By John Raffel
Correspondent
ALLEGAN – After a two-year wait for a reply to his proposal, a Ganges Township resident’s plan for a bicycle path across the massive, forested Allegan state game area has been rejected by the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
Commission chairman Jim Storey said Dr. Rob Allen approached the Board of Commissioners for help in getting the state’s resource agency to respond to his bike path proposals.
“His repeated attempts for dialogue with the agency were met with silence,” Storey said. “The board adopted a resolution officially requesting a response to his plan and to collaborate on opening the game area to other non-hunting users. Using the offices of the county’s Lansing representative, the agency’s response was finally obtained from Taylor Ridderbusch, of the DNR’s legislative and legal affairs office.”
Storey said portions of the response included “the direction is not to create additional designated bike trails on SGA’s (state game areas; emphasis mine) because that would interfere..with the primary purpose of game areas… thousands of miles of bike trails that already exist, I believe the Allegan County resolution would not be approved under the guidelines we are discussing.
“Development of such a trail on an SGA is not in line with the primary purpose of hunting/trapping and associated recreation.”
Storey said Commissioners adopted a strategic plan earlier this year that called for greater use of the state game area for all in addition to hunters and trappers.
“The game area and other state-owned, DNR controlled land constitute approximately 11 percent of the county’s 1833 square miles and should be open to other recreational pursuits of residents and visitors alike, such as bicycle riding,” Storey said.
There is people going in the state land already even during open gun hunting time ,it is dangerous they could get shot at some hunters shot at a noise or a movement in the brush ,I think all who are out there at open season should wear hunters orange vest ,hat ,what ever to be seen
All ready have a lot of places to ride bikes. Please use that and more money to improve the roads and bridges
The proposal recommends abating some 20 miles of recreation trails, in central prime hunting area encompassing 10,000 acres, for 200 acres of new trail (6miles) boarding the community of Allegan and Hamilton (restricted and low value hunting residential area). A linear trail that follows high banks wildlife refuge would be the only trail through the game area (already exist and is restricted to hunting).
Please review the proposal.
In addition: Please review the proposal and report the facts . Might be nice to get Taylor Ridderbusch comments on DNR equity of land use policies as it pertains to non-hunting use in game areas and precedence of existing recreational land use in DNR state game areas.
It is a great proposal for hunting/ wildlife/forrest management lands while providing citizens a an accessible, safe outdoor recreation trail experience in forested land.
To date the DNR Wild Division has not responded to the proposal (in writing) as requested by the Governor’s appointed Michigan Trails Advisory Counsel.