By August, a water trail along Lake St. Clair should be ready to welcome kayakers and water paddlers and potentially bring a wave of prosperity to Macomb County communities located along the path.
The trail, funded by a $10,000 grant from the
Michigan Sea Grant to the Lake St. Clair Tourism Development Program, will connect to a statewide system of water trails in Wayne and St. Clair counties and be suited to all levels of open water kayaking and paddle sports.
"There's phenomenal fishing in Lake St. Clair and kayak fishing is becoming more
popular. And as that sport grows there's tremendous opportunity to take advantage of
this," says Mary Bohling, Michigan Sea Grant extension educator for Southeast Michigan.
Along the trail are outlets to lakefront communities. Harrison Township, St. Clair Shores, Chesterfield, and New Baltimore formed the tourism development group and shared the cost of a planner from the Michigan State University Extension center.
"Just like the lake, the coastline is a built-in economic development tool, and we should be doing all we can to take advantage of the opportunities it presents," Macomb County Commissioner James Carabelli says. Carabelli is also co-chair of the county's Economic Development Committee.
The water trail for the first time will link lake outlets to points of interest in Macomb County, Bohling says.
The end product of the project is a map that will detail points of interests, from marshes for paddling and swimming beaches to lighthouses, the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, and nature centers.
The maps will be distributed at libraries, city halls, parks, and local businesses such as marinas, Bohling says. Residents, paddlers and marina operators are part of focus groups to meet in May, prior to a public comment session that will help guide the best design of the trail.
Bohling says community involvement will help determine what sorts of activities would be wanted and how the information will be spread.
Macomb County Commissioner David Flynn, chair of the Economic Development Committee calls the water trail a creative example of how to use natural assets for economic development.
Source: Macomb County Board of Commissioners and Mary Bohling, Michigan Sea Grant extension educator for Southeast Michigan
Writer: Kim North Shine
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