Trails and natural areas remain covered in debris after this month's ice storms in northern Michigan.
Organizations say they're working to restore the areas before the outdoor tourism season begins.
The state Department of Natural Resources is still assessing the damage on hundreds of miles of trails throughout the affected area as of April 22. Several state parks, campgrounds and boating access points are closed while work is underway.
Ron Olson, chief of the parks and recreation division at the DNR, said once teams finish with damage assessments, the agency will contract with ORV clubs and outdoors groups to assist with cleanup.
"We don't know what we don't know until you actually get eyes on things," Olson said. "It's harder because on trails, you can't just drive into an area and push things out of the way with a truck — some of the trails are narrow corridors."
Not all nature trails are owned by the state. Many are managed by volunteers at local organizations like the Top of Michigan Trails Council, which oversees about 300 miles of trails near the tip of the mitten.
Brent Bolin leads the group and says most popular trails that host events like races could be cleared by the end of May.
"Some parts of this recovery are going to go on for a long, long time," Bolin said. "But I think that, you know, progress is also speeding up and getting done faster than people may have expected."
The DNR says it hopes to have most state campgrounds cleared for their spring reopening. Trail maintenance will happen in order of popularity.
Officials are still urging the public to stay off their local nature trails for the next few weeks. Those who want to help with maintenance should sign up for volunteer opportunities with the DNR or other organizations.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is a financial supporter of WCMU. We report on them as we do with any other organization.
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