Keweenaw Heartlands Project March Newsletter
Hello, and welcome to the first of what will be more regular updates on the Keweenaw Heartlands Project! The Nature Conservancy in Michigan and the Keweenaw Area Community Foundation look forward to being a regular in your inbox and hope you find some interesting nuggets below. If you have any questions or want more information about the project don’t hesitate to drop us a line.
--
Keweenaw Heartlands Project nominated for Keweenaw SparkPlug Award | The Keweenaw Heartlands Project was one of more than a dozen nominees for a Keweenaw SparkPlug Award for Project of the Year. While the project didn’t win, it was honor to be nominated and to be among so many other projects that had positive impacts in the community last year. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees.
--
Multi-faceted inventory to begin this month | An inventory of the many important aspects of the Keweenaw Heartlands will begin this month. The inventory will include biological, cultural and historic, forest and carbon and infrastructure assessments of the property and will help inform the future management, protection and use of resources on the land and guide future recreational opportunities, sustainable forestry, and infrastructure needs. TNC will be conducting on the ground field assessments, and utilizing existing data from several sources, including the public. We’d love your help; you can contribute to the inventory using this form.
--
TNC hiring new staff to be based in the Keweenaw | The Nature Conservancy is currently in the process of hiring two new staff to oversee the Keweenaw Heartlands Project and help manage the land. This includes hiring a restoration associate to help implement management plans on the Keweenaw Heartlands and at our three other preserves in the area. You can learn more about that position here. An announcement on the new hires will be coming this spring.
--
Visiting the Heartlands | Much of the Keweenaw Heartlands is in the commercial forest program, which means it’s open to foot access for hiking, hunting and fishing, among other things. Forest roads and designated trails are open. However, if you come to a closed gate, we would ask that you respect other landowner’s privacy. Any gates you come across block access to private property or are there because of a public safety concern. Off trail use of motorized vehicles is not permitted. We also appreciate everyone helping us take care of the property by packing out what you pack and leave no trace. Open fires are a threat to the land and are not permitted. We’d also love for you to visit our other preserves in the area including the Helmut
and Candis Stern Preserve at Mt. Baldy, Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor, and Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve.
Meet TNC Staff in the U.P. | The Nature Conservancy in Michigan has more than a dozen staff dotted across the Upper Peninsula. Some work out of our Marquette Field Office while others spend most of their time on our preserves and reserves. As director of land and water management, Emily Clegg does a little of both.
Emily oversees the management of lands and waters owned by TNC in Michigan, as well as leveraging our lands and waters to influence and inspire conservation beyond our properties. She also manages the expansion of TNC and American Forest Foundation's Family Forest Carbon Program in the Northwoods of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota and assists in land protection projects and acquisitions.
--
In the News
Copper Country Today: Keweenaw Heartlands with Rich Bowman
Outdoor News: Nature Conservancy protects 32,000 acres in Michigan’s Keweenaw Heartlands
The Daily Mining Gazette: Being ‘good neighbors’
Check out past updates on the Keweenaw Heartland Project, and sign up for the mailing list at the following link: https://www.keweenawgives.org/keweenaw-heartlands-project