Spotlight for Baraga County Trails in Motion produced by My UP News Correspondent Abby LaForest.
Baraga County Trails in Motion works to establish and maintain outdoor recreation opportunities for residents and visitors alike.
Originally beginning as a group of women who maintained the trail systems in the L’Anse Township Park, they’ve now expanded to other endeavors, such as the Pinery Lakes cross country ski trail and the development of a nine-hole disc golf course.
“We decided we needed to keep and improve the trails that we have in Baraga County, so a group of us got together, started a meeting, got ourselves reorganized. Now, we’ve taken under our wing all of the trails that we can manage,” said Anne Koski, the group’s president.
This year is Baraga County Trails in Motion’s first time joining the Copper Shores Giving Tuesday event. Koski shared that the organization is looking to use their funds raised to help replace old equipment, with an emphasis on maintaining and improving the Pinery Lakes trail for the public to enjoy during the winter season.
“Our main (reason) is to get some funding. Our second is to make known to everybody here in Baraga County, Marquette County, Houghton County, that Baraga County is now in the trail system. We want to connect and work together with all of these other counties that have trails,” she added. “We do have to get a new groomer. We need all of that equipment. It’s that old. We have some future plans for the parking lot and the storage building up there, because we have no storage building up there. The rest of these trails, it still costs money to get ourselves organized, to fix bridges, and we need new signs everywhere we have (trails.)”
Whether you’re able to help out by physically volunteering during work bees, offering financial support, or helping spread the word about their mission, Baraga County Trails in Motion has opportunities for everyone to help them out.
“With this strong group that we have and the volunteerism that we do have, it will help to promote Baraga County. We do need to use these trails wisely, and I think, because we have been out of the loop for so long, that’s what Baraga County Trails in Motion is trying to do – bring us back in the loop. All of these trails are used by a lot of people,” Koski concluded.
Baraga County Trails in Motion is one of nearly 70 nonprofits in the Copper Country participating in the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation’s Giving Tuesday campaign. Since 2016, the campaign has raised more than $5.8 million, primarily through individual donations. You can learn more about Baraga County Trails in Motion and Copper Shores Giving Tuesday on their respective websites.
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