GRAYLING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is seeking information regarding vandalism done to the Mason Tract Pathway in southeast Crawford County.
According to the DNR, gates and barriers near the Chapel and Castle sites were removed or vandalized in late April. The sites are popular among hikers, canoeists and others using the Au Sable River.
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A truck was also driven across a newly seeded and stabilized pathway and left deep ruts on the pathway, the DNR said. It’s unclear whether the incidents were related.
Susan Thiel, the DNR’s Grayling Forest Unit manager, said these types of incidents have been on the rise.
Repairs on the pathway have started. Friends of the Mason Tract and AmeriCorps members serving with the DNR have filled in the ruts and reseeded the area, and a new gate will be installed.
“Michigan’s natural resources are here for everyone to enjoy,” Thiel said. “To see intentional damage in special places like the Mason Tract Pathway is disheartening.”
Information about the damage can be reported to Thiel at 989-348-6371 ext. 7440 or by calling or texting the DNR’s Report All Poaching line at 1-800-292-7800.
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