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09/06/2006Some owners may lose lake accessGAYLORD — Homeowners who live across state Highway 27 from Mullett Lake may be losing some of their lake access now that a proposed snowmobile trail is planned for the area. Longtime users of the land between the lake and the former railroad tracks may have to vacate areas because they'd be trespassing on state land where the new trail would run, said Lynne Boyd, chief of forests, minerals and fire management for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Some of the property owners built or placed structures and docks in the trail right-of-way over the years, and those items must be removed, she said. "Some (people) have legal access, but a very narrow strip, so they may actually be occupying the trail. If they have legal access to the water, we are not trying to end that," Boyd said. She said residents near the lake can walk over the trail to swim, but the trail must be kept clear of permanent items. Dawn Bodnar lives along the highway near Topinabee and said her family, like many of their neighbors, received notices from the state to vacate any area where they'd be trespassing on state land. "We all got the notices and pretty much ripped them right up," she said. Steve Lakin, of Livonia, is considering buying a house on the opposite side of the highway from the lake, north of Topinabee. He said the property deed includes water access rights, and a conversation with a local real estate agent left him worried about how a new trail would affect that access. "This particular area where I'm looking has a clear area separate from the old railroad track, which is raised up," he said. Lakin said he was glad to hear that Boyd assured legal water access rights would be maintained and only trespassers evicted. The question for a lot of homeowners is what property the state owns and what property is privately held. Nevertheless, there are significant trespass problems in that area, Boyd said. "We've been working hard to resolve those issues," she said.
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