PROPOSED STATE GAME AREA BETWEEN BUCHANAN AND BERRIEN SPRINGS GETTING TRACTION WITH LOCAL AND STATE AUTHORITIES

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent

Parks and recreational opportunities are once again in the spotlight with the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board recommending several area projects for state grant funding. The recommendations are expected to be approved by the State Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the next few months.

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund is funded by interest and earnings on funds derived from state-owned oil, gas and mineral leases. The Trust Fund has granted more than $1.2 billion to state and local units of government over the last 45 years.

“Trust Fund grants, with the tradition of fundraising for critical match dollars, help local governments and recreation authorities acquire land and develop recreation amenities,” said Trust Fund Board Chair Erin McDonough. “This ranges from quaint neighborhood parks to larger, regional recreation areas and networks of multiuse trails systems.”

Local governments and state agencies such as the DNR must make their grant applications by April 1 of each year. The Trust Fund Board then makes recommendations each December and the grants are awarded the following spring.

A proposed State Game Area between Buchanan and Berrien Springs was one of 117 land acquisition and recreation development projects scheduled to get Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grants totalling $45.6 million in 2022. Of that grant total, $22.3 million is going to acquisition grants and $23.3 million for development grants.

Of acquisition grants being awarded, local units of government are receiving $14.2 million and the DNR $8 million. The grant for the new State Game Area here was the largest single acquisition trust fund grant awarded for the 2022 cycle.

The land now owned by Andrews is already enrolled in the state’s Hunting Access Program and has become a popular destination for hunters. Once the project is complete, it will be the newest state game area in Michigan and would be managed for wildlife and wildlife-related recreation.

The land is roughly bordered by the U.S. 31 freeway on the north, the St. Joseph River on the west, Range Line Road on the east and Lake Chapin Road on the south. The bulk of the acreage, 620 acres, is in Berrien Township while the remaining 218 acres are in Buchanan Township.

The project already has the support of local governmental leaders. Both the Berrien Township and Buchanan Township Boards approved letters of support last summer. They noted that the new State Game Area will benefit wildlife and provide public recreational opportunities such as hunting, fishing, bird watching and mushroom hunting.

Michigan DNR Public Land Matters Biologist Valerie Frawley reported last week that the recommendations next have to be formally voted on by the Michigan Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the next few months.

Frawley said once the legislation is signed into law and the grant has been awarded, the DNR can start the formal acquisition process which includes getting an appraisal and making an offer to Andrews University. The university received the donation of the 800-plus acres from the Vincent family.

If the DNR’s offer is accepted, the state DNR Director will be asked to formally approve the acquisition at a Natural Resources Commission meeting, she said. The DNR would also post notices in local newspapers to give residents and local leaders the chance to ask questions or make comments.

Frawley estimated that the whole process could take one and a half to two years before the project could be completed. She noted that the public will have more access to the land when it becomes a state game area.

Others set to get Natural Resources Trust Fund grants in Berrien County include the cities of Bridgman and Niles and Niles and St. Joseph Townships. St. Joseph Township received two grants.

The city of Bridgman is scheduled to get $50,000 to renovate Toth Park. Playground equipment will be replaced and ADA surfacing will be added. In addition, new ADA accessible pathways will connect the new playground equipment to other parts of the park.

The City of Niles will be getting $232,800 to develop a boat launch and related parking at the Niles Dam Park along the Dowagiac River. This is the first phase of the redevelopment of the park which is a popular fishing destination for the unique cold-water fishery. The park also connects to the Dowagiac River Water Trail.

Niles Township is getting $124,600 to develop a trailhead at Ontario Road for the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail. The township will be developing a 1.5 acre parcel that borders the trail in that area. The trail running from Mishawaka through South Bend to Niles was completed in 2019. It would be the first trailhead facility between South Bend and Niles.

St. Joseph Township is getting two grants. One for $50,000 will pay for the renovation of the Carronde Park Tennis Courts including improved ADA access to courts and adding pickleball courts and green space. The other grant is for $50,000 for the renovation of the Kedzie Kids Playground. The play structure will be replaced and accessibility added.

In nearby Cass County, the city of Dowagiac is getting a $300,000 to develop Riverside Park. Additions will include an overlook and fishing platform, landscaping, parking facilities and ADA accessibility. It will also serve as a trailhead for the Elks Trail when that is completed.