4,500 acres in Keweenaw Co.
Map courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
This map shows the acreage to be purchased by the DNR from TNC.
KEWEENAW COUNTY – The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are preparing to finalize a 4,500-acre land transfer valued at $4.9 million, according to Rich Bowman, director of policy for TNC in Lansing.
According to a Michigan Department of Natural Resources land transaction memorandum released in July, this acquisition is the first phase of a larger purchase project negotiated in partnership with TNC. Immediately following the close of the initial 4,500-acre parcel, the state will execute the second phase of the deal to absorb the remaining 5,476 acres. The dual transactions will successfully transition the far western Upper Peninsula acreage from transitional nonprofit custody into permanent state-managed public hands.
“It’s 10,000 acres altogether. There are two separate purchase agreements, so this is the first one,” Bowman said. “The second one we’ll do next month at the NRC meeting, and we’ll plan on closing on both of them at the same time, after we’ve signed the purchase agreements.”
The Phase I lands are located within the historic and ancestral territory of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, the memorandum states. This purchase will protect species that are culturally important to Tribes in Michigan, including large cedar and spruce riparian forests. The lands contain both historic and modern areas of importance to Indigenous People, including those associated with copper mining, seasonal hunting, fishing, trapping, and gathering, and spiritual practices.
The property consists of rugged rocky terrain with hardwood and coniferous wooded vegetation throughout, the memorandum says. The property is home to the Montreal River and Vulcan and Cooper Creeks. These high-gradient, cold-water streams are rare in the Great Lakes Basin and provide habitat to fish and aquatic invertebrate communities that require highly oxygenated water.
The DNR memorandum says the Phase I land, adjacent to the Copper Country State Forest to the south and east, Fort Wilkins State Park to the North, and Phase II lands currently controlled by TNC to the west, this acquisition significantly expands refuge for large-range mammals like moose, black bear, deer and gray wolf. This acquisition consolidates DNR opportunities to consolidate ownership and unify management practices over thousands of acres of protected lands, preserving movement and migration corridors for wildlife
The subsequent purchase of Phase II, will consolidate DNR land holdings in the Keweenaw Peninsula for natural resource-based recreation. This purchase enables comprehensive management of several state designated recreation trails including snowmobile, ORV, mountain bike trails, as well as providing ample opportunities for other recreation opportunities including hunting, fishing, hiking, paddle sports, wildlife viewing and winter sports.
Bowman said the DNR has secured the funding to purchase both parcels. According to the DNR memorandum, funding came from grants through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.
The massive land transfer splits the Keweenaw Heartlands into two distinct management systems. While the state takes over the 10,000-acre northern tip for active timber management and recreation, a separate 21,000-acre tract will soon be governed by the newly minted Keweenaw Heartlands Recreational & Natural Resources Authority.
Bowman said it is hoped the transfers can be finalized before winter.
“We’re actually hoping to get all 10,000 acres done this fall,” he said.
The Phase I purchase should be completed this month, said Bowman. The second purchase will likely be presented to the Natural Resources Commission at its September meeting and both will finalized at the same time.
“Hopefully, sometime in October of this year,” he said, “the 100,000 acres moves from (being owned by) TNC to the DNR.”
Julia Petersen, executive director of the Keweenaw Heartlands Project, said the transfer seems to be moving ahead smoothly toward a late fall completion.
“That’s the general hope right now, and I think we’re looking good for that, but we want to manage expectations,” she said. “We would rather under-promise and over-perform.”
Bowman is adamant that TNC follows through on its stated commitments.
“We’re trying to finish up what we said we were going to do,” said Bowman.
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