COALITION MEETING 4: Water Trail Inventory Progress - Gap Analysis

October 19, 2016  |  7pm - 9pm  |  McCurdy Park Community Center, Corunna, MI 

Please RSVP BY OCTOBER 17TH: CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Meeting Agenda

Welcome: Lauri Elbing and Merilee Lawson
Report Outs: Lauri, Sara and Kendall
  • Paddling, Public Access, and Launch Facilities Inventory - Sara & Kendall
  • Best Management Practices Inventory Progress - Sara 
  • Shiawassee River Water Trail Website  - Lauri
  • Municipal Park and Recreation 5-year Master Plans w/Water Trail Language - Lauri
Updates: Barbara
  • Michigan State Water Trail Designation Program and Water Trail Summit
  • New Designated National Water Trails
New Business: Barbara and Kendall
  • Saginaw Bay Water Trail: Website, Development Plan, Signage Plan - Barbara
  • Saginaw Bay Water Trail Development Plan as template for Shiawassee River Water Trail Development Plan -mock up - Sara, Kendall
  • Thoughts on coordination/cooperation for regional water trail destination and marketing
  • Introduce Trail Town Concept - what it is and what would it look like for your town - Barbara
Next Steps and timeline

Click "Read more" to view Coalition Team Assignment from June Meeting and Progress Report

Water Trail Best Management Practices Inventory
The Shiawassee River Water Trail Planning Team has been working on doing the Physical and Best Management Practices (BPM) inventory of the Water Trail (assets that are currently in place or planned/funded in our communities). Check out the three links below and don't let the BMP Fact Sheets scare you.  It is a quick and easy task if a few of us sit around a table and talk through them while one person enters the data into our spreadsheet. 
Your input is important to our success, and Sara McDonnell and I are here to help and look forward to seeing you soon!

PROGRESS REPORT: October 9, 2016
Physical Inventory
The Shiawassee River was inventoried by North Oakland Land Conservancy's Seth Meyers from Holly, MI all the way past Chesaning! Seth traveled by kayak and noted river characteristics and paddling experience, took pictures, and collected GPS information (latitude, longitude, and distance) between each point of interest on the river.
Thank you to Maggie Yerman who assisted greatly by loaning out her camera, and shuttling cars!

River access points were inventoried by the National Park Service's Kendall Gilbert from Holly to Owosso. Kendall collected detailed information about the amenities at each location. Sara McDonnell will be completing this inventory from Owosso to Chesaning.

Sara also met with Dave Robertson and others from the Chesaning area, including a local farmer and "river rat" that detailed the sites and character of the Shiawassee River from Chesaning, through the State Game Area, into the Bad River and St. Charles, and onto Saginaw. Sara is working with Maggie Yerman to arrange a paddle trip in this area in the spring. The State Game Area is closed from Sep. 1- Jan 1 for hunting.
Water Trail Language in Parks and Rec 5-Year Master Plans 
Friends of the Shiawassee River conducted outreach to Coalition Communities to inventory Water Trail language in Parks and Rec 5-year Master Plans. The inventory will be shared at the next meeting.  In the meantime, Lauri has shared Draft Language with several communities currently updating their plans and this document was also added to the Water Trail website. 
Best Management Practices Inventory
Byron, Argentine, Chesaning and Corunna have met and are well on their way to completing the BMP inventories for their communities. Everyone found that once we got started it wasn't nearly as complicated or scary as it seemed at first. Chesaning is scheduling a second small group meeting to finish up.  St. Charles, Owosso, Holly, Fenton and Linden are working to find a date for their small group meeting. 
Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce, Headwaters Trails, Keepers of the Shiawassee, DeVries Nature Conservancy, Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, Shiawassee State Game Area, Shiawassee Conservation District, Genesee Conservation District, Southern Lakes Parks and Recreation, and other organizations that provide a variety of programming BMP's will be working to finalize their input after the Shiawassee River Water Trail Coalition's October meeting.    

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