As part of a continuing effort to improve the quality of life for residents of House District 54 and to protect the state’s unique natural resources, Rep. Ronnie Peterson has worked closely with the Michigan Fitness Foundation and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to complete work on Washtenaw County’s leg of the Iron Belle Trail. Rep. Peterson has conducted a series of meetings with stakeholders over the past year, and last December he hosted a town hall meeting on the topic to generate support for this worthy project. As a result of his efforts, and the hard work of many others including officials from Washtenaw County and the city of Ypsilanti, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has awarded $515,000 to 28 community projects spread over 18 counties to help develop and enhance the Iron Belle Trail. The city of Ypsilanti is receiving $20,000 for engineering of new trail segments, while Washtenaw County is set to receive $15,000 for new signage for trail segments and trailheads.
The Iron Belle Trail is the nation’s longest state-designated trail, connecting Michigan with more than 2,000 miles of walking, bicycle and equine trails from Iron Mountain in the Upper Peninsula all the way to Belle Isle in Detroit. It is expected to span 2,019 miles, and is nearly 68 percent completed.
To learn more about the Iron Belle Trail, go to www.michigan.gov/ironbelle. To view a map of the award recipients along the Iron Belle Trail, click here.