No money for Mich. trail grooming

Not unlike last winter, very few cross-country ski trails on state land are currently being groomed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. In fact, state officials announced in late October there was no money to maintain 60 nonmotorized pathways on 4.9 million acres of state forest land.

Volunteers stepped forward with cash and in-kind labor to groom five of 23 state forest ski trails last year. Three other trails were groomed thanks to a state grant. The VASA Trail in Acme, Ogemaw Hills Trail in West Branch and Blueberry Ridge Trail in Marquette were groomed and are being groomed this winter as well, according to The Grand Rapids Press.

The Friends of Cadillac Pathway, northeast of Cadillac, Michigan, said their 11.3-mile trail "was one of only five groomed public cross-country ski trails in the entire state of Michigan" last year.

The friends group reported that "due to statewide guidelines regarding the types of projects for which volunteers can be utilized, having the Pathway groomed by volunteers this winter is not an option." The group's only option was to raise the $1,000 MDNR said it cost to groom the trail, plow the parking lot and maintain the public restroom for the season.

MDNR officials hope revenue from the state's new recreation passport program, which replaced motor vehicle entry stickers for state parks on October 1, may help alleviate the budget crunch starting in 2012.