Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
Snow is on the ground, and in the upper peninsula that means travel will look different than other wintry areas of the country. The region’s snowmobile season will start soon, and trails in the Keweenaw peninsula have seen a lot of work done to them from over the summer. In recent years The Keweenaw ATV club and The Keweenaw snowmobile club, have begun to coordinate their trail maintenance projects with more planning.
“We’re starting to work together a little bit more, because there’s such a parallel with the ATV and the snowmobile.But we’re still funded separately. Anyway, we’ve had a lot of surface projects coming up. We did a couple of big ones this summer. And it’s finally starting to show on our trail system. Because it’s been so long that we are always installing, culverts. And just basically fixing the big bad holes, and stuff like that. But now we’re actually putting road gravel down.” – Mike McMahon, Trail Maintenance Coordinator, Keweenaw ATV Club
Within the past week, both clubs have met separately with the Nature Conservancy to discuss the future of their trail systems. Each trail club says that T-N-C has a desire to keep the trail system open to the public, and well maintained. More details for trail maintenance plans with each club are still in very early discussions, but they have already been productive.
“…because we just started working with them. But it looks very positive already. The lady that we’re working with, Emily Clegg from Marquette, she’s really congenial. Real nice to work with, so far, and we’re hoping for all good things. She expressed that she likes working with the clubs.” – Mike McMahon, Trail Maintenance Coordinator, Keweenaw ATV Club
“Starting to talk with them about what those projects look like. What they are looking for. So we’re going to be partnering together with those guys, based on the couple of meting we have had. And their desire to keep things the same. Protect the water quality, protect the environment.” – Ryan LaPorte, President, Keweenaw Snowmobile Club
Each club works separately to maintain the region’s vast network of motorized trails. The Keweenaw ATV club typically maintains the main sections of trail in the Keweenaw. While the Keweenaw Snowmobile club tends to focus on bridges, and culvert overpasses. The clubs plan to continue building their relationships with the Nature Conservancy, as more details come to light with the Keweenaw Heartlands nearly 31,000 acres. Find out more information online about joining each club, meeting information, volunteer opportunities, and events.
