A new chapter in outdoor recreation opened Thursday when community leaders gathered to dedicate a modern canoe and kayak launch designed to replace aging, water-damaged docks that had become safety concerns.
The Keweenaw County Road Commission and Calumet-Keweenaw Sportsman’s Club hosted the dedication ceremony at the Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve, marking the completion of a project born from a simple observation: children playing on deteriorating docks near the Mendota Canal outlet.
“We’re a coalition of groups that care about outdoor recreation and protection of our natural Keweenaw, the natural habitats and landscapes,” said Gina Nicholas, executive director of the Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition. “This was a brainchild of the Sportsman Club. Mark was a big instigator. And he said, can we do this? This is an example of a project that we can do because you guys support KORC. You’re members, you make donations.”
Mark Ahlborn, board member of the Calumet-Keweenaw Sportsman Club, spearheaded the initiative after witnessing the hazardous conditions firsthand.
“We were doing the May cleanup, which is really one of the things that KORC did to get started,” Ahlborn said. “I said to Gene, look, there’s a cleanup project down here to get this dangerous dock situation out of here. These are all abandoned.”
The Road Commission faced logistical challenges in taking on the project. Rich Olson, chairman of the Keweenaw County Road Commission, acknowledged the constraints but emphasized the community benefit.
“It’s difficult to get into these types of projects because we just have so many other things to do with the limited staff we have,” Olson said. “When that project came to fruition, that was a good thing for the road commission. It was something that needed to be done and it was good for the community. We’re always looking for places for people to be able to recreate. We’d like to see some more kayak launches.”
The Road Commission completed the project through $8,000 in community donations, demonstrating strong local support for outdoor recreation infrastructure.
Looking ahead, Ahlborn expressed enthusiasm for expanding the site’s amenities. During Thursday’s ceremony, he called for the addition of walking paths on the Road Commission’s property behind Bete Grise Beach, envisioning the area as a destination for multiple recreational activities.
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