Residents express concerns over marina expansion: Township Board writes letter of concern to DEQ
By Michael Buhler and Jacob Wheeler
Sun editors
The Glen Arbor Township Board held a special meeting today to respond to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regarding an application for a marina expansion on Big Glen Lake. On the Narrows Marina owner Conor McCahill seeks to add an additional 39 boat slips on a new dock, bringing the total to 46, as well as increase the moorings to 16. On the Narrows Marina is located on the M-22 state highway, just north of the Carl Oleson Memorial Bridge, which divides Big and Little Glen Lake.
Over 100 residents and interested neighbors listened in the gymnasium as the Board met to discuss the issue. Since this was a meeting and not a hearing, public comment was limited to the end of the session. Township Zoning Administrator Bob Hawley reviewed the requirements of the Resort zone, and noted that the marina and its structures are a non-conforming use of the property, grandfathered into the original 1975 zoning plan. He questioned whether an expansion would then make this a “more non-conforming use,” and necessitate the entire project to come into zoning compliance, which it then could not do.
After deliberation and audience input, the Board voted 4-0 to write a letter to the DEQ noting its concerns over parking, pedestrians, road safety, navigation at the bridge, water safety, and the potential for pollution. The Board also asked the DEQ to conduct a public hearing on the matter.
Andy DuPont, President of the Glen Lake Association (GLA), reported that he was assured by Robin Schmidt of the DEQ that the department plans to hold a public hearing, and that online links where citizens can comment on the application, and a PDF of the application itself, are available on the GLA website, www.GlenLakeAssociation.org. You can also comment on the DEQ’s website here and view the PDF here NarrowsMarinaExpansionApplication. The GLA and Township Board encourage everyone to make their views known to the DEQ, and the GLA website will share any updates on the application — as well the Glen Arbor Sun via GlenArbor.com.
On the DEQ application last month, McCahill wrote, “Due to high demand, we would like to expand our boat slip and mooring offerings. If permitted we would simply install additional freestanding seasonal docks and move and expand our mooring field. This would take place in Spring 2012. … There is very high demand for slips and moorings on Glen Lake that we currently cannot accommodate. … Following our pre-application meeting we adjusted our layout and design to exclude a boat ramp and any dredging activity. This will require more dock sections to be used, but eliminate dredging in the shallow areas.”
In an open letter to the Glen Lake community posted at On the Narrows Marina’s website today, the McCahill family wrote: “Our objective in seeking expansion is to provide more opportunities for others to have access to the lake. We have a long waiting list from local residents seeking lake access for their boats. Most of our mooring customers are members of the local community and favor having boat slips as opposed to moorings. While we anticipated there would be opposing opinions, some quite legitimate and others self centered, the first step in the process is to comply with state law which we know will inevitably lead to a public hearing where we look forward to answering questions, addressing concerns and hopefully finding solutions that allow further access to a wonderful natural resource for Glen Lake residents, families and visitors.”
On the Narrows Marina’s expansion plans on Big Glen Lake have spread like wildfire through the local media. TV 7&4 news jumped on the story on Tuesday, quoting resident Kathy Schmid, who owns a home on the lake, as saying she’s worried that “peaceful summers on Glen Lake will turn into a crowded party atmosphere with the expansion.” Schmid also worries that the area wouldn’t be able to accommodate extra parking or restrooms that would be needed for the influx of visitors.
On Wednesday, the Traverse City Record-Eagle described On the Narrows as a “sleepy little marina” and quoted Kathy’s brother Greg Schmid as saying, “I think this is the first robber baron taking advantage of us being called the most beautiful place in America. I think by next year we’ll lose that designation.” The Schmids worry that the addition of nearly 40 boat slips will turn the Glen Lakes into “another party spot like Torch Lake.”
“They are valid concerns,” Conor McCahill told the Sun. “From our point of view, we don’t see why we can’t work with the community to address them and get something done. We take the lake very seriously, and we’re not looking to cause any harm. We’re just looking to expand and meet demand on the lake.”
McCahill conceded that parking is an issue in the congested area north of the Narrows Bridge. He suggested that the parking lot in front of “McCahill’s Crossing” — the former Narrows Dairy Bar, which will re-open this summer — is a possible solution.
“Parking is an issue. But it’s an issue throughout Glen Arbor too. There are different options in our plan. We own the property across the bridge. We could perhaps do a shuttle service.”
McCahill sought to address concerns that the expansion will overcrowd the lake with traffic.
“Our goal, as far as the expansion is concerned, is to allow more people to use the lake. It’s a misconception that the lake will all of a sudden become overcrowded with boat traffic. Our clientele are mostly people from the community who are already on the lake. They just want to put their boat somewhere where they don’t have to use the ramp every single day.”
