Making Strides on the CRT

e welcome you to another season of recreation, relaxation, and discovery along the Clinton River Trail. The trail keeps getting better every year, thanks to the efforts of many people and organizations.

Working together, units of government, citizens, civic groups, and busi-nesses have turned an abandoned railroad corridor into a first-class rail-trail. The fruit of this labor is nearly sixteen miles of traffic-free respite right in the middle of densely populated metro Detroit. Tens of thousands of residents can walk or ride a bike to get to the trail; and, it’s a short car ride away for hundreds of thousands more. Come discover the new improvements along the Clinton River Trail this year. They are making the trail more accessible...more interesting...and easier to enjoy. Listed here are a few highlights, please see the other articles for more details.

Pontiac: Construction will soon be underway on “Phase II”, a spur connecting the trail from Bagley Street into the downtown district. This pathway will fol-low Woodward Avenue, loop behind the Phoenix Center, and then up to Huron Street. This will bring the downtown’s restaurants and other busi-nesses within reach of trail users.

Rochester Hills: The new surfacing was completed last summer, and has held up extreme-ly well to winter’s snow and ice. Rochester Rotary Club provided the funding to build the Rochester Rotary River Overlook about 1/3 mile west of Livernois. Watch for the signs, and you will be rewarded with a beauti-ful overlook along the Clinton River. Also, look for the new trailhead

LATEST TRAILCONSTRUCTIONMILESTONES

The City of Rochester Hills completed surfacing five miles of the Clinton River Trail through the community in the summer of 2007 at a cost of $151,586. During the summer of 2008, the City of Pontiac will construct a 1.2 mile trail section eastward from Bagley Street through the downtown area, terminating at East Woodward and M-59. The estimated cost for this project, known as Phase II, is $432,424 with the bulk of the funding provided through a Michigan Department of Transportation grant. On March 10, 2008 Pontiac held a public hearing on its plans to submit grant applications to fund construction of a pe-destrian bridge over Telegraph Road and for Phase III – completion of the trail eastward from M-59 along the Clinton River to Opdyke Road in accordance with the Clinton River Trail Master Plan. Pontiac has applied for a $500,000 grant for the bridge project. Construction of sidewalk along a por-tion of the temporary trail route through Pontiac will take place this summer. The project is planned for South Boulevard between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Opdyke Road. Pontiac officials indicate that the roadway will be open throughout the construction and will not require a detour. However, trail users who attempt to use the sidewalk in this area will obviously be impacted.

Produced by Friends of the Clinton River TrailMeetings last Tuesday of each month (check web site for location)

www.clintonrivertrail.org

1

A Newsletter from the Friends of the Clinton River Trail • Spring 2008

Trail Development proceeding in 2008 and beyond

Wby Dan Keifer, Founder, Friends of the Clinton River Trail

continued on page 3

n October 2007, before the snows of winter descended upon the Clin-

ton River Trail, staff from the Roches-ter Hills Parks & Forestry Department plus a dozen members of the Roch-ester Rotary Club completed building the Rochester Rotary River Overlook.

This beautiful area is located at mile marker 4 on the trail, halfway between the Hamlin and Livernois road crossings. Mike Hartner, Director of Parks & Forestry from the City of Rochester Hills, selected this stunning site. Today the completed over-look features a fully surfaced “U” shaped pull-off from the trail,

a rustic wooden fence along the drop-off to the river, three strategically placed benches, and much natural foliage. It has a scenic vista of a wandering bend in the Clinton River and the adjacent wetlands. The Overlook is truly an important natural asset and a tranquil place to relax and take in all that surrounds the Clinton River Trail. Careful observers may be able to pick out several different species of wildlife in the area. They might even notice the survey markers placed along the river for a pending sedimentation study. As you follow the Clin-ton River Trail, be sure to stop at this new attraction, take a water break, look around and enjoy. The Rochester Rotary Club recently celebrated 50 years

Rotary River Overlook Park Now Open

2

in the community. One of their other projects was the Gateway Park on the Downtown Rochester River Walk. The idea of the Overlook, as another community project, was developed by Rotary President Ernie Schaefer and Rochester Hills Mayor Bry-an Barnett. Others involved, to name a few, were the Bordine Family Foundation, Dillman & Upton; Christine Lind Hage, Director of the Rochester Hills Library; Scott McDermott, and Rotary District 6380. The Clinton River Trail is a work in progress. There are sev-eral ideas under discussion for further development and to help interpret the history, beauty and treasure of the area along this former railroad corridor. Each time you use the trail keep your eyes open; you might notice something new along the way.

