To the editor:
We’ve all seen the letters and articles highlighting the pros and cons of the next stretch of the Heritage Trail, which would be just under 5 miles long and cost about 14 million dollars.
There is certainly some controversy over cutting some 7,000 trees in natural areas, and while trails are a wonderful thing, to me, this one seems a bit overbearing in its design.
I have a very simple compromise: Build the last section as a more, woodsy, winding trail with gravel instead of paving. Make it narrower, wind it to miss sensitive areas and as many trees as possible. This will cost far less to build, so the money is there to plant just as many trees as you remove. Trail users get a little different experience at the end of the trail, environmentalists can feel better about replacing lost trees, and since this “last leg” is kind of a dead end anyway at Co Rd 651, it’s simply a different experience trail users can enjoy or hop on M-22 as most avid road cyclists do anyway if they are riding to Leland or Suttons Bay.
I hope a compromise can be reached, and the goals of all can still be implemented.
Bob DeKorne Maple City
