73K Acres, Mt Arvon Protected in UP

Michigamee Highlands view (photo from Michigan DNR)

from Michigan DNR

This is obviously not in west Michigan, but it is huge news for state recreation, protecting an important landmark.

The Michigan DNR has secured a $20 million conservation easement to permanently protect 73,000 acres in the Michigamme Highlands, guaranteeing public access to the Upper Peninsula wilderness and the summit of Mt. Arvon. Mt. Arvon is the traditional high point of the state, although recent surveys suggest that Mt. Curwood is inches higher.

The summit of Mt. Arvon will never be logged, preserving it to become old growth forest. The remainder of the acres will be managed for sustainable forestry. Michigamme Highlands includes more than 37 miles of rivers, 220 miles of perennial and intermittent streams, 96 ponds and lakes and over 13,600 acres of wetlands.

Lyme Timber, owner, says this conservation easement protects the land from being divided – it can not be parceled off and sold away in small tracts.

The conservation easement will ensure permanent public recreational access to these lands for hunting, fishing, kayaking, biking, skiing, snowmobiling, designated ORV use, camping and hiking. The property shares 70 miles of border with state and federal lands.

See info and map


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Keweenaw Mountain Lodge - First Winter Season

Keweenaw Mountain Lodge (photo from the Mountain Lodge web site)

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based on a news article at Cross Country Skier

For the first time in its 75-year history, the Mountain Lodge at Copper Harbor will be open for winter. Although this blog primarily focuses on lower West Michigan, this would be an extraordinary value for a mid-week winter vacation, with prices as low as $75 a night Sunday- Thursday.

Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, a toboggan run, an ice rink, snowboard Terrain Park and weekend events are all available to create opportunities for everyone.

Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is surrounded by hundreds of wooded acres, with 13 km of professionally groomed ski trails. Snowshoers have not been neglected or simply pushed to the side of the ski trails. There are 25 km of additional trails, just for snowshoeing. The trails were designed by the International Mountain Biking Association this past summer.

The snowboard terrain park is fully lit for night use, as well as daytime. The park enhances the recreational value of the whole area, as it will draw additional winter sports enthusiasts.

See Keweenaw Mountain Lodge
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Michigan's UP Becoming Less Wild and Free

Michigan's wild UP photo from Michigan Technical University report

Whether Yoopers or Trolls (those who live north of the Mackinac Bridge, or "under" it), Michiganders love the wildness of the vast undeveloped forests of the Upper Peninsula.

Central to all that is the UP are its forests: vast tracts of forestlands that are the linchpins of the region’s economy, natural resources and rugged identity.

Yet in 2005 and 2006 a million acres of privately owned UP forest changed hands. The Upper Peninsula’s unique identity could be changing as commercial forest ownership changes signal a break with the past, according to a report released December 12 by university researchers and conservation groups in Michigan.

For the past century the typical large landowner in the UP was directly tied to forest products industries (vertically integrated timber product companies). Now the largest holders of UP forests are Timber investment management organizations and real estate investment trusts. What this means is that economic considerations will drive use rather than sustainability.

Of particular concern in the report are "higher and better use" forestlands- those in proximity to assets such as lakes, rivers and roads. These locations might become more prone to parcelization than under previous owners.

"Our research shows that the sprawling forest tracts that have long been part of the UP’s allure are already getting smaller and more fragmented," said Robert Froese, of the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science at Michigan Technological University. "Lands along Great Lakes shoreline and along streams and rivers are increasingly owned by small private interests and therefore less accessible to the public." Typically, once ownership patterns head down this path public access becomes more limited.

The report offers 22 recommendations, grouped under four strategies, to maintain sustainable ownership and management of the UP’s forests while encouraging economic, recreational and conservation opportunities. The recommendations range from policy initiatives and education at the local and state levels to economic stimuli for forest products and industries.

The report, "Large-tract Forestland Ownership Change: Land Use, Conservation and Prosperity in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula" is a cooperative venture of Michigan Technological University, Michigan State University, the Michigan Environmental Council, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Upper Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development Council. The project was funded by People and Land, a program of the Kellogg Foundation administered by the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University.

news release of the Michigan Environmental Council, "Tradition of public access to UP forests threatened by ownership changes", Dec 12, 2007
See the full report: "Large-tract Forestland Ownership Change: Land Use, Conservation and Prosperity in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula", a 54 page pdf document
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