Volume 2, Issue 1 NOVEMBER 15, 2024
Reflections of our community Total Raised: $5,504 Lead this Legacy REFLECTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY
White Lake Mirror YOUR LOCALLY OWNED NONPROFITNEWS NEWS SOURCE YOUR LOCALLY OWNEDAND AND OPERATED OPERATED NONPROFIT SOURCE Thank you to OUR MOST RECENT Lead This Legacy donors READER:
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INSIDE THIS WEEK: The Oceana Echo starts on page 9!
White Lake area commemorates delisting White Lake Association in support This fall marks 10th the of efforts to maintain the lake’s health. anniversary of removal The Snow Farmers’ John Hanson prefrom environmental sented the $235 check to the WLA with area of concern list funds raised by this summer’s Float-a-
By Andy Roberts White Lake Mirror Editor MONTAGUE — The Book Nook & Java Shop was the host site Sunday as several notable local people came together to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of White Lake being removed from the International Joint Commission’s list of areas of environmental concern. It was the Book Nook where that original announcement was made, too, back on Oct. 30, 2014. Whitehall city council member Tanya Cabala emceed the celebratory event Sunday, which also included presentations by other local groups and a donation check from the White Lake Snow Farmers to
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Palooza. That wasn’t the only finances-related item on the agenda. Jim DeBoer, the chief science officer for the WLA, was also on hand to present an overview of a new ‘smart buoy’ that will be placed in White Lake, with funding from a $40,000 Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) grant. The buoy will poke 2.5 feet out of the water at one of the deepest points in the lake, and it will be outfitted with water quality and sensors for wind and air temperature. These sensors will be able to monitor the environmental health of the lake, potentially alerting the area about future issues before they can be detected with the naked eye. It is being built by
John Hanson of the White Lake Snow Farmers (center) presents a check for $235 to the White Lake Association to help fund future monitoring efforts on the lake during Sunday’s 10th anniversary delisting celebration at the Book Nook. The event commemorated the 2014 removal of White Lake from an environmental areas of concern list.
• Andy Roberts/Mirror
the same company - Fondriest Envi- Whitehall respectively, as well as WLA ronmental - that produced a similar president Robert Smart and Chemours Environmental Impact Committee buoy that is now in Muskegon Lake. Among other speakers Sunday were Tom Lohman and Steven Salter, who are the mayors of Montague and
Delisting
continued on page 6
Second Duck Creek Natural Area bridge completed, with a third planned By Andy Roberts White Lake Mirror Editor A second walking bridge was completed earlier this fall at the Duck Creek Natural Area, creating more opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy walking around the creek. The new bridge goes over Scholes Creek and adds a mile of walkable terrain to the DCNA’s trails. This follows the first bridge, which connected the north and south ends of the natural area; prior to its completion, walkers couldn’t get from one side to the other. It’s the second bridge to be completed in 2024; the first was done in the spring, with a dedication ceremony held in April. Dave Rice of the Friends of Fruitland Township Trails said a third bridge is in the works and will be completed when funds are available. Luckily for the Friends, the White Lake Area Women gave them a $10,900 donation this summer to finance construction of the second bridge.”(We) had the funds to go for it,” Rice said. “We started Sept. 13 and we got people involved and we got a bunch of things ordered ahead of time. Then we got material and volunteers and we started working at it. We worked typically 2-3 days per week and did some other things in (between work
A new walking bridge was completed in the Duck Creek Natural Area in October. The bridge is the second one to be built this year by the Friends of Fruitland Township Trails.
• Courtesy Photo
days) just to keep things moving.” Rice was among a group of just under 10 who put in the labor to build the bridge; the donations covered materials but not labor. All but one of the volunteers are retired. They got together Wednesdays and Saturdays to complete the work, finally finishing Oct. 21. There’s still more to do in the surrounding area - Rice said a bench will need to be built and “a few things need to be tidied up” - but the bridge was ready for use as soon as it was done. The new bridge is 24 feet long, with a boardwalk adding 175 more feet of walking for those who choose to utilize the extra space.
Rice said the Friends of Fruitland Township Trails are thrilled with the rapid progress being made on the planned bridge projects and the trails as a whole, which now offer up to five miles’ worth of walking. After the first bridge was completed this spring, the Friends were able to add crushed concrete and limestone on the southern half of the DCNA, making the trails more easily navigable for walkers. Rice is now moving forward with the process of securing funds for the third and final bridge, which will be downstream from the point where Scholes
New bridge continued on page 2