Our goal – with your support – is to Build a footbridge that spans the Boardman River where Sabin Dam once provided an east-west crossing

This 200-foot long bridge will allow visitors to experience Grand Traverse County’s Natural Education Reserve (NER) in an entirely new way through direct access to trails on the other side of the river and access to the Great Lakes Incubator Farm.

Providing the missing connection to over 50 miles of trails beyond the NER, the Sabin Footbridge will create a higher-quality recreational experience for the community - hikers and bikers from the west side of the river will be able to access TART’s Boardman River Trail to the south which leads into the Boardman River Valley or head north into Medalie Park, around Boardman Lake, and will even be able to access trails up the peninsulas. This pedestrian bridge, which will be designed so that wildlife can pass beneath it while allowing the river to flow unimpeded, will also provide a safer experience for anglers to access both up and downstream.

Our vision is that the NER will one day be a popular destination like City of Traverse City’s Brown Bridge Quiet Area, with the Boardman River as a centerpiece framed by a healthy riverbank, trees at various stages of succession, and a trail loop that is well-known and loved by hikers, anglers, paddlers, and other local adventurers.