Michigan Trails Annual Appeal

Dear <<First Name>>,

Michigan’s state flag contains three Latin mottos: “E Pluribus Unum” (Out of many, one), “Tuebor," ("I will defend") and “Si Quæris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice," ("If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you."). Taken together, they embrace an enduring commitment to preserve and celebrate the natural grandeur of our state, its history and its people.

At Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance we have dedicated ourselves to each of these statements. We help build trails that connect not just places, but people, bringing everyone in our communities together. We work to be the voice for all nonmotorized trail users, defending and promoting trails as pillars of Pure Michigan. And we recognize that trails provide pathways to a healthier and more prosperous state.

Thanks in large part to your continued and generous support, we have established Michigan as the #1 trails state in the nation. Take a moment to read along to see what we have accomplished this year and where we are headed. It is an exciting time and we couldn’t do what we do without you.

Your continued financial support is crucial to our efforts. You can donate online, by smart phone or land line, or send a check. We look forward to the coming year as we continue our work to make trails happen across Michigan.

I invite you to read on to see what we have been doing this past year.

On behalf of our board and staff, we thank you,

Sincerely,

Diane Bancroft, Chair

Highlights from 2017
by Bob Wilson, Executive Director

When I took the job as your executive director six months ago, I set out to visit with trail organizations and friends groups across the state.Traveling more than 3,000 miles, I sat in meetings in coffee shops, and walked and biked some beautiful trails with the people most directly responsible for building and maintaining our trails. I did a lot of listening.

What I took back is that we can do more to connect people, ideas and information. By doing this, we will be better able to promote our trails. Most importantly, we can make sure that trails are understood and appreciated by elected officials and policymakers.

Consistent Legislative Outreach

One important action that we must take is to present a more consistent, educated and clearly heard voice to help balance the impacts of the other policy-making forces. Over the last six months we have reconnected with the legislature; taking stands on issues like the pending forest road designation process, arguing for the importance of maintaining the integrity of the Natural Resources Trust Fund spending process, and supporting important trail use legislation to allow for the rational use of e-bikes where local trail managers make their decisions based on local input. We have also supported an important package of bike safety bills before the Michigan Senate.

To ensure we stay connected with our lawmakers, we have launched a new outreach effort to get elected officials out onto our trails with “Trail Talk” bike rides and kayak trips on our land and water trails. This past August, we helped to host state and local officials with the Policy on the Paw Paw kayaking event and the White Pine Trail Ice Cream Social cycling event, to raise awareness about trail issues and the positive effect of trails in our state.

We have also joined forces with lawmakers to enhance our trails. Senate Bill 596 will help in managing multijurisdictional trails, clarify that trail amenities are considered a “public good” and allow the Michigan History Center to help local trail managers tell local history through trails.

We are also working on an exciting bond proposal that would help to fund maintenance of our trails for years to come. This bond proposal would provide millions of dollars to repair and replace aging trail surfaces, boardwalks, and bridges–a critical area of need for many trails. All these efforts were bubbling up at a time when the Legislature formally recognized trails week and with our assistance, MLive Media Group launched a favorite trail poll to help draw statewide attention to our trail systems.

Great Lake to Lake Trails Rte 1

We have exciting news on a project that is well known to all of you. It has long been our vision to combine local and regional trails into some-thing that can stir the souls and imaginations of trail users, motivating them to travel from one Great Lake to another along a seamless corridor of multiuse trail.

Together, we have nearly completed the first of five proposed Great Lake to Lake Trails – the 280-mile trail linking South Haven to Port Huron and connecting 78 communities along the way. This work has been moving forward because of the generous donations by you, our members over the past three years.

This year, Great Lake to Lake Trail Route 1 received a major boost with a $5 million gift from Mike Levine of Ann Arbor. An inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and trails enthusiast, Mr. Levine’s generous pledge will help expand and improve three trails; the Lakelands Trail State Park, Great Lake to Lake Trail Route 1, and Iron Belle Trail.

Plans for an inaugural Great Lake to Lake Trail Route 1 Bike Ride is scheduled for fall of 2019. We’ll be dipping our wheels in Lake Michigan at the start and again into Lake Huron four days later. We hope you’ll all be able to join us.

More: www.michigantrails.org/trails/great-lake-to-lake/

Your Support Means Everything to Us

All great movements – those that stick – are grassroots movements. They are the ones that bubble up from folks who are doing the right thing, and so it is with trails. Behind every trail in Michigan you’ll find a bunch of trail-loving zealots who dreamed, persuaded, explained, testified, wrote proposals, raised funds, met and met some more, until their trails were built. Across our great state, people understand the profound, community changing, life embracing difference that trails can make. It’s our job to help connect people to trails, marshal resources, enact supportive legislation, bring trail users to Michigan from around the world, and to tell the great stories of Michigan’s trails.

In closing, I hope you will continue to support our work with a donation today to Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance.

I look forward to meeting you on a beautiful trail someday soon.

Sincerely,

Bob Wilson, Executive Director

Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance is the statewide voice for non-motorized trail users, helping people build, connect and promote trails for a healthier and more prosperous Michigan. affiliated with the Michigan Fitness Foundation.