During Octobers Board Meeting, the board provided a fact sheet packet to the public, “Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund” in regards to the boat launch for Park Camp Sea-Gull. The packet is available on the HAYES TOWNSHIP PARK CAMP Sea-Gull page
Dr Vitton’s Final Report on Camp Seagull Shale Wall.
Phase 2 Non-motorized trail in Hayes Township is now opened to all. Future Phase 4 and 5 will also be in our township as well. Enjoy!
Background
The Boyne City to Charlevoix Trail will be a paved 10-foot wide, approximately 14-mile long trail, mostly detached from Boyne City Road. The trail will be constructed in five (5) phases.
Phase 2 was constructed in 2017, and is now complete!
A ribbon-cutting / dedication ceremony on September 21st occurred at the AmericInn by Wyndham, 11800 US-31, Charlevoix, MI 49720.
Non-motorized trail Phase 2, 4 and 5 through Hayes Township
Inside the AmericInn in Hayes Township.
Ribbon cutting for Phase 2 of the Trail in Hayes Township.
County Commissioner Joel Evans at ribbon cutting in Hayes Township.
Trail from US-31 in Hayes Township.
This trail is intended for non-motorized recreational activities and non-motorized transportation between Boyne City and Charlevoix. Trail users may walk, bike, skate or ski (pick your favorite sport for any season) on the trail. However, snowmobiles and horses are NOT permitted anywhere on the trail.
Trail on Boyne City Road along Susan Lake in Hayes Township.
Little Traverse Wheelway in Hayes Township at Big Rock Point, MDOT roadside park.
Phase 2 begins at the Little Traverse Wheelway in Hayes Township, east of Waller Road, crosses US-31 and follows a series of easements across private property to Boyne City Road east of the Argonne Supper Club, and then runs parallel to, but separate from Boyne City Road within the road right-of-way on the north (Susan Lake) side of the road to Quarterline Road, southeast of Susan Lake, for a distance of 2.97 miles.
Trail on Boyne City Road along Susan Lake in Hayes Township.
At the point where the trail meets Boyne City Road east of the Argonne Supper Club, a trail spur runs west within the right-of-way on the north side of the road to Eastern Avenue to create an access point for Pine Point Subdivision. Trail users can follow Eastern Avenue to Lake Charlevoix where there is a public access with a picnic area and swimming beach.
Phase 3
Phase 3 of the trail, the County is proposing to develop a trailhead at Park of the Pines, a church-owned campground on Lake Charlevoix, located just north of N. Springwater Beach Road. In 2013, Park of the Pines approached the County about the possibility of developing a trailhead. Since then, we’ve been discussing the concept of the trailhead, the preferred location on the property, design/layout options, and proposed amenities. Plans for the trailhead will be finalized this year.
Phase 3 of the trail, including the trailhead. Construction is anticipated in 2019.
Phase 4
Phase 4 will begin at the completed Phase 2 of the trail at Quarterline Road in Hayes Township and continue detached within the right-of-way along Boyne City Road to Hayes Township Park (Camp Sea-Gull) on the east/north side of the road (the side opposite Lake Charlevoix). The trail will cross Boyne City Road in the vicinity of Hayes Township Park, where there are plans to establish a trailhead in the future. This phase will cover a distance of 2.8 miles.
Phase 5
Phase 5 will begin at the completed Phase 4 of the trail at Hayes Township Park (Camp Sea-Gull) and continue as a detached trail within the right-of-way along Boyne City Road on the south (Lake Charlevoix) side of the road to Pincherry Road in Bay Township, where it will connect to the end of Phase 3. This phase will cover a distance of 2.7 miles.
What’s Going On Now:
Our Township has been awarded a 2% grant from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians (GTB) in the amount of $15,000 for the construction of a boat launch and fishing pier on Lake Charlevoix.
The Tribal Council of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians will be hosting a check presentation/media Event on February 20th at the Grand Traverse Resort, 1 7 FL, Acme, Michigan.
The complete document can be view/download here.
Great Lakes Energy People Fund Grant Awarded to
Hayes Township Park Camp Sea-Gull
Charlevoix County’s Hayes Township was awarded a grant from the Directors of the Great Lakes Energy People Fund for $10,000. The grant money will be used to construct rain gardens at Hayes Township Park Camp Sea-Gull on the north shore of Lake Charlevoix. The purpose of the rain gardens is to protect the water quality of Lake Charlevoix.
The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council defines a rain garden as a “planted depression that receives and absorbs rain and snowmelt runoff, also known as stormwater, from impervious surfaces like roofs, driveways, walkways, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas. Rain gardens help filter out pollutants such as lawn fertilizers and pesticides, oil and other fluids from cars and machinery, and debris and litter. Rain gardens are a very effective and low cost way to protect water quality.”
