Trust fund board approves $467K Hickory Forest grant
Dec. 2—TRAVERSE CITY — Thirty years ago, Clarence Kroupa showed Glen Chown, Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy's executive director, the property that will become Hickory Forest.
The now-late Kroupa wanted it preserved back then, Chown said. On Wednesday that goal that his daughters shared with him took a step closer to reality when the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund board recommended a grant to buy it. That $467,600, plus money from a millage Traverse City and Garfield Township voters approved in November 2020, will put the land in public hands.
"Christmas has come early for everyone who loves the outdoors in the Grand Traverse region," Chown said.
They'll have to sit tight before they can hike the 76 acres sandwiched between Hickory Hills, Bay Meadows Family Golf Course and M-72, Chown said. Wednesday's vote was a recommendation that state lawmakers must then approve, followed by a signature from the governor. Other steps, like land surveys and planning out trails that balance passive recreation with preserving the land's fragile spots, mean it could be some time toward the end of 2022 before the land is open to the public.
Chown said there's apt to be a celebration when it is, and those who head out will find a lot to like.
"It's a magnificent property, in the spring it's full of wildflowers, there's great birding, if you like birds it's a fantastic location, and I just love the topography," he said. "I think people are going to love the trails and opportunities to hike and trail-run and all those sorts of things."
That grant will cover 70 percent of the $668,200 cost, documents show.
The Traverse City and Garfield Charter Township Joint Recreational Authority will own the property, making it the fourth in the authority's portfolio alongside nearby Hickory Meadows, Historic Barns Park and a small parcel between Traverse City's Open Space and the volleyball courts, Chown said. The land conservancy has a transferable purchase option on the parcel that it'll transfer to the recreational authority once funding is in hand.
Matt Cowall, the authority's executive director, said he was initially uncertain if an election in the midst of a pandemic was the right time to ask voters to approve a millage. But they came through with overwhelming support, and now the authority should have the funds to not only help buy the land but manage it as well.
The authority will work on finalizing a land conservancy-penned preliminary use plan for Hickory Forest likely in early to mid-2022, Cowall said. The public will have a chance to weigh in on the final plan.
"We'll look at different ways to access the property and figure out some of the on-the-ground details that didn't make sense to go into in any fine detail without knowing about whether or not the authority was actually going to own and operate the property," he said.
Being one of three public spaces — Hickory Forest, Hickory Hills and Hickory Meadows — the authority will also consider how to coordinate uses between the three, Cowall said.
Richard Lewis, now Traverse City's mayor, was part of a group supporting the millage ask that made the purchase possible. He thanked everyone who supported the millage plus the NRTF board for its recommendation, and called Wednesday's development "fantastic."
Lewis said he supp- orted the project because it was a rare opportunity — Chown called it a unique property, and Cowall said there aren't many parcels like it near Traverse City or in Garfield Township. Plus, placing the land in public hands seemed like a natural extension to Hickory Hills and Hickory Meadows, Lewis said.
"It was just a fit, it was just the way it was all going to fit together," he said.
