The Upper Peninsula’s Michigamme Highlands includes some of the most important natural geography in the Great Lakes region. This exceptional place includes forests, lakes, trout streams and wetlands, Michigan’s highest natural point, Mount Arvon, and is the most climate-resilient landscape in Michigan.
In partnership with Lyme Great Lakes Timberlands, the DNR is working to protect 73,000 acres of this landscape in Baraga, Iron and Marquette counties through a working forest conservation easement. A conservation easement would prevent fragmentation, ensure sustainable forest management and secure public recreational access.
The DNR has secured all of the necessary grant funding to complete the Michigamme Highlands project. This includes grants awarded through the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program, Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. All of the required due diligence has been completed, and a formal offer has been made to the landowner to acquire the conservation easement. This offer has been accepted.
The next step will be for the DNR director to review the project and make a decision on completing the purchase, which is expected to occur at the January 2026 Natural Resources Commission meeting. If approved, it is expected that the project will be completed within a couple of months following the decision.
The DNR and Lyme Great Lakes Timberlands are collaborating with interested parties and stakeholders on the project. These include local, state and federal officials, local governments, tribal entities, businesses, forestry and habitat groups, recreational organizations and conservation organizations.
Engagement has included in-person meetings, email updates and a virtual stakeholder information session. This collaboration has helped inform the direction and focus of the project. Public outreach including meetings and site tours is planned for summer 2023.
Why is this important
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. It will also provide public access to Michigan's highest natural point, Mount Arvon, at 1,979 feet. The property borders 70 miles of state and federal lands, a natural extension for public use.
Michigamme Highlands contains high-quality habitat home to moose, white-tailed deer, black bears, pine martens, fishers, ruffed grouse, raptors and songbirds. The property includes the site where moose were reintroduced in the 1980s from Canada. It also contains over 4,800 acres of critical winter deer habitat. The project will ensure appropriate management of these habitats.
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. These important waters provide habitat for fish including salmon, bass and pike, the legendary coaster brook trout, and brook, brown and rainbow trout.
The conservation easement will ensure that the forest is managed sustainably and keeps the working forest working. The property provides an estimated $4 million in local economic impact and 47 forestry jobs. The property will remain privately owned, maintaining local tax revenue.
Email Forest Legacy Program coordinator Kerry Heckman for more project information.
