Congratulations to The Nature Conservancy's Michigan office and director Helen Taylor, for this enormous accomplishment.
AP Exclusive: Deal reached to protect 271,000 acres in U.P.
January 5, 2005, 6:34 PM
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- Two years after losing a bidding war over a mammoth tract of Upper Peninsula timberland, conservationists and state officials have struck a deal that will keep most of the property open for public recreation, The Associated Press has learned.
The $57.9 million agreement is the biggest land-protection project in Michigan history, said Helen Taylor, state director of The Nature Conservancy, which spearheaded the deal with financial backing from the state government and private foundations.
It covers 271,000 acres in eight counties, or 423 square miles -- an area larger than the surface of Lake St. Clair. Most will continue to be owned by The Forestland Group LLC, a timber investment group that bought it in 2002. But the land will be placed under a conservation easement that assures continued public access and sharply limits development.
An ecological treasure trove, the sprawling landscape features some of Michigan's most spectacular forests and inland waterways, including more than 300 lakes and 516 miles of rivers and streams. Most of the land is in the northeastern Upper Peninsula, but the deal also includes parcels in Marquette County and near the Porcupine Mountains State Park on the western end.
**************
More tomorrow.
Posted by Dave at January 5, 2005 11:45 PM