State Reps. Frank Foster, R-Petoskey, and Peter Pettalia, R-Presque Isle, hosted other legislators and state department heads on a two-day snowmobile tour of Northern Michigan this past weekend.
A total of 15 lawmakers and the directors of the Michigan Department of Transportation, Department of Natural Resources and Department of Environmental Quality traveled about 100 miles on well-groomed trails through Indian River, Topinabee, Cheboygan, Mackinaw City, St. Ignace, Mackinac Island, Alanson and Pellston. The trip was designed to demonstrate the popularity of snowmobiling in Michigan and the huge impact the sport has on winter tourism.
Participating were Reps. Foster and Pettalia; Matt Lori, R-Constantine; Kevin Cotter, R-Mount Pleasant; Andrea LaFontaine, R-Columbus; Jon Bumstead, R-Newaygo; Lisa Posthumous Lyons, R-Alto; Ken Goike, R-Romeo; Ken Yonker, R-Caledonia; Roger Victory, R-Hudsonville; Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt; Sens. Mark Jansen, R-Gaines Township; David Hildebrand, R-Lowell; and Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive; MDOT Director Kirk Steudle; DEQ Director Dan Wyant; and DNR Director Keith Creagh.
On the first day the tour took participants along the shores of Mullett Lake, then to the trailhead in Cheboygan where the Chamber of Commerce greeted the party with hot coffee. In Mackinaw City, the sleds were loaded onto trailers and taken across the Mackinac Bridge to St. Ignace, where they were then driven across the ice bridge on the Straits of Mackinac to Mackinac Island. There was a great deal of snowmobile traffic along the well-groomed trails on the island, and businesses there are highly dependent on the snowmobile industry to fuel the winter economy on Mackinac Island. After a quick lunch, the lawmakers had a tour of the Grand Hotel, where 37 workers are present in the winter to repair furniture and complete other maintenance tasks at the historic hotel. The lawmakers returned to St. Ignace in near white-out conditions, and the sleds were taken back to Mackinaw City for the night.
On Day 2 of the educational excursion, the lawmakers were led along trails in Alanson and Pellston. The trails that snake through the dense woods are groomed by clubs of volunteers who make sure the trails are well maintained for the thousands of winter tourists who use them every year. The group stopped in Alanson for lunch at a restaurant that depends on the snowmobile industry for most of its winter business. Legislators visited a nearby sports equipment store, where the owner said snowmobilers account for a whopping 70 percent of his annual business.
After lunch the party continued to Indian River, where the tour ended. Northern Michigan officials were very happy to show off the winter “Pure Michigan” paradise that accounts for winter tourism dollars there, and lawmakers from other parts of the state will now share with residents in their communities the wonderful tourism opportunities that exist up north during the winter months.
To hear more about the trip, check out the Legislative Update.
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