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By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
PERE MARQUETTE TWP. — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has rescinded a decades-old restriction on public access to a portion of the Pere Marquette State Game Area, opening land along the Pere Marquette River to bird watching, waterfowl hunting, trapping and other public uses.
DNR Director M. Scott Bowen issued the amended land use order Aug. 12. The action removes a prohibition on entering about 51 acres of the state game area in Pere Marquette Township. The DNR currently lists the entire Pere Marquette State Game Area at approximately 400 acres.
The affected property is located generally south of West Conrad Road and east of Pere Marquette Highway. The DNR’s legal description refers to Pere Marquette Highway by its former designation as US 31 and describes portions of sections 24 and 25. It also uses the historical description “north channel of the Pere Marquette River” for a waterway through the river flats.
The 51-acre portion affected by the DNR order is more specifically described as beginning at the southeast corner of Pere Marquette Highway and West Conrad Road, running south along Pere Marquette Highway to the river channel, east along the channel for 1,875 feet, then north to West Conrad Road and west along the road to the starting point. The eastern boundary is described as running parallel to and west of the closed City of Ludington sanitary landfill.
According to the DNR, the two parcels involved in the access restriction were donated to the state by Ducks Unlimited in 1987 without deed restrictions. The parcels were subsequently closed to public access.
The DNR said the closure was likely related to a treated-sewage outlet owned by the City of Ludington that once presented a human health concern. The outlet was decommissioned nearly a decade ago and no longer presents a risk, according to the department.
DNR officials had previously assumed the closure may have resulted from Ducks Unlimited’s involvement with the property or restrictions associated with the donation. During its review, the department consulted Ducks Unlimited, which found no records to either verify or disprove that assumption.
The DNR said prohibiting public access was no longer necessary to protect wildlife or habitat. Opening the property would provide opportunities for bird watching, waterfowl hunting and trapping, and the department does not anticipate foot traffic having a meaningful impact on the habitat.
An observation tower and parking area are already located in the northwest corner of the 51-acre property. The DNR noted that the facilities encouraged the public to use an area where entry was technically prohibited. Maintaining the closure would have required Wildlife Division personnel to post the boundaries and replace signs annually, including in locations accessible only by boat. The observation tower and parking lot also would have needed to be closed or removed if the restriction remained in effect.
The proposed change was submitted to the DNR director June 15 and presented to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission for information and consideration July 8. The DNR document stated the amendment could become eligible for approval Aug. 12. Bowen issued the amended order that day.
The DNR described the former restriction as no longer serving a management need and addressing a public health concern that no longer exists. The Aug. 12 amendment removes the Pere Marquette State Game Area property from the list of state lands where entry is prohibited without authorization.
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