The McCahills contracted the Traverse City-based surveying and engineering firm Gourdie-Fraser to investigate riparian rights and bottomlands where the docks and moorings would go. Conor McCahill believes that On the Narrows owns the riparian rights south of the marina.
“People are under the impression that that is not our land, but we went through the process, and it is,” he said. “All we’re looking for is an opportunity to work with the community to get this accomplished. If the plan goes through and we have a separate pier, that’s just another place where people can park their boats. Another avenue, so the lake is not as congested.”
Tom and Carol McCahill, and their three adult children, Conor, Megan and Neil, originally from Littleton, Colo., purchased the marina from Jack and Marcie Ferris in 2008 and re-opened it in 2009. Read our feature on the McCahills here. They recently acquired the former Dairy Bar on the south side of the Glen Lake narrows and plan to open that soon. Last summer, employees of On the Narrows won the adoration of the community when they saved a tiny fawn from drowning in Big Glen Lake.
A number of concerned locals have contacted Glen Lake School about the clear-cutting of aspen trees on the school-owned property on County Road 677 (Benzonia Trail), just north of the M-72 intersection — a 180-acre plot that the local public school typically calls the “Benzie Trail Property”. To address those concerns, Glen Lake posted the following interview with its forester, Richard Cooper, from nearby Honor, on its website, www.glenlakeschools.org.
According to Glen Lake, “the school board chose Cooper as its forester based on the respect he has both within the environmental community and the logging community as somebody who takes a careful approach to timber management. We asked him to provide some perspective on the forestry management plan that is in place for the property and to explain why clear-cutting was used on the aspen stand.”
Glen Lake: Before we get into the specifics of the forestry management plan, can you take us back a little further in time and explain how the school got the property in the first place and why special deed restrictions on the property require the school to cut trees on it.
Cooper: It originally became part of school property back in the 1940’s or so through a DNR program. Schools could get tax-reverted land for forestry purposes. The deed restriction you refer to requires timber management, requires some logging for the school district to maintain the ownership. If not managed for timber and education, the land can revert back to the state, which would mean the school district would lose a very valuable asset. An interesting historical aside, some of the older people in the Empire area remember planting the pine trees out there as kids, in the old abandoned agricultural fields. They planted red pine, jack pine and white pine for soil erosion control and educational purposes.
Glen Lake: So if the deed requires logging, why has the school never done that until recently, yet was obviously able to maintain ownership of the property for the past several decades?
Cooper: The school district has been managing the forest since the 1940’s by planting trees, protecting the forest from fires, building trials, conducting field trips and classes, on-site camping, cutting firewood, and recently harvesting some trees. Cutting trees is only a small part of managing a forest. Also, the forest was maturing during all those years, and it has just recently reached the point where the timber is ready to harvest. We’ve had four timber sales on Glen Lake Community Schools property over the past fifteen or so years and the timber has generated in excess of $125,000 for the school. In addition, the first thinning of the pine was conducted perhaps twenty years ago and was handled by the Leelanau County forester, Rick Moore. So it is not correct to assume the Glen Lake Community Schools land was never managed nor logged previously.
Glen Lake: How did the forestry management plan take shape?
Cooper: First we do an inventory of the timber to see what timber types and volumes we have to work with. This property had about 150 acres in upland hardwoods—maple beech forest. There are also three types of pine on the property: red pine, jack pine and white pine, which total about 12 acres. And the aspen, which covers about 18 acres, about 10 percent of the property.
Glen Lake: So we have thinned some types of timber but clearcut the aspen. Can you explain why the different approaches are used?
Cooper: There are three different cutting techniques used on this parcel of land, one for each timber type. With the pine, we “thin from below.” The smaller trees are taken, leaving the dominant and co-dominant trees for future growth and harvests. Other issues can also determine the approach and timing. For example, the red pine stand had a small infestation of pine beetle, and I was concerned that the beetle would really flourish. We cut the infested trees in 2008, a little ahead of schedule because it’s very hard to get rid of the pine beetle once it gets established.
A selective harvest cutting technique is used in the hardwood stand. Every 10 years or so, individual trees are marked and harvested to open up small areas for regeneration. Generally trees are harvested at age 100 in the hardwood stands, and you manage it so there are about 10 harvests over 100 years.
Glen Lake: The aspen clearcut, which is so visible from the road, is what has people most upset; can you explain the strategy on that?
