Trail advocates celebrate local improvements and rename trail after philanthropist 

revised 6/7/2018

L:R: MDNR Iron Belle Coordinator Nikki VanBloem, MDNR Trails Manager Paul Yauk, Bob Wilson. Right of sign: Mike Levine stands next to Unadilla Township Supervisor Linda Walker and other unidentified township supervisors. Far right: Village President Molly Howlett. Photo credit: Matt Pegouskie

by Matt Pegouskie

Lakelands Trail State Park has been renamed in honor of Mike Levine, and trail advocates from around the state of Michigan gathered in Pinckney, Mich., on Tuesday, May 29 to celebrate.

Levine, a Pinckney resident, is an inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, according to Bob Wilson, executive director of the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance.

But above all, Wilson said, Levine is “a tireless supporter of the Great Lake-to-Lake Trails Route No. 1 and Michigan trails movement in general.”

“He has pledged his time, his passion and millions of dollars to expand and improve trails throughout the state,” Wilson said.

Levine has pledged $50,000 to support Stockbridge as improvements begin to the trail segment within Ingham County. Stockbridge also received an $808,000 grant from Ingham County’s Trail Millage.

The money will be used for engineering work and to construct improvements to the trail. These improvements include a 10-foot-wide trail within the village of Stockbridge and Stockbridge Township. Ingham County will provide up to $200,000 in advance of the project, so preliminary engineering work can begin this summer. Final completion of construction is expected by June 2019.

No local tax dollars are being used from the Village or Township for this project, although it should be noted that Stockbridge Township property taxpayers contribute .5 mills annually for parks and trails, and this contribution tallied to $139,898 during 2017 alone.

The Mike Levine Lakelands Trail State Park runs 20 miles from Stockbridge to Hamburg Township and is part of a larger statewide trail system.

It runs through wooded areas and rolling farmland and was converted from abandoned railroad corridors. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the trail is used for hiking, biking, cross country skiing and horseback riding.

The trail sits in the middle of the Great Lake-to-Lake Trail, a recreational path that when completed will go from Port Huron to South Haven in Michigan.

The trail also is part of the Iron Belle Trail system that eventually will connect Belle Isle in Detroit to Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula.

Locally, the Iron Belle Trail will enter the area through Dexter, proceed to Chelsea and head then north to connect to the Mike Levine Lakelands Trail State Park.