The extensive rain gardens will catch and retain stormwater from the access road, boat launch, fishing pier access pathway and parking lot thus preventing stormwater from reaching Lake Charlevoix. The rain gardens were specifically designed by Site Planning Development, Inc. to catch, retain and filter the stormwater. After being filtered through the soil and plants in the rain gardens, the water will percolate into the groundwater.
The People Fund is a program of Great Lakes Energy in which customers “round up” their electric bills to the nearest dollar. The People Fund monies are then awarded to non-profit organizations and charitable activities for community projects in the Great Lakes Energy service area. Hayes Township residents, many of whom receive their electricity from Great Lakes Energy, are encouraged to sign up to participate in the People Fund program.
Fall Colors
https://youtu.be/N3pIpiQF9lI
Video credit: Charles Dawley
This is the Little Traverse Conservancy news letter.
Little Traverse Conservancy site
Click to open PDF
Posted: Wednesday, January 15, 2014 12:21 pm
CHARLEVOIX — The former Camp Sea-Gull property along the north shore of Lake Charlevoix officially became a Hayes Township park on the morning of Jan. 6 when township officials closed on the property.
The township and the Little Traverse Conservancy announced the closing in a joint new release issued shortly before noon today, Wednesday.
With 1,400 feet of lake frontage, the 20-acre site offers public access to the lake for numerous recreational uses, with a number of the camp’s facilities slated for public use in the future.
While the township plans to open the property to the public immediately for things such as Lake Charlevoix access for ice fishing, many of the steps required to convert the property from a private camp to a public park will take time, officials noted in the release.
“Some of the buildings need to be removed, and some will be renovated for public use,” township clerk Marlene Golovich said. “We’ll be enlisting the help of community volunteers for some of this work, but we’ll also be applying for development funds in order to develop public recreation facilities.”
Township supervisor Ethel Knepp said that the manager’s residence on the property will be retained, and that the township plans to employ an on-site manager.
“We might not be able to make that happen right away,” Knepp said, “but it’s an important part of our long-term plan.”
Hayes Township officials noted that they received a much help from the late Emmet County Controller Lyn Johnson and parks and recreation director Laurie Gaetano in planning for the acquisition and development of the park.
“When Little Traverse Conservancy director Tom Bailey introduced us to the Emmet County staff, it was like ‘off to the races’ after that. It really was,” said Golovich. “It was so positive. They kept telling us, ‘You can do this, you can do this.’”
The purchase price for the property was $4.2 million.
In 2012, Hayes Township Parks Committee member Anne Kantola worked with Golovich and the conservancy’s Ty Ratliff to submit a grant request to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. Funded by revenues from oil, gas and minerals on state-owned land, the trust fund makes grants to help local units of government acquire land for public recreation and conservation. In December of 2013, the Camp Sea-Gull project was recommended for funding and a $3,750,000 trust fund grant. The 25 percent local match requirement was met with $500,000 from the township’s recreation fund and about $672,000 raised in a public fund raising campaign with help from the conservancy. More than 260 individuals, families, and foundations contributed towards the project.
“The Camp Sea-Gull land acquisition is a great example of the type of project the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund makes possible” said Steve DeBrabander, manager of recreation grants for the DNR. “This project will provide the public with additional high quality access to Lake Charlevoix for swimming, boating and other outdoor recreation uses. The Department of Natural Resources is proud to be a partner in this project.”
The acquisition of Camp Sea-Gull fulfils a long term dream of Hayes Township, officials said in the release.
“Through a 2008 township survey, our residents identified the need for more lake access as a high priority,” Knepp said. Since that survey, township officials have been actively looking for property to acquire, with a special interest in a place to launch small boats. When the Camp Sea-Gull property came on the market, the township hosted a series of public hearings and determined that, except for a small group of objectors, there was widespread support for acquisition of the site. The property is just across the Boyne City-Charlevoix Road from the 75-acre Nathan “Barry” Driggers Preserve which was acquired through a 2007 grassroots fund raising campaign.
“The people of Hayes Township have proven over and over again that they want to establish a healthy balance between land development and land protection,” said conservancy executive director Bailey. “This new public park will be a tremendous resource for people who live in the township and those who come here to visit.”
Bailey also said that the previous owners of the Camp Sea-Gull property, the Schulman family, deserve a lot of credit for sticking with the partners through what ended up being a three-year process.
“We wouldn’t have the property to consider as a park site if the Shulmans had not provided good stewardship for the land,” he said, “and the sale would not have been possible without their patience.”
“Camp Sea-Gull has been part of the Schulman family since 1955, offering families and children the opportunity to experience our beautiful Northern Michigan outdoors,” said a representative from the Schulman family. “That legacy can now continue indefinitely under the township’s stewardship.”
According to the release, Hayes Township is planning for a June 7 open house at Camp Sea-Gull. More details of the event are expected to be announced soon.