Cooper: As for the aspen stand, the trees were nearing the end of their natural lives and they were beginning to die off. We wanted to keep aspen on the property for diversity and educational purposes. To regenerate a healthy aspen stand, a clearcut is used to allow full sunlight to hit the roots. If only partial sun hits the root system, the new aspen shoots are not as strong and viable. If we had thinned the aspen stand or left it alone, the aspen would have died out and natural forest succession would have eventually replaced the aspen with poorer quality hardwoods. Aspen are a very important food source and cover for many animals, like whitetail deer, woodcock, lots of songbirds and grouse, so providing habitat was one reason we wanted to keep it. We also plan on leaving some large logs from this harvest around the aspen type for grouse to use as drumming logs—those are logs that the male grouse sits on and drums to attract females, so that was also a habitat decision. Aspen doesn’t live long, about 50 to 70 years, but it grows very quickly. Even by next May the aspen shoots will be about a foot high and by next fall aspen reproduction should be about 5 to 6 feet tall. By the time today’s kindergartners graduate in 12 years, the aspen will be 50 to 60 feet tall.
Glen Lake: Also, some people have complained about how messy the forest is still. What’s going to happen as far as cleanup goes?
Cooper: Yes, it is muddy out there right now with all the recent rain. By contract, the logger is required to smooth the trails and roads. Most of the slash will be chipped for pulpwood. But there will be some limbs and slash that will be left to decompose over the next few years, enriching the soil. I hold a cash bond on the purchaser to hire another contractor for cleanup if he does not fulfill his obligation in that regard.
Glen Lake: Any final thoughts about the property’s forest you’d like to share?
Cooper: It’s important to keep in mind that the forest is an amazingly resilient system. After European settlement, the lake states were clearcut. We stumped, farmed and pastured the land. It eroded. We abandoned it. It burned. We walked away from it, and 4 million acres reverted to state of Michigan ownership back in the 1930’s. In spite of all of that, the forest came back and is now ready for cutting today. Imagine what our forests would look like if we had tried to grow trees! We obviously manage the land with infinitely more thought, understanding and care than what happened a hundred years ago. Absolutely no comparison. So the people of the school district can know that even though this forest is not currently managed to become an old growth forest, and current deed restrictions prevent that, it will continue to be a healthy forest and provide an outstanding outdoor classroom resource for studying sustainable forestry and forest science. Please let teachers know that I would be happy to lead classes out there for field study.
Tom Ulrich, Deputy Superintendent of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, reports that 2011 won’t be the Lakeshore’s busiest year in history — despite Sleeping Bear being voted “the most beautiful place in America” by Good Morning America — and the final tally won’t come close to the 1,364,834 the Lakeshore welcomed in 1999. But 2011 will post the second highest visitors total.
Through November, 1,339,454 visitors walked through the proverbial turnstiles. “That’s a 25,000 gap to close in a month whose visitation has only once exceeded even 10,000,” says Ulrich. “And with no snow we aren’t getting good visitation (in December).”
The Lakeshore won’t have a final count until January 5.
This is the only the third year that the Lakeshore has topped 1.3 million in visitor numbers: 1999 and 1988. Last year boasted the fifth highest annual total, at 1,280,932.
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by the Yarn Shop, a creative force in Glen Arbor since 1955.
Details surrounding the history, legend and exciting 2010 discovery of one of the Great Lakes’ most sought-after shipwrecks will be disclosed during the Empire Area Heritage Group’s Dec. 2, free public program at the Empire Township Hall.
Beginning at 7 p.m. Ross Richardson, a Lake Ann diver and a 10-year former board member of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates, will share his extensive research on and incredible discovery of the Westmoreland. The 160-foot passenger steamer sank more than 150 years ago in the icy waters off what is known now as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
The ship, with 34 passengers and crew, was rumored to have been carrying whiskey and gold coins when she went down in December, 1854 — a tale that launched over a dozen expeditions in the ensuing years to find her and her treasures. Only 17 people were saved during the tragic event.
Richardson solved the mystery of the ship’s whereabouts using history books, old newspapers and what he calls “a little bit of hard work.” He found the wreck in July, 2010 — sitting upright, bow and arches intact — in an uncharted hole.
The local diver has spent the last decade looking for and documenting shipwrecks off the state’s west coast. He has worked with David Trotter and Clive Cussler’s National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) Team, is part of the Benzie Area Public Safety Dive Team and is a Special Deputy with the Benzie County Sheriff’s Department.
The Westmoreland project was partially funded by a grant from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation, Inc. For more about the project, visit www.michiganmysteries.com.
A goodwill offering will be accepted at the door during the event and free beverages and popcorn will be served. For more information about Friday’s program, email empiremuseum@centurytel.net.
