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?

Map of the Keweenaw Heartlands

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.

View or download the Blueprint for the Keweenaw Heartlands.

Latest UPDATES

 

UPDATEs Archive

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

Mark Aho – Allouez Township

Brad Barnett – Visit Keweenaw

John Cima – Keweenaw County

Jessica Curtis – Umbra Arts

Bob Demarois – Keweenaw County

Harvey Desnick – Sherman Township

Dave Donnay – Keweenaw Snowmobile Club

Sean Gohman – Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission

Jay Isaacson – Mohawk Technology

Don & Peg Kauppi – The Mariner North Resort

Brigitte LaPointe-Dunham – Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

Nancy & Bill Leonard – Michigan Nature Association

John Lehman – Michigan Technological University

Sandra Loy – Sherman Township Fire Department

Richard Marsh – Calumet Keweenaw Sportsmen’s Club

Robin Meneguzzo – Keweenaw Community Foundation

Daryl St. John / Mike McMahon – Keweenaw ATV Club

Gina Nicholas – Keweenaw Community Forest Company

Curt Pennala – Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Office

Don Piche – Keweenaw County

Rich Probst – Eagle Harbor Township

Jeff Ratcliffe – Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance

Sam Raymond – Grant Township

Kelly Ryan – U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities

Pat Toczydlowski / B Lauer – Keweenaw Land Trust

Jerry Wuorenmaa / Lisa McKenzie – Western UP Planning & Development Region

Adam Yeoman / Nathan Miller – Copper Harbor Trails Club

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.