Adding heritage to the White Pine Trail; public meetings next week

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Looking down a paved, straight-edged path framed by fall trees of orange, gold, red and green, as sunlight filters through treetops

Adding heritage to the White Pine Trail, starting in May

The 92-mile Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park on Michigan?s west side is already well known for its length and beautiful, diverse landscapes. An effort to also infuse the trail with the history of the land and the people who have called it home for millennia gets underway soon ? and the public is invited to help shape what that looks like, starting with informational meetings May 9, 10 and 11.

This unique, linear park stretches from Comstock Park, just north of Grand Rapids, to Cadillac on an abandoned railroad corridor trail. Users encounter mature forests, meadows, wetlands and wildlife as they pass through communities that were founded more than 150 years ago when the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad cut the trail?s path through Michigan?s dense forests.

When work is complete next year, the White Pine ? traveling through Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Osceola and Wexford counties ? will be one of the longest fully paved rail trails in the country.

Uncovering, sharing the history

The Michigan History Center (an agency of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources), the DNR Parks and Recreation Division and the Friends of the White Pine Trail will kick off the planning for this heritage project at three meetings:

Tuesday, May 9, 7-8:30 p.m. ? Cadillac
Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center
6087 E. M-115, Cadillac, MI 49601
(Adjacent to Mitchell State Park ? separate entrance)
Wednesday, May 10, 7-8:30 p.m. ? Plainfield Township
Plainfield Township Hall
6161 Belmont Ave. NE, Belmont, MI 49306
Thursday, May 11, 7-8:30 p.m. ? Big Rapids
Mecosta County Services Building
14485 Northland Drive, Big Rapids, MI 49307
(Enter at Door 3 on north side of building)

Attendees will learn more about plans, including interpretive signage, and how the project can benefit their communities, as well as get the chance to share their own stories and recollections about the history of the communities and landscapes along the White Pine Trail.

Anyone who can?t attend a meeting but wants to offer ideas or be involved in the project is invited to contact Dan Spegel at [email protected].

Learn more about the larger effort to connect trail users with a deeper sense of place (including projects in the central Upper Peninsula, southwest Michigan and Jackson and Livingston counties) at Michigan.gov/HeritageTrails.