This GlenArbor.com article was sponsored by the Western Avenue Grill, featuring casual fine dining in downtown Glen Arbor.
When I spoke on the phone recently with Derek Bailey, current chair of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and now Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress, he was crossing the Mackinac Bridge and returning home to Traverse City. The tires on his 2005 Saturn VUE hummed loudly as he passed over the rumble strips on the majestic arch that connects Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
That bridge is already a well-worn path for Bailey, who traverses the northern part of the state once or twice a week to build political support for his congressional bid next November. He hopes to unseat Tea Party-backed freshman Republican Dan Benishek and represent Michigan’s 1st District, which, following redistricting, now encompasses Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Manistee and half of Mason counties as well as the tip of the mitten and the entire Upper Peninsula. But first he’ll have to win the Democratic primary against Gary McDowell, who lost handily to Benishek last fall. The Congressional seat was previously held by Blue Dog Democrat Bart Stupak, who didn’t seek re-election following the beating he suffered during the health care debate. Whoever wins the primary will likely receive handsome financial support from the national Democratic Party, which has made it clear that it will prioritize reclaiming blue districts that it lost in 2010.
If Bailey succeeds, it will be because he is a bridge builder and not just a bridge crosser. Only eight Native Americans have served in Congress in this country’s 235-year history, and Bailey would be the first from the Midwest. While the dynamic 38-year-old (he turns 39 on Dec. 3) will surely win votes from Indian country, he’ll need crossover appeal to win white voters too. And he’ll need to bridge the heated partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans. The 1st District is considered conservative, but Stupak, a centrist Democrat, held it for 18 years. Can Derek Bailey, who wears his long dark hair in a traditional ponytail and rides a black Victory Kingpin 8-Ball motorcycle, tap into a long history of “Bill Milliken” Michigan moderates?
“I’ve been able to work as tribal chairman with local, state and federal officials from both parties,” said Bailey, who claims that during his exploratory campaign he received emails of support from both sides of the aisle. Half of the members on his exploratory committee were Republican. “I’ve had successful working relationship with Democrats and Republicans … I don’t want to be looked at as a tribal vote.”
The native vote will no doubt come out strong for Bailey. Of Michigan’s 12 Indian tribes, eight are located in the 1st District — five in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) and three in the upper third of the mitten. Through his wife Tonia, who is half Alaskan Native, a quarter Standing Rock Sioux and a quarter Ojibwe, and their three sons, Nimkees, 12, Ohsawkihew, 8, and Maengun, 3, and two daughters, Daanis, 13, and Panika, 11, Bailey has familial ties to the Bay Mills Indian community and the Keweenaw Bay Indian community, both in the U.P. Derek’s father is Odawa (typically spelled “Ottawa” in English) and his mother is of Norwegian descent. During the campaign, Tonia and the kids are living in the town of Brimley near Sault Ste Marie.
“I think we need more people in Congress who understand tribal sovereignty,” he told 2,800 American Indian and Alaska Native leaders. “I know it and I advocate for sovereignty issues. I will do the same in Congress.” Bailey told the crowd that current Congressman Benishek hasn’t connected with people in the 1st District. “He sent my tribe a letter and did not even spell the word ‘Chippewa’ right. I know he does not understand our issues.”
As tribal chairman since 2008 — the youngest in the Grand Traverse Band’s history — Bailey has championed job-creation and the environment, two pillars around which his campaign is building. The tribe fluctuates between the second- and third-biggest job provider in northwest-lower Michigan, following Munson Medical Center in Traverse City and tied with Traverse City Area Public Schools. The tribe’s job creation power surged when it acquired the Grand Traverse Resort in 2003, and again when the doors opened to the new Turtle Creek Casino in nearby Williamsburg in June 2008.
“I told Governor Rick Snyder, ‘I hope you are the first Michigan governor who recognizes the economic impact of the tribe, through gaming’. That’s never highlighted, but it’s substantial.” In an effort to straddle that political middle ground, Bailey includes photos of himself with both Michigan’s Republican governor and President Barack Obama on his campaign website, DerekBaileyforCongress.com.
Meanwhile, Bailey touts the austerity measures that the Grand Traverse Band took during the economic recession. Government cuts, he knows, could win him support among conservatives. “We worked with tribal leaders to reduce our budget by over $5 million. Some services were scaled back but we maintained most of our services. Those were tough choices, but we didn’t run a deficit or leave our future leaders in an economic hole.”
Bailey’s advocacy for the environment is where he can build support among liberals and, perhaps unique to northern Michigan, conservatives too — though he claims that Benishek has done nothing to support the environment, whereas Stupak was a vocal supporter of protecting the Great Lakes.
