Here is the full story filed by AP's John Flesher on the massive land deal that will protect a large area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Again, the Nature Conservancy of Michigan deserves enormous credit for the patient negotiations to make this happen. So does Michigan's Constitutionally-protected Natural Resources Trust Fund, which is providing millions of dollars in public funds to help complete the deal. The Trust Fund is the best idea Michigan ever had.
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By JOHN FLESHER
Associated Press Writer
¶ 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.
¶ "Michigan is literally defined by its environmental treasures," said
Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who took part in behind-the-scenes negotiations
that produced the deal. "Thanks to the vision of this project, in 100
years the Upper Peninsula's majestic trees and breathtaking shorelines
... will still be a reality, not just a memory."
¶ A news conference was scheduled for Thursday in Lansing to announce
the deal, which was signed Dec. 22. Chris Zinkhan, managing director of
The Forestland Group, confirmed Wednesday in a phone interview the deal
had been reached.
¶ The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, which buys land for
public recreation with royalties from state mineral rights leases, has
set aside $10 million toward funding the plan. Other big contributors
include and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which is giving $10
million, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which added $5 million.
¶ "It's a substantially large grant for us," said Marilyn Lefeber,
vice president for communications for the Mott Foundation.
¶ The final $18.5 million committed under the deal hasn't been raised,
Taylor said. Additional grants are being sought from the federal
government and other foundations.
¶ The land is part of an even larger tract _ totaling 390,000 acres in
10 counties _ previously owned by a mining company and later by
investors. The Kamehameha Schools Trust of Hawaii sold it in 2002 to The
Forestland Group, based in Chapel Hill, N.C. Zinkhan would not divulge
the purchase price.
¶ A coalition led by Michigan officials and The Nature Conservancy
made an unsuccessful bid. After their high-profile campaign failed, the
group quietly began talks with the new owners in hopes of securing
promises of continued public access and limited development on the
environmentally sensitive land.
¶ "We couldn't afford not to try," Taylor said. "This project links so
many core values _ not just conservation of natural resources, but
cultural heritage, jobs, public recreation, sustainable use, even the
local tax base."
¶ An agreement in principle was reached in November 2003 when key
players met at the governor's office. When talks bogged down, Granholm
put the two sides in separate rooms and shuttled back and forth until
they reached the outlines of a deal, spokeswoman Liz Boyd said.
¶ Another year was needed to iron out the details, Taylor said.
¶ The plan calls for The Nature Conservancy to buy 23,239 acres in the
Big Two Hearted River watershed. But a crucial feature is that The
Forestland Group will continue owning the rest of the land _ nearly
248,000 acres.
¶ That section will be covered by a working forest conservation
easement, which sets conditions for the land's use. It allows timber
harvesting under internationally recognized sustainable forestry guidelines.
¶ Also permitted will be limited development, including construction
of no more than 40 single-family houses and two forest-management
buildings. Buffer zones and other restrictions will protect water
quality of rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands.
¶ For many years, people have used this land for hunting, fishing,
hiking, snowmobiling and other recreation courtesy of the Michigan
Commercial Forestry Act, which gave the owners a tax break for granting
public access.
¶ But in recent years, some timber companies have sold off acreage for
residential development, leaving less for recreation. Under the
easement, public access will be guaranteed permanently.
¶ "It really cements a very large portion of the U.P. for future
generations, and we were particularly overjoyed that recreational access
was a prime consideration," said Sam Washington, executive director of
Michigan United Conservation Clubs.
¶ From an ecological standpoint, the plan is important because it
helps link more than 2.5 million acres of protected forest and natural
area, including federal and state land, Taylor said.
¶ "It fills in missing pieces of the conservation puzzle" at a time of
rising concern about land fragmentation, which interrupts wildlife
migration corridors and causes other environmental problems, she said.
¶ Another consideration was protecting the forest products industry, a
crucial sector of the Upper Peninsula's economy. A study by The Nature
Conservancy showed that timber harvesting in the area covered by the
agreement generates $200 million a year and supports 3,000 jobs.
__________
By The Associated Press
¶ The 271,000 acres covered by a recent Upper Peninsula land
protection deal includes:
¶ _More than 300 natural lakes, including 74 larger than 10 acres.
¶ _516 miles of lakes and streams, including Two Hearted and Presque
Isle rivers.
¶ _More than 31 miles of land bordering Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
¶ _About 10,000 acres around Tahquamenon Falls State Park and an
additional 10,000 acres around Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
¶ _More than 52,000 acres of wetlands.
¶ _Habitat for endangered species including the bald eagle, common
loon, osprey and gray wolf.
¶ _About 50,000 acres of watershed protection, buffer land around
Seney National Wildlife Refuge.
¶ _23,000 acres of land near The Nature Conservancy's existing
preserve in the Big Two Hearted River watershed.
¶ _30,000 acres around Hiawatha National Forest, 27,000 acres around
Ottawa National Forest, 100,000 acres around various state forests.
¶ _Natural features such as old-growth hemlock gorges and
high-elevation peatland-forest ecosystems.
¶ ___
¶ Source: The Nature Conservancy.