Gov. Whitmer signs Markkanen bills supporting Keweenaw Heartlands preservation efforts

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this month signed three bills, championed by state Rep.  Greg Markkanen, that allows the Keweenaw Heartlands community to create a recreational forest authority board tailored to the unique economic, social, and cultural needs of the Keweenaw community.

“I am very grateful for Senate and House support for this legislation that transforms public land management in Keweenaw County,” said Markkanen, R-Hancock. “The Keweenaw has some of the most incredible natural resources in the country; I’m glad to have cleared the way for our local communities to take meaningful steps to protect those resources for generations to come. County residents will be directly involved by voting for board members that reflect the priorities of county residents. Implementing this sort of direct local control for conservation means our Keweenaw Community will be solely responsible for looking after our precious resources.”

The legislation – House Bills 4694, 4695, and 4798 – only applies to counties with fewer than 4,000, currently only Keweenaw County in the U.P. The plan specifically supports the Keweenaw Heartlands project, an effort to safeguard more than 20,000 acres of forestland, rivers and streams, and wetlands.

“The entire Keweenaw Community and U.P. team really came together to get this legislation over the finish line,” Markkanen said. “Between the thoughtful, robust support we received from Senator McBroom and his team to the community partners helping support the effort like the The Nature Conservancy in Michigan and the Keweenaw Community Foundation, we were able to show the whole of state government how important the Keweenaw Heartlands project truly is. I would also like to thank Governor Whitmer for signing these bills into law.” 

Through Markkanen’s new law, officials in the Keweenaw will be able to create a recreational authority to manage public forests with a focus on recreation and commercial natural resource goals. Before the change in law, municipalities were required to prioritize forestry over recreation in their municipal-owned forests.

The creation of a recreational authority will also make the Keweenaw Heartlands project eligible for state funding regarding land preservation and outdoor access.

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