“When I’m advocating for the Grand Traverse Band on stopping Asian Carp or other invasive species, that’s something that’s relevant to all of us,” explained Bailey. “These issues affect our entire region.”
He writes on his website, “Protection of our greatest natural resource must be shown through a commitment driven by knowledge, understanding and spirit. I will bring that strong northern Michigan voice to the halls of Congress,”
That’s where the rising leader’s Native heritage comes into play. Though sensitive to American Indian stereotypes, he embraces the image of the Native as the caretaker of Mother Earth. “We need to protect what we have been given by our ancestors: we need to love our waters, our land, and save them for future generations. So when I advocate for the environment, it has a deeper meaning.”
Bailey was recently awarded the 2011 Glen T. Miller Tribal Leadership Award from the Great Lakes Region of the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society in Wisconsin for his “outstanding leadership on natural resource issues, and the protection of Indian hunting and fishing rights on behalf of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.”
He crossed another bridge early this year when he signed a memorandum of understanding with U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Michael Parks. The agreement, signed on Jan. 28 at the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce, formalized cooperation between the Coast Guard and the Grand Traverse Band to solidify an enduring relationship.
“That exemplifies a government-to-government relationship — hands reached out to each other and saying ‘let’s work together’,” said Bailey. “We’re willing to pay for better commitment, for safety, and for opportunities for our children to explore a career in the Coast Guard, and for the Coast Guard to learn culturally from the Grand Traverse Band.”
Derek Bailey’s most unique attribute may be his experiences working with the needy and impacting people on a personal level. Before making this run for office, he wasn’t a lawyer or a businessman, but a social worker. At 25, Bailey received a Master’s of Social Work from Grand Valley State University then worked as a therapist at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services and as a substance abuse counselor with Project Rehab, which helped inmates at Kent County Jail in Grand Rapids.
“To have a degree in social work has been a tremendous asset,” Bailey analyzed his resume. “As a political leader, passing legislation is at a macro level. But having the experience of working with families and communities and understanding the impact of social issues on individuals, that’s at a micro level. It’s rewarding to me if I can use my education to help others in need.”
When I asked Bailey what his proudest moments have been thus far, he quickly listed meeting President Obama three times, his appointment to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education last year, his accomplishments as chair of the Grand Traverse Band, and signing the memorandum of understanding with the Coast Guard. But then he focused on a congratulatory card he received — and still has — from the elders of the Grand Traverse Band upon getting his Associate’s degree from Glen Oaks Community College near Three Rivers, Mich.
“Being away at college and knowing they are wishing you well: that showed me at the time that I could go out in the world but that I’d always have the community there standing behind me.” Ever since then, Bailey has wanted to give back to his Native community, and honor his roots.
“When you see a luncheon event with both youth and elders, where the elders are playing bingo and the youth are playing along, or serving them food and cleaning up the tables. That’s an intergenerational exchange, and you know there’s learning going on there.”
The analogies between Bailey and Obama are tempting to make. Both are young, dynamic and philosophical leaders who have made meteoric rises through politics: when Obama was running for President, Bailey was running for tribal chair. Both worked on the community level with disenfranchised populations before they ran for office. Both come from minority communities that have been oppressed throughout the history of the United States. Both are bi-racial, half-minority and half-white, and represent a cultural bridge, and perhaps a wound healer. Obama broke the nation’s ultimate color barrier. Bailey hopes to carry a torch that very few Natives before him have done. And of course, they have met on several occasions.
Bailey seemed uncomfortable with the analogy when I floated it over the phone, probably because admitting it might seem arrogant, and because he wants to appeal to voters from both parties next fall.
But Bailey did concede that he has learned a lot from Obama’s employment of Internet-based social media and government transparency. He appears to be harnessing the same strategy to appeal to voters — using Facebook, Twitter and weekly email blasts. He has also recorded Grand Traverse Band presentations so that they could air later on public access television. Bailey said that, under his reign, the Tribe has also paid for advertisements in the Traverse City Record-Eagle to show how its money is spent.
“Government transparency is something I believe in, and my actions as chairman have been extremely transparent … I have treated media as a fourth arm of government.”
Perhaps the greatest complement that Bailey has received in this digital age came from Lee Sprague, the “Ogema” or “leader” of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.
“You’re the first e-Ogema,” Sprague told Bailey.
This GlenArbor.com article is sponsored by the Martin Company, a company with unmatched experience in the local real estate market.
