Help Ocqueoc Falls and DNR win the people's choice award by viewing and "liking" YouTube video
March 26, 2013
Ocqueoc Falls Bicentennial Pathway, administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is up for a prestigious people�s choice Leo Award, and we need your help to win!
Help us get the most "likes" by clicking here, viewing the video and �liking� before April 7:
The pathway, located in northeastern Lower Peninsula, is one of 15 global finalists for the 2013 da Vinci Award. This award recognizes technologies that help people overcome physical limitations. Universally accessible improvements at the pathway have earned it the finalist status, scoring big for accessible outdoor recreation in Michigan. Although the Michigan Chapter of National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the presenters of the da Vinci Award, decide the final winner, the society empowers people to decide the winner of another prestigious recognition, the people�s choice Leo Award, open to all 15 da Vinci Award finalists.
Ocqueoc Falls, located between Onaway and Rogers City, showcases four scenic trails through hardwood forests, picnic areas, campground and the only publicly-owned waterfall in Michigan�s Lower Peninsula. The paved trail from the parking lot to the waterfall was widened to comfortably allow groups of travelers, including people who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices, to pass through. To make the bluff�the historical route to the river� accessible, transfer platforms were installed at the top and bottom of the bluff and strategically placed cut rock was installed in between to create three routs of various challenge levels. Additionally, a recycled, plastic decked ramp, compliant with ADA requirements, leads to a transfer station into the falls�a series of tiered flat rocks that allows someone to transfer from a wheelchair, down the rocks, to the water�s edge and into the water.
These features enable nearly everyone to get right into the falls, including twelve-year-old C.J. Blackwell from Grand Rapids. He took advantage of the accessibility improvements last summer by tackling the accessible rock climbing wall, allowing him to play along with other children right in the falls. Meet C.J. in the video, and then �like� it to help this amazing pathway win the Leo Award!