MML November/December 2022 Review Magazine

The parking lot of the Railroad Depot Park in Ironwood serves as the trailhead for the region’s massive network of recreational trails for hikers, cross-country skiers, snowmobilers, mountain bikers, and ATV-ers.

Community Wealth Building One of the pillars of community wealth building is public health. The goal of this pillar is to focus on increasing health impacts and fostering the human experience in public life. There are many ways communities can implement projects that will improve human health. The many trails that encompass our U.P. are a great example of this. At the surface, the utilization of these trails improves the fitness and general cardiovascular health of those who use them. Along with benefiting physical health, exercise also positively impacts mental health (as well as the additional benefit of Vitamin D exposure from being outdoors). Trails aid in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle for the whole body and mind; they provide opportunity for exercise, recreation, and rejuvenation. U.P. municipalities, including Ironwood and Negaunee, have submitted their trails projects as a part of the League’s Community Excellence Awards. Ironwood won the Community Excellence Award Cup in 2013 for its Railroad Depot Park project. The Community Excellence Awards highlight and celebrate the projects across the state that are making our communities thrive. Morgan Schwanky is a content developer for the League. You may contact her at 734.669.6320 or mschwanky@mml.org.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022

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THE REVIEW