The Crystal River is a little green today but this is not an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration by our Chicago friends. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is treating the river to control the lamprey population. Lampreys are a type of fish that belong to the order Agnatha, which are the jawless fish. Originally from the Atlantic Ocean, they found their way into the Great Lakes after the construction of the Welland Canal around Niagara Falls. Having no natural predators, the lamprey became a devastating parasite to the lake trout population in the lakes and then the salmon. The lamprey breed in the river and their young live in the shallow slow areas around the bank.
Effect of the lampricide in Lake Michigan, near the mouth of the Crystal River.
Last month, researchers using backpack shockers looked in the shallow areas of the Crystal and discovered enough larval lamprey to warrant treatment with a lampricide chemical. While the chemical is stressful to the salmon, it targets the lamprey specifically. Due to the large number of spawning salmon, the Fish and Wildlife service postponed the treatment until the majority of salmon had already spawned. In order to track the progress of the lampricide, a vegetable based dye is used that turns the water a chartreuse color. As the lampricide moves downstream and becomes diluted, so does the dye, and soon the lampreys will be the only ones who knew it was there. Visit www.fws.gov for more information on this important conservation work.
Joe Blondia teaches Environmental Science at The Leelanau School in Glen Arbor.
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by the Foothills, a year-round motel and cafe on the east side of Big Glen Lake with eight clean and comfortable rooms.
A breath of fresh air may have descended on Sugar Loaf. Just weeks before snow is likely to fall on the downtrodden Leelanau County ski hill whose chairlifts have sat idle for nearly 12 years, a local resort owner is developing a plan that would open the mountain to cross-country skiing and ice climbing — perhaps this winter.
Erik Zehender, fourth generation co-owner of Fountain Point Resort in nearby Lake Leelanau, is negotiating with Sugar Loaf owner Kate Wickstrom to lease the mountain from her and create the Sugar Loaf Mountain Club, a nonprofit that would offer backcountry and groomed trails to members of the club who, in Zehender’s words, “participate in the costs of insurance, grooming, outhouses, warming huts, parking, plowing, safety programs and other operating expenses.”
Empire resident and Director of Sales and Marketing at DW North, Rick Desrochers, and Glen Arborite Eric Luthardt, a Product Line Manager at Flow Snowboarding, have assisted Zehender. According to Wickstrom, those two “believe in Sugar Loaf and have stood by me. I wouldn’t go forward without them.” Desrochers and Luthardt have worked with Wickstrom for over a year, and she says they bring ideas to resurrect the resort lodge and mountain.
Wickstrom confirmed that discussions are underway to lease the mountain to Zehender for a cross-country skiing and ice-climbing club. A deal might be complete by Thanksgiving. Of course, opportunist adventurers and skiers have used the mountain for many of the past 12 years, but the Sugar Loaf Mountain Club would provide an opportunity for them to ski legally.
“Erik (Luthardt), Rick and I are all extremely grateful to Kate for the chance to give this nonprofit idea a try,” said Zehender. “The Mountain Club would be a local solution.”
Zehender is the first entrepreneur to publicly make a bid to revitalize Sugar Loaf since the eccentric Las Vegas boxer-turned-businessman Liko Smith splashed on the scene in April 2010 and then disappeared once it became clear that he had no money to buy the resort. An outright acquisition, restoration of the lodge and redevelopment of the hills and chairlifts were estimated to cost over $15 million. Smith ultimately alienated Wickstrom, and speculation swirled that he was working for Remo and Hanna Karcho Polselli, the resort’s former owners and current guarantors of Sugar Loaf’s mortgage. Remo Polselli is a convicted felon who served a prison sentence for tax evasion, unrelated to Sugar Loaf.
Wickstrom told the Glen Arbor Sun that she is currently negotiating with Polselli. She said that in the past month, for the first time, she’s been in direct contact with him, whereas before that, Wickstrom’s lawyer Joe Quandt acted as her liaison.
“Remo just wants to get out of the picture: the county just wants Remo out of the picture,” said Wickstrom, who called Zehender’s proposal a possible win-win situation.” Wickstrom said she had no idea whether any other suitors were on the verge of making an offer for Sugar Loaf.
“People come forward, say they want to buy the place and tie you up for months,” lamented Wickstrom, who worries that she’s lost credibility within Leelanau County. “This is a last-ditch effort to do something.
“Having this team in place sheds a whole new light on the possibility of a rebirth of the resort. The intent has always been to give Sugar Loaf back to the people.”
How backcountry skiing and ice climbing would work
The mountain’s grounded chairlifts, which would cost millions to repair or replace, don’t dissuade Zehender, whose plan for the Sugar Loaf Mountain Club includes providing “skins” to help skiers ascend smaller hills such as “Peppie” or “Devil’s Elbow” in order to reach and descend the Black Diamonds, particularly “Awful, Awful”. Backcountry and telemark is original, “old-style” skiing and rapidly growing in popularity across the country. Zehender also plans to introduce the sport of ice climbing to the region by installing a water-trickle system down the run known as “Manitou”.
