweenaw are here for future generations.
Below is the link to The Keweenaw Snowmobile Club. There you will find investment opportunities on memberships, donating towards the completion of the new groomer maintenance facility and club information.
http://www.keweenawsnowmobileclub.com/home.htm
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