FILL THE GAP - Help Repair the Trail Washout

Fill The Gap - Donate to Repair the Trail Washout in Rochester

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In July 2024, after a series of torrential rains, a catastrophic washout occurred on the Clinton River Trail (CRT) near Mile Marker 1/2 in Rochester. The washout has necessitated the long-term closure of the trail from Rochester Junction to Dequindre. Now, Friends of the Clinton River Trail (FCRT) is asking for your help in rebuilding the trail!

Over a 100-FOOT-LONG gap, roughly 12-feet deep, resulted when over a million gallons of water from the pond where the heron rookery resides broke through the trail embankment and washed away nearly everything in its path. The white fluffy dots in the photo are heron nests.

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Many CRT users have already expressed their concern over the trail and the adjoining heron rookery. Be assured numerous entities are coordinating their efforts to reconstruct our beloved trail and the natural beauty that surrounds it. To date, FCRT has actively assisted the City of Rochester to:

Determine an appropriate alternate route
Prepare Detour Route signage and banners
Post Detour Route updates on FCRT’s socials
Explore potential grant funding sources

Although the exact cost of reconstruction is still unknown, it will ultimately be a multi-million dollar project. This is where you can play a key role. Many potential funding sources look for evidence of solid public commitment to justify their investment. The more voices supporting the project the better. Your donation, no matter how large or small, shows that support.

Together we can “Fill the Gap” both in needed funding and to restore our beautiful Clinton River Trail, which is also uniquely situated at the crossroads of both the Great Lake to Lake Trail-Route 1 and Michigan’s Iron Belle Trail-Biking Route.

Donations can be made to Community Foundation of Greater Rochester using the button below. We also take check donations to our PO box at the bottom of this email.

Donate

Friends of the Clinton River Trail appreciates your support. If you have interest in becoming more involved with the Friends, our meetings are always open to the public and usually held the last Tuesday of the month (December excepted) at 7:00 p.m. at the Auburn Hills Community Center. Please check the FCRT website clintonrivertrail.org for up-to-date information.