Economic woes often pave new roads to cooperation. Groomed trails at Muncie Lake Pathway and 13 other cross-country ski trails around the state are a fine example of that.
Cross-country skiers have helped the state keep 14 of its 23 trails groomed this year, while the state continued to plow ski area parking lots.
Locally, the state Department of Natural Resources and Environment agreed to dedicate donation tube funds at Muncie Lake Pathway for trail grooming there. Usually, the money goes into the state's general fund. The DNRE and state employees' union also reached an agreement to allow volunteers to groom otherwise unattended trails for the remainder of the season.
In the Traverse City area, John Heiam rallied cross-country skiers to pay for grooming at the 11.5-mile Muncie Lakes Pathway about a dozen miles southeast of Traverse City. His e-mails generated $845 in donations and $125 in the donation tubes to raise $970 to pay state employees to groom the trail. The state has to learn to sometimes get out of the way to let things happen.
