More than 247,000 acres
MARQUETTE -- There was cause for celebration Friday morning at the Marquette Presque Isle Pavilion in Marquette. The Northern Great Lakes Forest Project, a record setting conservation easement totaling more than 247,000 acres across the U.P., was completed.
The conservation easement ensures permanent public access for hunting, fishing, hiking, and cross country skiing in areas stretching from Gogebic to Chippewa County. It also keeps the land open to sustainable forestry activities while prohibiting other forms of industry or development.
"This has been a project we've been working on for the last decade is to buy fee simple and conservation easement ownership across a mosaic of land ownership in the U.P., and it's a huge deal so we're very pleased, and we think this is an appropriate place to celebrate it right here in the Upper Peninsula," said Rebecca Humphries, DNRE Director.The easement was obtained in six phases over nearly eight years, supported by $16 million in funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and over $9 million from the USFS Forest Legacy program.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC