Bathrooms on the beach. A new and better Spectacle Lake Overlook, replete with bathrooms and additional parking. RV spaces in the Big Pine campground.
In a 144-page document, the U.S. Forest Service lays out the possibilities for dozens of new projects along Lakeshore Drive from approximately Monocle Lake to its terminus at M-123. The document, largely written by Martie Schramm, deputy district ranger, is titled "Environmental Assessment, Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway Project". It's a group of proposals, some of them new, some of them lingerers from a similar project in 1988.
The document is both a description of project plans in three alternatives (1-3, high, moderate, low development) and as it implies, an environmental assessment of what the projects would do and not do. It also lists costs for each project (pages 63-64).
A sample: Repair fishing pier at Monocle Lake Campground - $42,000; Restrooms, Big Pine Picnic Area, $72,000; Stabilize Big Pine Beach, $100,000.
The environment assessment document isn't the final plan, however. It's a description of potential projects, their effects, and environmental consequences. Eventually, time and money will dictate what will and won't be part of the final plan.
The document is available at Forest Service offices in St. Ignace and the Sault. Requests for information can be made to Kari Stanley, USDA Forest Service, (906) 643-7900, ext. 137.
"Join us for this fun winter wonderland workshop and build your own pair of snowshoes that will bring you years of outdoor enjoyment and the warm camaraderie of also making new friendships," said Lynn Marla, BOW program coordinator. For more information, contact Marla at 517-241-2225.
