Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park
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MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Sunrise over Grand Traverse Bay at Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN DRAFT FEBRUARY 2021 Prepared with the assistance of PLAN APPROVALS East Arm Grand Traverse Bay !@ !i 9! ºI m? !7 != 9! Pedestrian Bridge Three Mile Rd !? !i !@ !_ Campground !_ ! _ Mitchell Creek East Branch Mitchell Creek* Business Park Rd TRAVERSE CITY STATE PARK GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 0 0.07 0.1 5 Miles Draft Management Zones *Estimated geometry based on heads-up digitization (1 :250) using Data Sources: Michigan CGI Data Library, Michigan Department of Natural Resources 201 7 1 -foot aerial imagery (Michigan Imagery Solutions) D a te : 3 /3 /2 0 2 0 Traverse City State Park Boundary Natural Resource Recreation =" Modern Lodge State Roads Developed Recreation -! Modern Campground Roads Administrative Services !_ Toilet / Shower Railroad TAR T Tr a i l 9" Playground Trails Fence Line Mini Cabin Rivers / Streams !7 Beach House Group Camping Reffitt Nature Preserve !@ Contact Station ? Park Headquarters This project was directed by Deborah Jensen, Management Plan Administrator, Department of Natural Resources, DNR Parks & Recreation Division with assistance from Beckett & Raeder, Inc. PLAN APPROVALS: DNR Chief, Parks & Recreation Division Date DNR Natural Resources Deputy Date DNR Director, Department of Natural Resources Date PLAN APPROVALS PLAN APPROVAL RECOMMENDATIONS The following dates reference when the plans were presented for recommendation. In some instances, additional time was allotted for plan review following the presentation with subsequent approval received by email. PRD - Section Chiefs Date DNR - Resource Management Bureau Date MSPAC - Stewardship Subcommittee Date NRC - Michigan State Parks Advisory Committee Date PLAN APPROVALS Place holder for Resolution TABLE OF CONTENTS General Management Plan Executive Summary ............................................... 1 Significance of Traverse City State Park ........................................................ 2 Twenty-Year Management Zones ................................................................. 3 Ten-Year Action Goals ................................................................................... 4 Chapter One: Core Values & Guiding Resources ............................................... 5 1.1 Mission Statements ............................................................................... 5 1.2 Guiding References ................................................................................ 5 1.3 Summary of Legal Mandates ................................................................. 7 Chapter Two: Plan Process Overview ............................................................... 9 2.1 Planning Objectives ............................................................................... 9 2.2 Planning Process .................................................................................... 9 2.3 Planning Team ..................................................................................... 10 2.4 Summary of Input Opportunities ......................................................... 10 2.5 Resilience Planning ............................................................................... 12 Chapter Three: Purpose and Significance ....................................................... 13 3.1 Purpose of Traverse City State Park ...................................................... 13 3.2 Statements of Significance .................................................................. 13 3.3 Public Affirmation of Significance ......................................................... 14 3.4 Community Connection ........................................................................ 15 Chapter Four: Management Zones ................................................................. 16 4.1 Project Boundary .................................................................................. 16 4.2 Natural Resource Recreation Zone ....................................................... 19 4.3 Developed Recreation Zone ................................................................ 20 4.4 Administrative Services Zone ............................................................... 21 Chapter Five: Ten-Year Action Goals ............................................................... 23 5.1 Action Goals Summary ......................................................................... 24 Chapter Six: Implementation Strategy ........................................................... 29 6.1 Implementation Toolbox ...................................................................... 29 6.2 Documentation of Changes .................................................................. 30 6.3 Documentation of Accomplishments ................................................... 30 6.4 Five-Year Review Process ...................................................................... 30 TABLE OF CONTENTS Appendix A: Supporting Analysis ..................................................................A-1 A.1 Park Overview .....................................................................................A-1 A.2 Demographics .....................................................................................A-2 A.3 Regional Recreation Resources ...........................................................A-4 A.4 History of Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park ............................A-9 A.5 Land Ownership ................................................................................A-10 A.6 Legal Mandates .................................................................................A-12 A.7 Landscape Context and Natural Resources .......................................A-13 A.8 Recreational Resources .....................................................................A-16 A.9 Historic and Cultural Resources ........................................................A-17 A.10 Programming and Events ................................................................A-17 A.11 Park Use Statistics ...........................................................................A-18 Appendix B: Public and Stakeholder Input ....................................................B-1 B.1 Project Website ..................................................................................B-1 B.2 Summary of Public Input Survey .........................................................B-1 B.3 Summary of Stakeholder Input Workshop ..........................................B-7 B.4 Tribal Communication .......................................................................B-13 B.5 Public Input Survey Data ...................................................................B-15 B.6 Summary of Draft Plan Public Input ..................................................B-43 Appendix C: Opinion of Probable Costs ......................................................... C-1 C.1 State Park Funding ...............................................................................C-1 C.2 Estimated Cost of Proposed Developments ........................................C-1 Appendix D: On-Site Survey Report ..............................................................D-1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY View into campground from pedestrian bridge over US-31 KEITH J. CHARTERS TRAVERSE CITY STATE PARK EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A modern campsite with bicycles, picnic tables, and a hammock General Management Plan Executive Summary Keith J. Charters Traverse City (hereafter “Traverse City”) State unique resources, and to provide access to land and water Park is a 79-acre park located three miles from downtown based public recreation and educational opportunities.” The Traverse City. The park was established in 1920 and its name management plan brings together DNR staff, stakeholders, was changed from Traverse City State Park to Keith J. Charters and the public into a process that defines the following for the Traverse City State Park in 2011 in honor of the former chair state park: of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission. The park features a quarter-mile of Lake Michigan shoreline (along • Purpose and significance that captures the unique identity of Traverse City State Park; Grand Traverse Bay), a designated swimming area, seasonal kayak and paddleboard rentals, a modern campground and • Twenty-year management zone plan, reflecting the resource protection goals and level of development lodge, a playground, and 29 acres of undeveloped woodland appropriate for different areas of the park; and wetlands purchased in 2011. Mitchell Creek, a stream with a naturally reproducing trout population, runs through • Ten-year action goals that address the desired future condition within the park as a whole and within each of the park and outlets into Lake Michigan at the west end of the the designated management zones. beach, which adjoins land owned by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. The 87-acre Reffitt Nature The supporting analysis, included as Appendix A of this plan, Preserve to the south of the park, across the railroad tracks provides important background information on Traverse City and the regional non-motorized Traverse Area Recreation State Park that informs this planning initiative. It includes a Trail (TART), is owned by the Grand Traverse Regional Land comprehensive review of the park setting, area demographics, Conservancy and provides additional recreation opportunities history, land ownership,