The bench above is one of the new Memorial Benches that can be purchased via donation to the Friends of The Clinton River Trail. Benches are available for pur-chase to remember a special person, organization or commemorate a special event. Visit www.clintonrivertrail.org/bench for more information.

I

Spring, 2008

Making Strides on the CRT

3

The Adams Road Mastodon

parking lot at Leach Road along Adams Road just south of M-59, providing more trail access and a new jump-ing-off point to explore a new section of the trail.

Mile Markers:A series of mile marker posts now give you a way to track your time and progress along the trail. Look for them on wooden posts along the trail’s northern edge; mile “0” is Dequindre Road, the trail’s eastern terminus and where it connects with the Macomb Orchard Trail.

Directional Signage:Watch this summer for a series of direc-tional signs that will be installed at the trail’s major road crossings. Each sign will indicate a “you are here” marking on the trail’s map to show you where you are.

Memorial Benches:Also being installed this summer are five memorial benches; one in Sylvan Lake and four in Rochester Hills. Each will provide the opportunity to stop and catch your breath, reflect on the trail’s peaceful surroundings, and appreciate the sharing and caring of others.

Work continues on completing the remaining gaps in the trail’s route. The City of Pontiac has applied for the second year in a row for a major grant to help pay for the pedestrian-only bridge for trail users over Telegraph Road. A route for the trail going east from downtown Pontiac has become the center of focus to connect with Opdyke Road, utilizing a route that will roughly parallel the Clinton River. And, efforts are being made to construct a safe, trail-friendly crossing at Orchard Lake Road in Sylvan Lake.

from page 1

The City of Rochester Hills has collaborated with the Road Com-mission of Oakland County, Cranbrook Science Museum, and the

Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm to provide for the preservation and display of the bones. Scientists estimate they found approximately 30% of the skeleton. Radiocarbon dating shows the animal likely died 12,360 (+/- 50) years ago. Thanks to the creative efforts of the City of Rochester Hills and a grant from the Rochester Hills Lions Club, users of the Clinton River Trail will have a chance to enjoy the flora and fauna of Rochester Hills as well as gain some ap-preciation for the history and habitat of this ancient mammal.

If you’re on the trail near Adams and Leach roads (just east of mile marker 7), keep an eye out for the Mastodon — the newly installed interpretive sign marking the site where the “Adams Road Mastodon” was discovered in July of 2006. The Mastodon bones were found during the construction of the realignment of Adams Road. Construction workers with Dan’s Excavat-ing discovered the bones approximately 12-feet down in a very marshy area, the ideal habitat for Mastodons that roamed southeast Michigan over 12,000 years ago.

We encourage you to attend one of our monthly meet-ings (they are posted on our website, www.clintonriver-trail.org; generally, the last Tuesday evening of the month and held at the Auburn Hills Community Center). The room is full of ideas and energetic people, all with the single purpose of enjoying this trail and making it more enjoyable for others. By all means, mark your calendar for

Saturday, September 20th, for the 4th Annual Fall Classic Ride. It will be bigger and better than ever, and a great way to see parts of the trail that you may not have seen before. If you ever have a question about the Clinton River Trail, visit our website; or send me an email, dckeifer@comcast.net. The Clinton River Trail is undoubtedly the most acces-sible trail to the most residents of any trail in Michigan. Enjoy it this year, it just keeps getting better!

Trail advocates, local officials and Friends of the Clinton River Trail join Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett at the official ribbon-cutting of the newly resur-faced five miles of the Clinton River Trail in July 2007.

se of the Clinton River Trail increased dramatically in 2007 as

did the demand for trail maps. What the FCRT thought might be a two year supply was used up in about six months last year. Two actions have been taken in response to the call for more maps. First, on-trail “you are here” signs are coming this year. Second, the FCRT and trail communities have completed the third full-scale printing of the map. CRT map historians will notice some mi-nor, yet notable changes in this third edition. Trail-side amenities such as mile markers, the Rotary Overlook and the Mastodon Site have been incorporated on the map. Trail additions – such as the Leach Road trailhead parking and the Downtown Pontiac Spur are also shown. Other subtle changes based on feedback from users include adjusting road-to-road mileage

measures and increas-ing the contrast of the map itself. On the back side of the map the overall look has been “freshened-up” and significantly improved while some out of date text was replaced. Producing each new generation of the map takes coopera-tive effort from several people. Although FCRT takes the lead, critical funding sup-port comes from the

individual trail communities. Oakland County – specifi-cally Kristen Wiltfang of the Environmental Stewardship Program, Planning and Economic Development Services – provides GIS and map layout support. Finally, Gemini Forms & Systems of Rochester Hills handles the printing and folding.

