Overview
- The popular Potawatomi Trail is getting a refresh. The trail spans approximately 17 miles between Washtenaw and Livingston counties is used by 80-90,000 hikers every year.
- Nearly a half-million dollars has been designated to fund restoration and improvements to the Potawatomi loop
- Past efforts to stabilize the trail and discourage erosion employed black mesh webbing, but this material gave way to further degradation of the trailways because it is slippery when wet. It will be substantially removed during the revitalization, and the path will be routed in a more sustainable way.
- It’s a project five years in the making, involving a half-dozen reroutes and drainage upgrades along the existing trail corridor
- The trail will be usable during the project and, as sections are revitalized, invasive species will also be removed. The trail will not add or subtract any mileage but will look a lot better.
Transcription
David Fair: Do you like to bike and hike? Well, if so, then you probably know the Potawatomi Trail is one of the more popular spots in the area. This 17-mile span connects Washtenaw and Livingston counties, and it's about to get about a half-million-dollar facelift. I'm David Fair, and welcome to this week's edition of Issues of the Environment. What will that ultimately look like? Well, it's a question I've asked. It's a question many of you have asked. We wanted to know, so we invited the man with the answers. Chuck Dennison serves as park manager at the Pinckney Recreation Area. And thank you for joining us today, Chuck! I appreciate it!
Chuck Dennison: Well, thank you for having me on!
David Fair: I didn't realize how long the trail has been in place, and I was unfamiliar with how and why it was first made. So, before we get to present day and what the future holds, do you mind sharing a bit of the history of the Potawatomi Trail?
Chuck Dennison: Sure. Yep. No problem at all. The trail was built by the Boy Scouts in the mid 1960s. It was much shorter than it is now. It was probably half the distance it is now. And we've added some sections over the years, but, currently, it's approximately 18 miles long with some other smaller loops mixed in with it.
David Fair: So, through the decades, it's obviously become a destination for hikers and bikers beyond the Boy Scouts. How many people are using the trail these days on an annual basis?
Chuck Dennison: We have a multitude of spots where people can jump on the trail system, but we estimate around 80-90,000 people use that trail system in a year.
David Fair: And that's a lot of folks! What impact do all of those people and all of that wear-and-tear have on the trail and its surrounding environment?
Chuck Dennison: Well, it does have an impact. The trail was built in the '60s before modern trail building techniques were in place and, obviously, increased use since that time frame. So, it tends to degrade the trail and the use. But more than that, really, it's the water and how the trail was designed along with the use that really causes the most problems.
David Fair: Are you seeing an exacerbated erosion issue or anything else because of the ongoing climate change?
Chuck Dennison: We've seen eroded trail conditions for years now. It's nothing new, really. It essentially started, with the poor trail design in the 60s. So, recently, with the heavy downpours and the rain events that we've been having, it just exacerbates the erosion that we have on the trail along with how it was built.
David Fair: Issues of the Environment and our conversation about some upcoming enhancements of the Potawatomi Trail with Chuck Dennison from the Pinckney Recreation Area continues on 89 one WEMU. I imagine, Chuck, that over the course of the past seven decades or so, that there has been some sort of protocol for maintenance and upkeep of the trail. What has that looked like up to this point?
Chuck Dennison: You know, most of the trail updates that we've done, we've done some small reroutes where we've tried to reroute some eroded sections of the trail. There was a time when they would install this plastic geotextile material to slow the erosion down. That type of repair wasn't successful. Typically, people wouldn't like to walk on that material, so they would walk next to it. They would widen the trail. So today, we've got professional trail builders and people that know how to build sustainable trails. So, our rerouting and our in-corridor fixes look quite a bit different than they have in the past.
David Fair: Well, and to take that further down the road, as it were, planning for this project has been five years in the making. And now, we're here. The project broke ground in May. So, what comes first in making the trail more sustainable?
Chuck Dennison: Well, we spent a couple of years, working with the Potawatomi chapter of the Mountain Biking Association on looking at viable reroute options. So, that was a pretty long process. We identified trail sections that were in the worst shape to address first and then looked at our reroute options. And we went through an internal permitting process and also approval with outside agencies, like U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
David Fair: What is going to be done to improve the trail beyond what we've seen to this point and the nature that encases it?
