Wally investigates some mysterious honking at Bob Lake Campground in the Ottawa National Forest. Photo courtesy of Trail Mutt Reports
Gromit, Wally, Sandy and Arlyn Aronson have been working on the trails together since 2017. Wally wasn’t born until that year, but he’s a full-grown member of the family now, and contributes just as much as Gromit, who started in 2011.
Gromit and Wally are, of course, the canine friends of spouses Sandy and Arlyn, but their perspective takes the forefront on Aronson's blog, ‘Trail Mutt Reports’.
They started the blog as a way to show people how great it is to have a trained, well-mannered dog.
“Almost all the photos are set up,” Aronson said. “The dogs are trained”
Wally says, “Welcome to the Beaver Lodge Trail at the Bob Lake Campground, part of the Ottawa National Forest. Please surrender all dog treats and savory meats and remember to hike safely!” Photo courtesy of Trail Mutt Reports
Aronson said if they aren’t told to stay in one place, they’d be nothing but a blur on the camera most of the time.
He thinks good training is important for a dog to be happy and healthy plus, “If they’re polite… they’re a lot more adorable.”
Both Wally and Gromit are social and like to be touched, but they’re trained not to jump at people. Aronson said Wally will greet people but quickly wanders off. Gromit, who’s getting older, is a bit different.
“She’s a leaner,” Aronson said.
That is to say, she’ll stand on your foot and lean against you until you pay attention to her.
For several years now, the little group has voluntarily taken care of some National Forest Service camps and trails in the area, with a particular fondness for the Bob Lake and Lake Ste Kathryn campgrounds inside the Ottawa National Forest. They visited Bob Lake at the beginning of the month.
“Bob Lake is kind of a small campground,” Aronson said. “Now it’s really pretty because there’s no leaves and you can see things.”
There’s a boat ramp, tent and trailer campsites, vault toilets, and a hand pump for drinking water. It’s maintained through a subcontractor, Calderwood Services, rather than directly by the National Forest Service.
Arlyn Aronson clearing a deadfall at Bob Lake Campground. Photo courtesy of Trail Mutt Reports
There’s also a 1.2-mile long hiking trail, the Beaver Lodge Interpretive Trail.
“And that’s what we keep cleared for the Forest Service,” Aronson said.
At the Lake Ste Kathryn Campground, they care for the roughly 3-mile long Deer Marsh Interpretive Trail.
Aronson said they step up to do this work voluntarily because even though the NFS is responsible for taking care of the trails, they don’t have the budget or workforce to maintain them.
“It’s not really the Forest Service’s fault,” he said.
While legislators and even local organizations like to establish new trails, it’s less attention-grabbing to devote money to maintaining older ones. Maintenance projects that the forest service staff can’t do and they can’t afford to hire out will go on a deferred maintenance list. Aronson said small trails like the Beaver Lodge and Deer Marsh trails can fall to the bottom of that list, so they step in to care for them.
”We are always enthusiastic about volunteers,” Kate Salm said.
Salm is the Public Affairs Officer for the Ottawa National Forest. She said that last summer saw a definite boost to the use of ONF campgrounds, with even normally empty campgrounds full many weekends and dispersed camping also on the rise. There were more requests for printed material like maps, and collected campground fees were higher.
Also, due to pandemic precautions, many campground amenities were unavailable, including toilets.
“There were some sanitation issues,” Salm said.
(I let her leave it at that.)
This year, campgrounds opened on May 14.
“It already seems to be that it’s going to be another very busy summer,” Salm said.
Preparation for extra visitors is pretty minimal according to Salm, but the wealth of deferred maintenance in the national parks system is starting to be addressed.
Last year’s passage of the Great American Outdoors Act means billions of dollars will be spent on maintenance projects inside national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges in the next five years, including on deferred maintenance inside the Upper Peninsula’s nationally managed properties.
Work has already begun at the Black River Harbor Recreation area. Bridge and dock replacements and work to the parking lot and entrance are underway there, according to Salm.
“That should be done in a couple of weeks,” she said.
They’re also updating the Courtney Lake Campground to be equine-friendly.
“This will be the only horse campground on the Ottawa,” Salm said.
