# Michigan's Ocqueoc Falls up for a people's choice Leo Award



## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

March 27, 2013

_*Cast your vote by viewing and "liking" YouTube video by April 7*_

Michigan has much to celebrate, yet a bit more work to do. Finalists for the 2013 da Vinci Award, recognizing assistive and adaptive technologies that play an important role in helping people overcome physical limitations, have been announced - and the results score big for accessible outdoor recreation. Universally accessible improvements at Ocqueoc Falls Bicentennial Pathway, located between Onaway and Rogers City in the northeastern Lower Peninsula, has earned the status as a 2013 da Vinci Award finalist.

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.

Each finalist's short YouTube video is showcased on the da Vinci Awards YouTube site, including Ocqueoc Falls Bicentennial Pathway. *The video with the most "likes" and views through midnight on April 7 wins the coveted Leo Award.* View the video at http://bit.ly/leoaward and "like" it to help this fantastic, accessible waterfall and park (and people of all abilities who can now experience it) win the coveted award.

The da Vinci Award, since its inception in 2001, has become a prestigious international forum for the most innovative developments and research in adaptive and assistive technology, celebrating people who triumph over disabilities and recognizing those who have developed new technologies and innovations that enhance mobility. Finalists representing the United States and United Kingdom were chosen from entries received from around the world. The winner of the da Vinci Award and the Leo Award will be announced at the April 11 awards gala at the Ford Conference and Event Center in Dearborn, Mich.

Ocqueoc Falls Bicentennial Pathway, administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), provides accessible opportunities, a criterion for the da Vinci Award. This state forest trail showcases four scenic trails through hardwood forests, picnic areas, campground and the only publicly owned waterfall in Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

"Unlike many waterfalls - where you have to be content to just stand alongside and gaze at their beauty - Ocqueoc invites you right in," said Ron Olson, chief of the DNR's Parks and Recreation Division. "With four small rapids and a pool of cool water just perfect for splashing, people feel the urge to get in the water."

Courtesy of grants from the Michigan Natural Resource Trust Fund, the Recreation Improvement Fund and the Recreation Trails Program, as well as work by the DNR and Accessiblity Advisory Council, just about anyone can get right into the water and enjoy the spectacular view and refreshing feel of the falls. That's because Ocqueoc Falls, one of the only truly universally accessible waterfall in the nation, underwent an amazing accessibility and nature-minded transformation in 2012. All of the accessibility work was done to meet or exceed the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, but many of the design features are inclusive and universally accessible, meaning easier to use by people of all abilities.

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 routes 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. Two picnic areas were surfaced with accessible crushed limestone and outfitted with accessible-designed picnic tables. Even the grill height was adjusted.

"We designed a universally accessible opportunity for people to enjoy every element of the falls," Olson said. "The tiered climbing rocks and transfer stations allow anyone to enjoy the climbing experience and we have armored the bluff to reduce erosion. Ocqueoc Falls will be accessible to everyone for many generations to come."

Learn more about this inviting, accessible natural resource by visiting the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/ocqueocfalls.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.











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