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New Administrator Announced
June 5, 2023
NEW IRON ORE HERITAGE RECREATION AUTHORITY
TRAIL ADMINISTRATOR HIRED
Marquette, MI –The Iron Ore Heritage Recreation Authority has hired Bob Hendrickson as the next Administrator for the Authority. Mr. Hendrickson will succeed Carol Fulsher, the current Administrator, who will retire on December 31, 2023. Mr. Hendrickson will start in the summer of 2023 to work with Ms. Fulsher on the transition.
The Iron Ore Heritage Recreation Authority started in 2007 with the purpose of building, managing, and maintaining the 47-mile, multi-use, year-round trail reaching from Republic to Chocolay. Since 2007, over $6 million in grant funds have been secured, along with local millage monies, to build, manage, maintain, and interpret our iron mining heritage through the linear rail trail. In 2023, the IOHRA was successful in securing additional grant funds to extend the trail to Lakenenland, making the trail 52 miles.
Bob Hendrickson, the current Executive Director of the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Chamber of Commerce, has been involved with local trail advocacy for over 25 years. He published the U.P. Mountain Biking Magazine, managed the trail corridor for the Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic, and was appointed Negaunee’s representative to the IOHRA when Jim Thomas, the first Chair of the organization, retired. As the current E.D. of the GINCC, he has valuable connections with local businesses and organizations and governmental entities and realized the impact the IOHT has on local communities. He was also recently appointed to the State of Michigan’s Nonmotorized Advisory Workgroup.
Hendrickson adds, “I look forward to maintaining and enhancing the IOHT for the communities it serves. Not only being a recreational corridor, but also connecting and representing the municipalities it travels though,” Hendrickson said, “The Iron Ore Heritage Trail is a very unique asset to Marquette County. I am honored to be involved with its stewardship. Carol Fulsher has done an amazing job bringing this trail to life with interpretation, accessibility and longevity. I can only see this corridor becoming more integral to Marquette County as time passes on.”
Bob holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations with a Journalism minor from Northern Michigan University and is actively engaged with many local groups including the Ishpeming Ski club, the Negaunee Lions Club, Negaunee Irontown Association, the Noquemanon Trail Network and the Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic. More importantly, however, is his devotion to trails and their impact on our mental and physical health. As an active user and trail builder, Bob will put his knowledge to use to maintain the 52-mile trail system.
Lauren Luce, the IOHRA Hiring Committee spokesperson and IOHRA Board Member, relays, “We interviewed several excellent candidates for this multi-faceted position and are pleased that Bob has accepted our offer and we will work with him to make the transition as smooth as possible. We understand how important the IOHT is to the community and believe Bob will be passionate about the role and commit to the undertaking of managing this trail for the diverse users and its interpretive elements.”
For more information, contact Carol Fulsher at 906-235-2923 or ironoreheritage@gmail.com.