Large Michigan forest parcel purchased for conservation

A big land purchase by The Nature Conservancy on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula was the second major conservation move in the state this fall. The 31,000-acre purchase (made up of large blocks of contiguous land) followed closely the earlier announcement of a 29,000 acres in the Eastern Upper Peninsula.

The seller of the Keweenaw parcel was The Rohatyn Group (TRG), a private equity fund based in New York. TNC closed on the acquisition of 22,700 acres from TRG and has entered into a purchase agreement for an additional 8,900 acres scheduled to close by the end of the calendar year.

“The Keweenaw Peninsula is at the heart of one of the most beautiful and culturally significant landscapes in Michigan, rich with forests, wildlife, cascading rivers, lakes and wetlands,” said Helen Taylor, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Michigan. “It is an honor to partner with the local community, the State of Michigan and generous supporters to purchase these acres, protecting the land so it can be enjoyed by people for generations to come. We thank TRG for providing the opportunity to protect these lands.”

The Nature Conservancy announcement of the purchase agreement described the geographic significance of the area as follows: “Formed from one-billion-year-old lava flows and shaped by glacial ice and the waves of the largest freshwater lake in the world—Lake Superior—the Keweenaw Peninsula is one of the most unfragmented, climate-resilient forested and freshwater areas of the central United States”.

“With the completion of the acquisition by year end, TNC will acquire the land’s mineral rights, trails and historical structures. The land will remain open to the public under the Michigan Commercial Forest Program and on community tax rolls,” the announcement said.

Here’s the full announcement: https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/michigan-keweenaw-31000-acres-protected/