Keweenaw Heartlands Project
Thank you for your interest in the Keweenaw Heartlands Project and for working with us to support the Keweenaw community. We will update this page as information is available. If you have any immediate questions that are not answered here, please contact the project staff directly.
WHAT IS THE KEWEENAW HEARTLANDS PROJECT?
PROJECT MAP This map outlines the existing protected lands and the newly protected lands in the Keweenaw Peninsula as of autumn 2022.
In late 2022, The Nature Conservancy in Michigan (TNC) announced the purchase of approximately 32,600 acres of working forestland near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Keweenaw County, known as the Keweenaw Heartlands. This purchase from The Rohatyn Group was completed with the support and input of community leaders, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and many people who love the Keweenaw.
TNC and DNR have convened a planning committee to develop a long-term governance and management plan for the Keweenaw Heartlands. As the interim owners while these plans for the property are developed, TNC will steward the property and lay the foundation for its continued conservation and sustainable use as part of a resilient Keweenaw community.
These lands help define the identity of Keweenaw County and its residents. They contain many sites of unique ecological, historic, cultural and scenic beauty that help make the peninsula so beloved by the thousands who live and visit here. Through this project, the Keweenaw Heartlands will be sustainably managed and kept available for the public to access and enjoy for generations to come.
Blueprint for the Keweenaw Heartlands
Throughout much of 2023, The Nature Conservancy, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and other partners worked closely with residents, community leaders and interested individuals to create the Blueprint for the Keweenaw Heartlands.
This Blueprint is a more than 90-page document outlining a goal of community-based governance of the Heartlands forest and offering local values and principles for governance and management of the Keweenaw Heartlands well into the future. The Blueprint also documents the public engagement process for arriving at those values and principles and outlines ongoing and future work related to successful implementation of both community-based governance and management of Heartlands.
Latest UPDATES
UPDATEs Archive
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10/14/2024 | October Keweenaw Heartlands Project Updates
9/18/24 | September Keweenaw Heartlands Project Updates
9/6/24 | August Heartlands Update
8/8/24 | August Project Updates7/15/24 | July Updates and Community Survey
6/11/24 | June Project Updates
5/15/24 | May Project Updates
4/17/24 | April Project Updates
3/29/24 | March Project Updates
2/14/24 | February Project updates
1/17/24 | January Project Updates
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12/18/23 | December Project Updates
12/7/23 | November Public Meeting
11/16/23 | November Project Updates
10/17/23 | October Project Updates
9/19/23 | September Project Updates
8/23/23 | Recognized Governance Structure
8/14/23 | August Project Updates
7/13/23 | July Project Updates
7/5/23 | Portion of Trail 3 Closed to ATV Traffic
6/25/23 |June Public Meeting
6/8/23 |June Project Updates
6/5/23 |Blueprint Sections 1-4 for Review
5/15/23 |May Project Updates
4/13/23 |April Project Updates
3/28/23 |Keweenaw Community Planning
3/14/23 |March Project Updates
2/1/23 | Heartlands Consulting Forester RFP
1/30/23 |Ecological and Cultural Inventory
1/26/23 |Keweenaw Heartlands Project Update
1/25/23 |Keweenaw Heartlands Project Meeting
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12/14/22 |TNC is Hiring in the Keweenaw
10/27/22 |TNC Protects Land in the Keweenaw
Upcoming Events and Meetings
There are currently no meetings or events scheduled
Check back for updates or subscribe to the Keweenaw Heartlands Project newsletter.
project Advisory committee
Brigitte LaPointe-Dunham / Erin Johnston – Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
Don Piche – Keweenaw County
Bob Demarois – Keweenaw County
Curt Pennala – Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Office
John Cima – Keweenaw County
Greg Kingstrom – Keweenaw County Road Commission
Sandra Loy – Sherman Township Fire Department
Sam Raymond – Grant Township
Rich Probst – Eagle Harbor Township
Harvey Desnick – Sherman Township
John Lehman – Michigan Technological University
Dave Reed – Michigan Technological University, retired
B Lauer – Keweenaw Land Trust
Nancy and Bill Leonard – Michigan Nature Association
Wendy Davis – Keweenaw National Historical Park
Sean Gohman – Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission
Paul and Anita Campbell – Keweenaw County Historical Society
Daryl St. John / Mike McMahon – Keweenaw ATV Club
Dave Donnay – Keweenaw Snowmobile Club
Adam Yeoman – Copper Harbor Trails Club
Gina Nicholas – Keweenaw Community Forest Company
Richard Marsh – Calumet Keweenaw Sportsmen’s Club
Jerry Wuorenmaa / Lisa McKenzie – Western UP Planning & Development Region
Robin Meneguzzo – Keweenaw Community Foundation
Brad Barnett – Visit Keweenaw
Jeff Ratcliffe – Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance
Peter Clevenstine – Agate Harbor Land Pool
Kelly Ryan – U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities
Don and Peg Kauppi – The Mariner North Resort
Jessica Curtis – Umbra Arts
Project Team
The Nature Conservancy in Michigan
Helen Taylor, State Director
Rich Bowman, Director of Policy
Julia Petersen, Keweenaw Peninsula Project Manager
TNC has been taking the lead on a process to assemble the resources to purchase the land for sale and transfer it to the most appropriate long-term owner(s).
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Patrick Mohney, Senior Lands Program Manager
The Michigan DNR is committed to working with other project team members in finding and funding the path to achieve the community’s vision.
How you can help
Donate Today
TNC is working with numerous local partners to support the community’s vision for the conservation of the Keweenaw Heartlands property and help raise the necessary funds for its protection and management.
We need your help to make it happen! No gift is too big or too small. With your gift, you help keep the Keweenaw Peninsula wild and wonderful. You create opportunities for people to hike, bike and explore the outdoors. This is more than a gift—it’s a legacy.
Your online gift through this link (www.nature.org/midonate) supports TNC in Michigan, which is critical to TNC’s efforts to conserve the Keweenaw Peninsula. TNC retains the discretion to direct the funds as outlined in the donation form.
Giving Options
To make a gift restricted to the Keweenaw Heartlands project, please send a check to:
The Nature Conservancy in Michigan
101 E Cesar E Chavez Ave
Lansing, MI 48906
Memo Line: Keweenaw Heartlands
For more information or to discuss giving options, please contact:
Paul Beczkiewicz
Associate Director of Development
517-316-2269
pbeczkiewicz@tnc.org
Keweenaw Community Foundation
The Keweenaw Community Foundation’s mission is to serve as a catalyst for lasting change, a partner for local organizations, and a resource for emerging community needs. Our role with this project is to support our local communities engagement of this process by leading the organizing of public meetings, providing regular informational updates about the project and ensuring the communities voice is heard through this process.