So far, nine projects inside the Ottawa National Forest have been funded by the GAOA, which Salm said will cover a significant portion of the deferred maintenance there. Some projects are more labor-intensive than others. Inside wilderness areas, trail workers aren’t allowed to use mechanized equipment.
“So everything that’s going to be done in there is going to be done by hand,” Salm said.
Wally enjoys a sunset sit by the lake. Photo courtesy of Trail Mutt Reports
To the north, at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, park managers aren’t as fortunate, with no extra federal funding to help with the maintenance of public facilities.
“It’s the crush of tourism versus the money that is there to supply the amenities,” Grant Township Supervisor Scott Wendt said. “Most of the parks in Grant Township are run by the township.”
Grant Township logo
Grant Township covers the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, including Copper Harbor and Bete Grise. The official population during the 2010 census was 219, but Wendt estimates the year-round population is around 100. Some days of last summer, Grant Township saw up to an estimated 5,000 visitors. As restaurants capitalized on takeout food, the need for public garbage collection spiked. The only public toilet in Copper Harbor is also maintained by the township.
“We’re being overrun in all aspects,” Wendt said.
While the township sees many visitors to its parks, most are fully public, and so the only revenue the township collects is through property taxes. They don’t receive sales tax or use fees, and the shops that visitors buy most of their gear at aren’t local either, so they don’t have much retail property to collect taxes from either.
Additionally, Wendt says the distance from population centers like Calumet, Hancock, and Houghton means that help can be hard to find even when they can pay for it.
“I have one open position right now that I’ve been unable to fill,” Wendt said. “Just getting warm bodies is difficult.”
When properties go up for sale in the community, they’re often bought by people who want to live there seasonally or operate a short-term rental unit rather than live in the area full-time, Wendt said.
Wendt just entered his role as township supervisor a few weeks ago and said he’s still getting a handle on the problems and possible solutions there. One thing he did immediately is to make an agreement for increased police presence in the area, particularly on weekends.
“We couldn’t wait until next year,” he said.
One place that seems to be weathering the increased traffic quite well is the Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary.
“It’s got all kinds of stuff and it’s close to Copper Harbor,” Dickie Selfe said.
“And people have a long-standing love of that place,” Cindy Selfe, his wife, said.
Grommit likes to sit on feet and lean against legs. Photo courtesy of Trail Mutt Reports
The Selfe’s are volunteer stewards at Estivant Pines. They said that they’ve been seeing increased traffic there even before the pandemic started, although there’s no way to track exact numbers. Two years ago, the donation box near the trailhead was “stuffed”. Even during winter, snowshoers and skiers leave donations. They said that during the pandemic the donations didn’t come in as much, “but people were struggling.”
Dickie and Cindy have been stewards there for just a handful of years.
“There’s a long history of Copper Country support for that preserve,” Cindy said.
Donations pay for needed materials and services, but much of the work is done by volunteers and work parties organized by the Michigan Nature Association. They spread gravel, fix boardwalks, cut back brush, and more.
“It’s a huge volunteer effort that goes back in time, but also spreads out right now to many members of the community because they love that place,” Cindy said.
Last summer the extra traffic was noticed, but not too much on the trail.
Dickie and Cindy Selfe were featured recently in this video from the Keweenaw Visitors Bureau.
“The trail itself is pretty hardened,” Dickie said. “So that part isn’t problematic.”
However, informational pamphlets at the trailhead were disappearing much faster, and so was toilet paper in the outhouse. Volunteers planned extra trips to the site to replenish supplies. The pit toilet had to be pumped out for the first time in 15 years, the couple said.
The road to and from the trailhead also required some extra attention.
“Keweenaw County has done a fantastic job of that the last couple years,” Dickie said.
The Selfes say haven’t noticed a problem with litter or vandalism with the increased traffic. They think people take care of their own garbage in the sanctuary, and some people go out of their way to take care of others’ garbage, too. They haven’t seen any tracks from bikes, which aren’t allowed on these trails. On the other hand, dogs are allowed on the trails.
“And I’ve never seen any ‘sign’ for dogs on the trail as I’ve walked,” Dickie said.
Cindy said that is the kind of thing that gives her hope for the future; To see places like Estivant Pines well-preserved and long-surviving.