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IRON MOUNTAIN -- A Pewabic Hill mountain bike trail system in Iron Mountain has been recommended for grant funding through the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, officials said Thursday.
The Pewabic trail grant to the city is $183,200. It will be aided by a $64,000 match from the non-profit Dickinson Trail Network.
Also recommended is a Piers Gorge accessible trail proposed by the state Department of Natural Resources at the Menominee River State Recreation Area in Norway. That grant is $300,000.
In all, the Trust Fund board recommended $20,072,500 in 82 development grants be awarded to local units of government while 13 DNR projects garnered a total of $3,220,000.
In addition, land acquisitions totaling $22.3 million are recommended for funding.
The board this year considered a total of 136 applications seeking over $59.1 million in funding.
The proposed Pewabic Hill trail system includes about 6 miles of public trails on city property east of Park Avenue. It will link to DTN's Millie Hill Trailhead, a 5-mile system just west of Park Avenue.
The city of Iron Mountain has committed $15,000 worth of in-kind work through site development of the parking lot and other amenities.
The Trust Fund board's recommendations will go to the Michigan Legislature for review as part of the appropriations process. Upon approval, the Legislature will forward a bill to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her signature.
"The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund continues to provide the significant investment that creates better, broader access to quality outdoor recreation opportunities for Michigan residents and visitors throughout our state," Whitmer said in a news release.
The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund is a restricted fund that was established in 1976 to provide funding for public acquisition of lands for resource protection and outdoor recreation, as well as for public outdoor recreation development projects. It is funded through interest and earnings on funds derived from the revenues of state-owned oil, gas and minerals. Over the past 45 years, the Trust Fund has granted more than $1.2 billion to state and local units of government to develop and improve recreation opportunities.