The state of Michigan is set to purchase 4,494 acres of forestland near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
The state is planning to buy the land from The Nature Conservancy for more than $4.9 million.
The project is an effort to prevent the land from being purchased for private development.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said this acquisition is the first of two phases that were negotiated in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. Shortly after purchasing the land as an interim owner, The Nature Conservancy partnered with the DNR and local community groups to determine the best land ownership solution.
Julia Petersen is the Keweenaw Peninsula Project Manager for The Nature Conservancy.
She said when the land was put up for sale in 2021, some Keweenaw residents were highly concerned about the land’s future.
“It was about 15% of the county’s mainland footprint. And individuals in the community, they wrote the state, they wrote the governor, leaders on the county board were very concerned,” said Petersen.
Petersen said for generations, the land has been accessible to the public for hiking, biking, hunting, fishing and snowmobiling. She said when the land was up for sale, residents feared they would be losing access to these features.
However, Petersen said residents and visitors now have no need to worry.
“The whole intent of this project from the very beginning was to protect the natural and cultural features and to ensure access for the public remains,” said Petersen.
The purchase will also protect tribal lands and historic features that have existed for hundreds of years.
“It is the ancestral and contemporary homelands of the Ojibwe. It is an area that has a rich several thousand year old copper mining history,” said Petersen. “In the last 150 years, the copper mining history here was critical to our broader country, its development and electrification.”
Tori Irving, a DNR public land specialist, said the biggest change about this acquisition is the switch in management.
“One of the biggest things, like five to ten years out, is it will undergo a management change. Having it held in the public trust will prevent any fragmentation or any private purchases,” said Irving.
The DNR said this phase of the acquisition process is essential for maintaining local economic well-being. A filing from the DNR states approximately 327,000 overnight visitors come to the region yearly, along with an additional 100,000 day-only visitors. According to the U of M Economic Growth Institute, visitors contribute $38 million in value to Keweenaw County’s economy.
Once both phases are complete, the state will have ownership of nearly 10,000 acres of land. The sale of the land in phase one is projected to be finalized in the coming months.