Fresh Look to Latest Generation Map

FCRT member and trail volunteer Mimi Zwolak is seen picking up some of the 34 cases of trail maps expected to be used in 2008-9.

4

Demand for CRT maps comes from all around the state via mail and email; however, most users simply pull a map from one of the boxes on the trail. A dedicated team of volunteers will be working all summer in an effort to keep the map boxes stocked. Each box holds 75-100 maps which are frequently not enough to last throughout a nice summer weekend. Map boxes filled on Thursday often empty before Monday. All trail users can help in the

effort to keep the boxes stocked by insuring they keep their maps or pass them along to others

rather than simply tossing them out and getting new ones each time they are on the trail. This year FCRT con-vinced all the municipalities along the trail

to increase the number of maps pur-

chased. While it is again hoped this represents a multi-

year supply, the key objective is to pro-vide the trail information users need. As long

as maps are being pulled from the boxes, FCRT will be trying to keep them stocked. In addition,

hi-res PDF versions of the trail maps can be downloaded from the FCRT website.

U

In addition to the newly revised trail maps, look for these new directional locator maps to be posted along the entire length of the Clinton River Trail.

Spring, 2008

5

Fall Classic Ride Returns in 2008

The annual Fall Classic ride has grown dramatically in popularity since the first event in 2005. There are some pleasant surprises in store for this year’s rendition on Saturday, September 20, 2008 beginning with a new starting location at lovely River-side Park in downtown Auburn Hills. Con-struction in Pontiac will keep us off of the western part of the trail, but the event will now feature an all-trail route that will make this a great family adventure. There are even some new sights along the way, look else-where in this newsletter for specifics. From the park, you will be quickly onto the trail and can follow it for the next eight miles through Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills, and Rochester, all the way to its end at Dequindre. Haven’t gone far enough? The Macomb Orchard Trail is right across the road, and of course you’re welcome to continue up that way just about as

Each year Friends of the Clinton River Trail, along with several spon-sors, organize a fun, non-competi-tive ride along the trail. This family friendly event is simply called the Fall Classic. The event provides an opportunity for riders to experi-ence the trail in a different context than normal. Riders are free to travel a distance comfortable for themselves and return to a central location for lunch. Support for minor adjustments is typically available as is a rest stop. Some of the visionary folks re-sponsible for creating the CRT are often on hand during the ride. The Fall Classic provides a unique op-portunity for riders to learn some of the history of the trail as well as be able to talk directly with those who are responsible for guiding its future. The 2008 Fall Classic will be on Saturday, September 20th, just two days before autumn officially be-gins. FCRT is estimating 200 riders will participate. You’ll find registra-tion information on page 6.

• ABOUT THE FALL CLASSIC RIDE •

Trailways is produced by the Friends of the Clinton River Trail and is entirely supported by member contributions. This issue includes articles by FCRT members Claudia Filler, Doug Gordon, Chuck Hatch, John Hensler, Melinda Hill, Dan Keifer, Fred Phillips, and Mimi Zwolak. Design and layout by Sunken Anchor Media [www.sunkenanchor.com].

far as you please. Another option for extra mileage would be to take the Paint Creek Trail north via the connector that adjoins the trail. Just don’t forget to turn around so you can be back at Riverside Park in time for lunch! And speaking of lunch, Friends of the Clinton River Trail will be putting out a spread that is sure to please hungry riders of every age. If you haven’t tried one of these events yet, this is the year for you. If you are a veteran, we certainly hope that you’ll be back to see what’s new and improved.See you in September!

From the Friends of the Clinton River Trail

Friends of the Clinton River Trail 719 Fieldstone DriveRochester Hills, MI 48309 www.clintonrivertrail.org

Spring, 2008

JOIN THE FRIENDS OF THE CLINTON RIVER TRAIL

memb ership applic ation

Name

Address City/State/Zip

Phone

email

Donation: $10 $20 $50 $100 other (Circle one)

Credit Card: Visa MC Account #:

Signature: Expires:

Make any checks payable to “Community Foundation—FCRT” and mail to the address above.

6

There is no membership fee, however, donations are greatly appreciated and increase the effectiveness of our activities. All donations are tax-de-ductible through the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester, a 501(c)(3) organization, which has exclusive legal control over the contributed assets.

CLINTO

N RIVER TRAIL

FALL

CLASSICR

IDE

September 20 the 4th annual

visit www.clintonrivertrail.org

and sign up!it’s fast, easy and secure-Registration opens July 1

Ride 15 or 30 miles—or longer!

Starts and ends in auburn hills—plus lunch!