TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources plans a stepped-up effort to boost public awareness of water trails.
The agency says it hasn’t paid as much attention to boating and paddling trails as it has to trails designed for hiking, biking, off-road vehicle riding, snowmobiling and horseback riding.
But the DNR is now developing a policy to include water trails in its trail program.
The nonprofit Land Information Access Association received a state grant to create a water trail database and website. The association maintains a list and maps of 41 water trails across the state and is developing a water trails manual.
The DNR is joining the association and the state Department of Environmental Quality to sponsor a state conference on water trails on Sept. 15 in Traverse City.
