In The News

Rep. Bill Huizenga: Trails, national forests on snowmobile tour are 'Pure Michigan'
MLive - Muskegon Chronicle
February 20, 2013

MERRILL TOWNSHIP, MI – Deep into the snowy Manistee National Forest, there's a bar and grill with great brick-oven pizza.

It's a little out-of-the-way – unless you're on a snow machine in the forest's trail system. Then, it's pretty handy.

On a snowmobile tour into easily-missed corners of his district on Wednesday, Feb. 20, U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, stopped at five businesses that rely on trail systems in state and national forest land. He said the tour was meant to show what National Forest trails mean to local communities like Merrill.

Huizenga said he'd like to show some members of Congress more of Michigan than they see in "Pure Michigan" commercials. On Wednesday, there was plenty to see: His snowmobile convoy ran into wildlife.

"A bald eagle swooped down not 10 feet off the ground," he said, joking that the event had been coordinated for his benefit.

At Woody's Bar & Grill in Merrill Township on Wednesday afternoon, he met with local officials and rode snowmobiles with locals.

Newaygo County Treasurer Holly Moon showed Huizenga a plan she had been working on with federal officials. She said having Huizenga visit the area is a lot easier than meeting government officials elsewhere.

"When they come to us, it's a lot easier than going to Lansing or Washington," she said.

A trail connecting trail systems in Baldwin and the West Michigan Lakeshore has been proposed by the Baldwin/White Cloud District of the Huron-Manistee National Forest.

"It's all about the movement," Huizenga said. "The key is making sure people can get back and forth."

Huizenga has toured his Second Congressional District on snowmobiles once before, in 2011. A trademark of his predecessor, Pete Hoekstra, was regularly campaigning on summer bicycle tours.

Huizenga admitted to not growing up with snowmobiles -- in fact, he might be more at home dancing on a ballroom floor -- but said he's always been fascinated by snowmobiles his cousins and extended family had. On Friday, he and one of his staff switched between rented Polaris and Ski-Doo snowmobiles.

"We get a more unusual way of seeing constituents," he said. "They get to see me in something other than a suit."