“This effort will focus on the experience of skiers and outdoorsmen seeking the extraordinary natural beauty and views that only Sugar Loaf offers without all the crowds of other regional ski areas,” Zehender said.
The entrepreneur hopes that owners of properties neighboring the mountain with good terrain will sign similar lease agreements with the Mountain Club in order to enhance the ski area’s potential. But such agreements are not necessarily critical to his potential deal with Wickstrom, Zehender added.
The National Ski Area Association, the U.S. Telemark Ski Association and the Midwest Ski Areas Association have all reportedly offered guidance; Zehender has approached the Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails about grooming the cross-country ski trails, and possibly linking Sugar Loaf to its ambitious trail system in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (TART has been a key partner in developing the Sleeping Bear Dunes Heritage multi-use bike trail), and Zehender said that Traverse City Mayor Chris Bzdok offered to defer most billing for legal expenses until club membership grows.
The Fountain Point owner said he would pay the initial club formation insurance cost himself, but that the reopening of Sugar Loaf ultimately “needs to be a community effort and not just a private venture.”
An acquisition to follow?
Zehender has floated the idea of working together with a land stewardship nonprofit such as the Leelanau Conservancy to acquire the property from Wickstrom — which includes the mountain and the lodge — and issue ownership shares to the public, particularly local residents and stakeholders. Rick Desrochers mentioned the Mad River Glen Ski Area in Vermont, which sells $2,000 shares, as a successful example of a community-owned ski hill.
“We believe 12 years is long enough to wait for an entrepreneurial hero to parachute in and buy Sugar Loaf,” emphasized Zehender. “In the current market for commercial loans, we believe a buyer would never secure traditional bank financing anyway.
“Over time, as membership dues and the sale of shares allow, limited lift service and building refurbishments will take place, but this may take several years. Baby steps are better than no steps at all.”
Update: UpNorthLive.com published this video story on Monday of the bid to lease Sugar Loaf mountain from Kate Wickstrom for cross-country skiing and ice climbing. Have a look.
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by Becky Thatcher Designs, combining the natural textures of stone, the colorful depths of faceted gems and the luster of pearls with silver, high karat gold and platinum.
Environmental Protection Agency provides over $1.1 million for Sleeping Bear Dunes and Grand Traverse Band Watersheds
From staff reports
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced funding for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative projects in Northern Michigan totaling $1.1 million. The projects will help to restore the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Grand Traverse Band watersheds and put people back to work, using a conservation corps model to hire unemployed workers to improve habitat and clean up shoreline.
The National Park Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs projects were selected from 44 proposals totaling almost $25 million, which were submitted in response to a $6 million challenge that EPA issued in August to encourage federal agencies to sign up unemployed workers to implement restoration projects in federally-protected areas, on tribal lands and in Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin. To qualify for funding, each project is required to provide jobs for at least 20 unemployed people.
“The tremendous response to EPA’s challenge underscores the large backlog of Great Lakes restoration projects that are ready to be implemented and the strong support that exists for using a conservation corps model to get the job done,” said Susan Hedman, EPA Great Lakes National Program Manager, today at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. “This week, EPA is announcing a total of eight restoration projects worth $6.6 million as part of this challenge. Each project will produce immediate, direct ecological benefits and will help to put unemployed people back to work.”
The National Park Service will receive $891,225 to expand wetland restoration work in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The Bureau of Indian Affairs will receive $255,365 to work with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians on watershed restoration – part of $876,810 awarded to BIA to allow it to expand its work with tribal governments to complete Great Lakes restoration projects in Indian country. Other tribes that will participate in the project are the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
“The National Park Service is very proud to contribute to this effort,“ said National Park Service Midwest Regional Director Michael T. Reynolds. “Our participation in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has given us a terrific opportunity to do restoration work in all of our Great Lakes national parks that might never have been accomplished otherwise, and on a scale that can really make a difference. This project at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will not only provide jobs in an area with a high rate of unemployment, but will also accomplish much needed work to restore impacted sites throughout the 71,000 acre park.”
“The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians is very pleased to announce that we have received $255,365 to be utilized over 2 years. We will be using the award to employ 4-5 individuals for ‘on the ground’ field work,” said Tribal Chair Derek J. Bailey. “The work crew will be supervised by a Grand Traverse Band/Natural Resources Conservation Service collaboratively funded position. Work will include removing woody debris, planting grasses and shrubs, river shoreline restoration, and hands on placement of bank stabilization materials.”