Chuck Dennison: Well, we're working on reroutes now that will go around these heavily eroded sections. And we're also taking the old sections and repairing that property, planting some native vegetation in there and closing off the old sections that are not used anymore. But we've been really thoughtful on where the reroutes are going to go and that they'd be aesthetically pleasing to both hikers and mountain bikers and that the reroutes are built in a way that will accommodate both those uses as well.
David Fair: Now, this may be an assumption on my part, but have you walked, biked or, in some fashion, traveled the entire span of the Potawatomi Trail yourself?
Chuck Dennison: Yes. Yup. I've done it numerous times. I usually do a section at the time, so I don't walk that distance.
David Fair: I'm right with you.
Chuck Dennison: Yeah. I've seen all sections of the trail.
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU. And again, we're talking with Chuck Dennison on Issues of the Environment. He is park manager at the Pinckney Recreation Area. And we're talking about some upgrades coming to the Potawatomi Trail. Now, an undertaking like this is not inexpensive. And money can be hard to come by these days. Where did the half-million dollars come from?
Chuck Dennison: Well, we have a strong partner in the Potawatomi chapter of the Mountain Biking Association. They've always had an interest in maintaining and upgrading this trail system, and, quite frankly, we couldn't do it without them. They've had an interest in improving this trail system for a number of years, probably surpassing a decade.
David Fair: Yeah. At times, it becomes impassable, right?
Chuck Dennison: Yeah. Yes, it does. And so, together with Parks Division, with the DNR, we put together a trust fund application for $300,000. That's the maximum grant amount for the trust fund. And then, the Mountain Bike Association would hold fundraisers and biking events to raise money towards trail improvements.
David Fair: So, we talked about there was a five-year process and getting to the action stage. How long is it going to take to complete the project?
Chuck Dennison: Well, the first phase is going to be completed hopefully by the end of this year. And we hope within year three, we'll have all of these improvements that are currently identified completed.
David Fair: And I would imagine that you're going to try and keep the trail accessible while the work is being done. Correct?
Chuck Dennison: It is. It is. It's fully accessible. We are going to be opening up in sections at a time that the reroutes I have occurred on. And, honestly, the reroutes as they're being built now, if you're on the Potawatomi Trail, you won't even notice where the reroutes are, because we wait until that reroute is completely done before we tie it into these existing trail systems. So, you'll be on the existing trail. You may pass it, not even know it's there until we tie it in.
David Fair: You know, there's a responsibility that each of us has in stewarding nature. And when we are using public parks and trails, most all of it should be pretty much common sense. But for some reason, common sense seems to depart some of us at times. What do you ask of those who use the Potawatomi Trail now and in the future?
Chuck Dennison: Well, we ask people, especially in the springtime when the ground is thawing, to stay off the trail system. That's when it's most susceptible to damage. So, this includes mountain biking and hikers during that spring time of the year and other events throughout the year when we might have some really heavy rain events, just to be respectful and maybe do some alternative, back road riding or something and not be on the trail system at that time.
David Fair: In looking at the environment as a whole, it seems as though when I have these conversations, one project tends to beget another. So, what comes next at the Potawatomi Trail after this project is complete?
Chuck Dennison: Well, one of the things that we're looking at is replacing the five bridges on the Potawatomi Trail, and we've had those evaluated. Most of them were built between 30 and 50 years ago using inmate labor and park ranger staff. They've held up pretty well for all those years, but they're ending their life span. So, we've had them evaluated by by an engineering firm. It's going to be around $2 million, really, to replace those five bridges. So, we're setting our sights on the bridges next after we do some of these trail improvements.
David Fair: Well, that sounds like a big project. I thank you for taking the time today and sharing the information that you have, Chuck, and we'll look forward to the progress reports to come!
Chuck Dennison: Thank you! Thank you for your interest!
David Fair: That is Chuck Dennison. He is park manager at the Pinckney Recreation Area and our guest on Issues of the Environment. For more information on the Potawatomi Trail improvements, stop by our website at wemu.org when you get a minute. Issues of the Environment is produced with support from the office of the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner. And you hear it every Wednesday. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89 one WEMU FM Ypsilanti.
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