TRAVERSE CITY Third time was the charm.
Volunteer trail builders had to wait for clear weather before they could tackle work at the new Center Road Natural Area in Peninsula Township. After it poured rain on two consecutive Fridays, an alternative date Sunday afternoon provided clear sailing.
More than a dozen helpers turned out to put in peripheral trails through a former orchard at the front of the land, which the township closed on in July. Just a year ago, township voters approved a millage to finance the purchase and create a park at the southern end of the Peninsula. The public natural area is managed by the township's park commission.
Situated just south of McKinley Road and east of Center Road, the land also includes a bowl-shaped meadow, a climax hemlock forest, varied animal habitat and undeveloped East Bay frontage. A parking area at the front of the property makes it accessible to a steady stream of hikers, who have been lured by the terrain's varied beauty. Many hikers also live within walking distance and enjoy their proximity to the natural area's trails.
"Several miles of entirely new trails have been added to the existing trails, much of that new distance through wooded and hilly terrain that makes for scenic and diverse hiking," said Dave Murphy, co-founder with Mary Van Valin of the friends group and a nearby resident. "It's getting significant use already, yet it's a work in progress by the volunteers and we expect more use as its trails, signs and other details get into place."
"Keep in mind that all of this volunteer work is saving taxpayers a lot of money," he said.
Following a flagged and winding path established by a professional trail builder, Center Road Natural Area volunteers rototilled, hand raked and leveled a winding trail. Veteran trail volunteer Dick Naparela provided his expertise for the afternoon.
"Basically, a trail gives people an opportunity for recreation or for exercise," said Naparela, field trails coordinator for the Grand Traverse Hiking Club, a North Country Trail Association chapter. "I live on the Peninsula and I think it's a wonderful thing to have another (quiet) area, it's kind of a little oasis in all this busyness."
Led by Friends of the Center Road Natural Area, since September several dozen volunteers have logged more than 500 volunteer hours. Tasks have included fencing, boundary making and early trail building throughout the 62-acre property. In addition, for two weeks a Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn & Learn Summer Youth Crew, part of the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, fielded more than a dozen young workers there.
The sweat equity of the volunteers is creating a community jewel for everyone while being respectful of neighboring landowners.
"Thousands of feet of fencing and boundary marking (are) complete to help hikers avoid trespassing onto neighboring properties (very tough work to do some of the fencing in wooded and hilly areas)," Murphy said. "Extensive input from neighbors went into the process to define proper fencing and boundary marking techniques."
The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has provided key partnership with the friends group and township. Over the years of creating the natural area, they have helped guide the process from conception to purchase to execution. After the land purchase, volunteers from the nonprofit's Arcadia Dunes effort over in Benzie County have offered input and led a trail building workshop.
Other community entities supporting the Center Road Natural Area include Hagerty Insurance, which provided volunteers on company time, TC Rentals and the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments.
"The original vision is playing out well, with a ton of lessons learned along the way," said Murphy of the Center Road Natural Area.
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