Selected projects will advance the goals and objectives of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan, developed by EPA with 15 other federal agencies in 2010. The action plan, which covers FY 2010 through 2014, ensures accountability by including measures of progress and benchmarks for success over the next three years. It calls for aggressive efforts to address five urgent priority “Focus Areas”:
• Cleaning up toxics and areas of concern.
• Combating invasive species.
• Promoting near-shore health by protecting watersheds from polluted run-off.
• Restoring wetlands and other habitats.
• Tracking progress, education and working with strategic partners.
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by Anderson’s Market, which offers a unique “Up North” shopping experience with helpful, friendly staff.
South Manitou Island Boat Dock Extension Environmental Assessment Available for Public Review
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Superintendent Dusty Shultz announced the availability of the South Manitou Island Boat Dock Extension Environmental Assessment for public review and comment. The Environmental Assessment describes and analyzes alternative approaches for providing boat dock access to South Manitou Island.
The South Manitou Island boat dock lies in shallow water in an area subject to sediment accumulation. Eventually, this buildup of sediment forms a sandbar beneath the boat dock that extends out into open water, blocking access to the dock.
The South Manitou Island boat dock, located on the southeast shore of South Manitou Island bay, is the only manageable access point to the island for public visitors and National Park Service staff. From the dock, visitors have a short walk to the lighthouse, a U.S. Life-Saving Service and Coast Guard Station that now serves as a ranger station, and several historically preserved 19th century farm buildings. The island’s many trails begin from the dock landing and allow visitors a scenic hike to the high perched dunes overlooking the island’s western shore, a natural inland lake (Florence Lake), three designated backcountry campgrounds, and numerous other natural features.
Under the “No Action” Alternative, the proposed dock extension would not be constructed. The existing dock facility would continue to operate. There would be a continued need for ongoing maintenance dredging to support ferry operations. This dredging would be conducted as needed and would result in the removal of materials from the dock area and the disposal of such materials in nearshore aquatic habitats.
Under the Preferred Alternative, the existing dock would be extended further into Lake Michigan. This extension would allow boat access in deeper waters and would minimize or eliminate the need for future maintenance dredging at South Manitou Island. Construction of this facility is expected to be completed in a three to four week timeframe. The structure would be constructed out of wood and steel connectors. Wood pilings would be driven into the lake bottom to form the basis of the structure and would be of a similar type as the existing dock facility.
The National Lakeshore encourages you to comment on the Environmental Assessment until the public comment period closes on November 4, 2011. The document may be reviewed on the National Lakeshore’s website at www.nps.gov/slbe (just click on the “South Manitou Island Boat Dock Extension EA” icon). Paper copies are available for review at the National Lakeshore Visitor Center in Empire, the Glen Lake Community Library, Leelanau Township Library, Leland Township Library, and Suttons Bay Bingham District Library.
Please submit your comments electronically through a link on the National Lakeshore’s website. Alternatively, you may mail comments to: Superintendent, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 9922 Front Street, Empire, MI 49630.
The National Lakeshore looks forward to receiving your comments concerning the South Manitou Island Boat Dock Extension Environmental Assessment. For more information, please contact Facility Manager Lee Jameson at (231) 326-5134, ext. 500, or visit the National Lakeshore website at www.nps.gov/slbe/.
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by Synchronicity Gallery, showing the original work of 95 outstanding Michigan artists in a wide variety of media.
Dr. Grenetta Thomassey Program Director at Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, will discuss the impact of hydraulic fracturing on water resources at the Leelanau County Government Center-Community Meeting Room on Monday, Oct. 17 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sponsored by Leelanau Clean Water, the event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP by calling (231) 256-9812 or by emailing Karen at khall@co.leelanau.mi.us.
Hydraulic fracturing, also known as “fracking”, is the process of injecting a mixture of water, chemicals and sand
underground to create fractures, through which natural gas can flow for collection.
Dr. Thomassey will address water issues in the fracking process. Millions of gallons of water are used in each deep fracking well for the fracking process to which hundreds of chemicals are also added. Once the fracking is complete, 40-70% of the fracture water comes back to the surface as wastewater which must be disposed of in injection wells.
Dr. Thomassey will discuss:
• Where the millions of gallons of water used in each fracking well comes from
• What chemicals are added to the water for the fracking process
• Where the wastewater from fracking goes
This GlenArbor.com online story was sponsored by Sunset Watersports, your #1 source for ski boats, jet skis and pontoon boat rentals in northern Michigan.
Residents express concerns over marina expansion: Township Board writes letter of concern to DEQ
