The DNR purchased 67.5 acres of land in Iron County to be managed as part of the Baraga Forest Management Unit. The property contains frontage along the Brule River and Dead Mans Lake. Acquisition provides enhanced access for recreational activities and protects riparian areas and habitat for ruffed grouse and other species. The property was purchased with the Land Exchange Facilitation Fund.
The DNR purchased 10 acres of land in Ionia County to be managed as part of the Flat River State Game Area. The area is home to a wide variety of fame and non-game species. The property was purchased with the Land Exchange Facilitation Fund.
The DNR purchased a 0.98-acre tract of land in Keweenaw County using the Waterways Fund. The property has been managed as a boating access site, known as Erickson’s Landing, under a lease with Keweenaw Land Association, LLC. The property is located along the Paint River and acquisition provides the public with a permanent boating access site on Michigan’s navigable waters.
The DNR purchased approximately 8,844 acres of land in Montmorency and Cheboygan County to be managed as part of the Pigeon River Country State Forest. The property is one of the last remaining large, intact, forested, privately-owned tracts of land in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The property includes over 14 miles of the Black River, the East Branch of the Black River, and Stewart Creek, all world-class cold-water trout streams. The property also includes three lakes, including 150-acre Silver Lake. The property is adjacent on three sides to the Pigeon River Country State Forest. It is home to several threatened and endangered species and provides habitat for a variety of wildlife, including elk. Acquisition was made possible through grants provided by the federal Forest Legacy Program, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, and donations from Little Traverse Conservancy, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, as well as a bargain sale by the former landowners.
The DNR purchased 94.94 acres of land in Lenawee County. The DNR and Ducks Unlimited are partnering on a break-through wetland restoration demonstration project in the western Lake Erie basin. This tract contains a mixture of active farmland, county drains, and forest. The second of a planned series of land transfers from Ducks Unlimited to the DNR, this property represents several years of dedicated collaboration between the DNR, MDARD, EGLE, and Ducks Unlimited to purchase restorable farmland to reduce nutrient and sediment loading into Lake Erie. This project is funded through the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with US EPA, and the American Rescue Plan Act with DNR. The final project will be a brand new, nearly 400-acre State Game Area containing a newly restored wetland complex.
The DNR purchased 160 acres of land in Chippewa County to be managed as part of the Sault Ste Marie Forest Management Unit. property contains mixed forest types and offers diverse wildlife habitats, including a wintering deer complex. The property was purchased with the Land Exchange Facilitation Fund.
The DNR purchased 40 acres of land in Montcalm County to be managed as part of the Flat River State Game Area. The property is mixed hardwoods with an approximately 7-acre wetland and acquisition consolidates state land. The property was purchased with the Land Exchange Facilitation Fund.
The DNR purchased 39 acres of land in Luce County to be managed as part of the Newberry Forest Management Unit. The property contains a section of the South Branch of Linton Creek, a designated trout stream and tributary of the Tahquamenon River. Acquisition provides consolidation of Department managed lands and the conservation of wildlife corridors. The property was purchased with the Land Exchange Facilitation Fund.
The DNR purchased 20.61 acres of land in St. Clair County to be managed as part of the St. Johns Marsh State Wildlife Area. Acquisition of the property provides consolidation of state land and conservation of wildlife habitat. The property was purchased with the Land Exchange Facilitation Fund.
