Christmas came early this week for several local organizations and communities after more than $11 million in DNR grant funding was announced for park and conservation projects, including the Elberta Waterfront Community Conservation Project, The Ridge, the Three Mile Trail, the VASA Trailhead, the Holiday Woodlands Natural Area, and the Cedar Run Creek Natural Area. The Ticker spoke with representatives from each project on where the funding will go and planned next steps.

Elberta Waterfront Community Conservation Project - $5,347,600 awarded from the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Background: The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) was involved in some of this year’s biggest grants, including partnering with the Village of Elberta on a successful application for over $5.3 million in funding toward a 35-acre conservation project on Lake Michigan and Betsie Bay. The project will create a 16-acre public park near the Elberta Pier, a 10-acre nature sanctuary, and a 9-acre community-focused mixed-use development. The acquisition, which GTRLC closed on last year for $19.5 million, represents the largest funding amount required for a single GTRLC property in the Conservancy’s history.
Funding: This new grant provides a major chunk of the overall fundraising goal for the project, estimated to be at least $27.5 million. GTRLC Director of Communications and Engagement Jennifer Jay says there’s likely at least a few million still to go, but estimates are still evolving. “This is a complex project with a lot of moving parts,” she says. “Some costs won't be known for a while – remediation, for example – but we do know that we are a lot closer!”
Next Steps: “We will continue to do some ecological surveys,” Jay says. “We’ll begin the process of park design with the village. For the nine-acre development, we have selected a developer, Artemis, and charrettes will start this spring.”

The Ridge - $4,813,600 awarded from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF)
Background: GTRLC property The Ridge is one of three major projects in East Bay Township that received DNR funding. The 333-acre property between Four and Five Mile roads offers expansive views of Grand Traverse Bay and includes 7,100 feet of stream frontage and 64 acres of wetlands, plus perched rich conifer swamp, dune-swale complex, and relic oak pine savanna – one of the rarest habitat types in the Conservancy’s portfolio.
Funding: The $4.8 million grant will allow East Bay Township to purchase a conservation easement for The Ridge, with GTRLC still owning the property. That approach protects “ecologically significant property without placing maintenance demands on limited township resources,” says Township Supervisor Beth Friend.
Next Steps: GTRLC is “down to our last million” to fundraise for the property and will start trail work this spring, Jay says. “There is a ton of work to do before we open it to the public…in terms of trail construction and rerouting,” she says. While there’s not yet a firm date, “we’re eager to open as soon as possible,” Jay says.

Three Mile Trail – $400,000 from the MNRTF
Background: East Bay Township, TART Trails, and GTRLC are partnering on a significant effort to expand the Three Mile Trail from South Airport to Hammond, with the first section – from South Airport to GTRLC headquarters – slated to start construction in 2026.
Funding: The grant will help support that new segment, which will “create a safer, more intuitive north–south route that links neighborhoods, parks, schools, and commercial areas throughout East Bay Township,” according to a township release.
Next Steps: “This support is a real catalyst,” says TART Trails CEO Julie Clark. “It does not finish the work, but it moves us meaningfully closer to the trail connections our community has been working toward for so long. There is still more to do, and we are energized to keep going.”

VASA Trailhead - $400,000 from the MNRTF
Background: Grand Traverse County Parks & Recreation has been working for at least two years – with partners ranging from TART Trails to the  VASA Ski Club to the Northern Michigan Mountain Biking Association – to design improvements for the VASA trailhead and parking lot off Bartlett Road in Williamsburg. The 40-acre park is the second-most visited in the county on a weekly basis after the Civic Center.
Funding: The $400,000 grant will be matched by $300,000 in county capital improvement funds and $100,000 from TART Trails to complete the project. Planned improvements include paving the parking lot, reconstructing stormwater infrastructure, offering ADA spots, improving the warming hut, creating outdoor gathering spaces and fire pits, improving wayfinding signage, and creating a second entry point into the VASA trail system from the warming hut area.
Next Steps: County Director of Parks and Facilities John Chase notes it often takes several months for DNR grant funds to be released, so funding timing will determine whether construction starts later next year or in 2027. Either way, the county is “excited” for the project to come to life, Chase says. “A group of passionate community members had a vision for that park in the late eighties and put together a great trail network, and now we’ve got the opportunity to match that dream with improving the trailhead,” he says.

Holiday Woodlands Natural Area – $300,000 from the MNRTF
Background: What started as a citizen passion project to save a local hiking spot off Five Mile Road has blossomed into a popular 146-acre East Bay Township natural area. A recent community planning process identified several priorities for improving the site.
Funding: The $300,000 grant will support the design and construction of a trail system and trailhead at the property, one of the top priorities among residents.
Next Steps: East Bay plans to use funds to “delineate the area’s property lines, to do a complete survey of the park, to construct a trail loop and identify hiking trails through the area, to move public access to the area with a new entrance, and create a new gravel parking lot,” says Township Director of Planning & Zoning Claire Karner.

Cedar Run Creek Natural Area - $133,200 from the MNRTF
Background: This nearly 320-acre Long Lake Township property off Cedar Lake Road offers more than 4.2 miles of hiking trails, 6,200 feet of undeveloped frontage on Cedar Creek, and 1,500 feet of frontage on Cedar Lake. Rolling fields, northern hardwood forest, and a pine plantation are also featured.
Funding: Sarah Jarvi of Long Lake Township says funding will go toward “a stretch of improvements around the wetlands area, to add some boardwalk features and a foot bridge as well as rerouting a section of trail that currently encroaches on some private property.” Upgraded signage, including more interpretative signage for hikers, is also planned.
Next Steps: Depending on the release of funds, Jarvi says the township hopes to tackle improvements in summer 2026.

In addition to the above projects – a funding infusion Jay says made for a “great day for northern Michigan” – the Village of Thompsonville was also awarded $385,000 for paving work on the Betsie Valley Trail. Meanwhile, the Leelanau Ticker reports that Elmwood Township received $400,000 for its planned Cherry Bend Road trail, which is expected to break ground in 2027.

Pictured, Top Row L-R: Elberta Waterfront Community Conservation Project, The Ridge (photo credit: Rick Kane), the VASA Trail. Bottom Row L-R: Three Mile Trail map, Holiday Woodlands Natural Area, Cedar Run Creek Natural Area.