PLEASE Help GLFWDA Save 56th Ave Near Silver Lake!

[Trail_Fanatic]

* Who: Four wheelers and those willing to help save this road

* What: Bobcats and Kubota type tractors would be a BIG help, saws, shovels, hard tined rakes. sledge hammers, post-hole diggers, leather palmed work gloves, and eye protection

* When: 9:00 AM on Saturday, September 17th
RAIN DATE 9:00 AM Saturday, October 1st

* Where: We'll meet at the Park-N-Ride lot on the north east corner of US-31 and M-20 then travel to the site together.

* WHY: Great Lakes Four Drive Associaiton has partnered with adjacent residents and the Oceana County Road Commission to provide some badly needed maintenance to 56th Ave immediately north of Marshville Dam Road. This is one of the few Seasonal Roads in the Silver Lake area that provide an easy trail ride for those seeking an alternative to the Dunes while they're in the area. Through the years some parts of the road have become overgrown while the hill it traverses has recently begun to erode. The errosion is happening startlingly fast and needs to be addressed ASAP. Adjoining land owners were going to petition the OCRC to have it abandoned, and the OCRC would probably have done so since they lack the funding to make effective repairs. We see this attitude quite frequently. But, through the intervention of GLFWDA, a compromise plan was developed that will benefit all parties. The adjoining land owners don't have to worry about the erosion, or having the road's path shift onto their land. The OCRC won't be asked to supply labor they can not afford for such a little traveled road. We get to continue to use it. There are a handful of other Seasonal Roads that provide a nice trail ride with some minor 4wd use on hills and in sandy areas. The OCRC is willing to drop the gravel we will need to fill the erosion, but the labor is up to those of us who would like to continue to have access.


PLEASE HELP US SAVE THIS RUSTIC ROAD!

[Greenway]

There is a good chance I can make this. How big are the trees grown into the road? Firewood size or brush?

[DDS4X4]

Sorry, I'll be off to PA that week.

[Trail_Fanatic]

Mostly brush, but a couple of 4-6" dia too.

[Renegade II]

SAVE THIS AREA!!!

This is a nice area to ride, Danimal & I did some playing on these roads a couple years back. It's a nice change of pace from the dunes for a day. Wish I could make it up but I've burned up all my vacation the last 3 weeks setting home with the new baby.

[oz97tj]

I'd love to come, but won't be able to make the Sept. date. If it gets pushed back to the rain date, I'll hopefully be able to be there.

[Trail_Fanatic]

Here's some pics of the hill.
I was half way up it (for reference)
The first pic shows the depth to which it has eroded.
The second is downhill.
The third is facing uphill.
That last pic shows how much sand has washed down the trail. That all used to be hard-paked black dirt.

[Greenway]

Looks pretty open to me

[Trail_Fanatic]

Just the south 1/5th mile is overgrown.
The hill is the big work. The rest is just minor trimming and moving a fence to its proper location.

[Jarhead]

Looks pretty open to me

Just the south 1/5th mile is overgrown.
The hill is the big work. The rest is just minor trimming and moving a fence to its proper location.

Do not underestimate the work required. While the brushing and fence work is minimal, redistributing the sand that has moved from the hill top down the road will be an undertaking.