Photo courtesy of SWP About 1,200 acres along the Sturgeon River will be managed as a result of an acquisition grant through the Natural Resources Trust Fund. The land will be owned by Baraga County, with the Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy helping with maintenance, monitoring and other duties.

MARQUETTE — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday signed legislation creating more opportunities for outdoor recreation by authorizing $45.6 million in Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grants.

“Outdoor recreation in Pure Michigan is essential to the high quality of life Michiganders and visitors enjoy in our beautiful state,” Whitmer said in a statement. “These Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grants support so many of the world-class outdoor opportunities we have in Michigan, including fishing, hiking, kayaking or simply enjoying an accessible playground.”

Senate Bill 1028 approves funding for 117 recreation development projects and land purchases recommended by the board. It is now Public Act 151 of 2022.

Authorized for a development project was the Iron Ore Heritage Recreation Authority for a marshlands boardwalk on the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. The IOHRA will receive $218,200 to provide a nature trail experience along the trail in Negaunee. A new nonmotorized trail and boardwalk loop off the main trail route will provide access to a natural marshland for bird and wildlife viewing.

The IOHT is a 47-mile, year-round, multiuse trail that crosses through multiple communities in Marquette County and provides interpretive signage focusing on the region’s mining heritage and natural resources.

Other Upper Peninsula projects awarded development grant funding were: the city of Escanaba, $150,000 for a Webster Park splash pad; the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Dickinson County, $300,000 for a Piers Gorge accessible trail at the Menominee River Recreation Area; the city of Iron Mountain, $183,200 for a Pewabic Hill mountain bike trail system; the DNR, $300,000 for Douglass Houghton Falls Scenic Site development in Houghton County; the DNR, $300,000 for Straits State Park improvements in Mackinac County; and Clark Township in Mackinac County, $200,300 for development of the Peek-a-Boo Trail.

Acquisition projects in the U.P. awarded grant funding were: the village of Baraga, $250,000 to expand Baraga Waterfront Park near the marina; Baraga County, $2,737,500 to acquire 1,184 acres by the Sturgeon River; the city of Hancock, $171,600 to acquire 2 acres on the Portage Canal; and the city of Manistique, $449,000 to acquire nearly 5 acres on the Lake Michigan shore immediately west of the Manistique Lakeshore Campground.

The Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy (SWP) announced on Thursday that in cooperation with Baraga County, the 1,184 acres along the Sturgeon River, located in the Lake Superior watershed in Covington Township, includes over 4 miles of river frontage on the Sturgeon River.

Baraga County will own the land, with the SWP assisting with management, monitoring, maintenance and trail development. The SWP and its Great Lakes Climate Corps will work with Baraga County on planning several miles of hiking trails, kayak launches and environmental education kiosks.

“The Sturgeon River property is perfect for hiking, fishing, canoeing and simply enjoying the beauty of the wild northwoods,” SWP said in a news release.

In addition, the acquisition will reduce habitat fragmentation by expanding and protecting wildlife corridors from development, including critical habitat for numerous plant and animal species, SWP said.

The acquisition protects water resources by maintaining the integrity of streams, creeks and intermittent drainages that encompass the Sturgeon River watershed, said SWP, which indicated that protecting the riparian area helps sustain water quality and the natural fishery through preservation of physical, chemical and biological processes.

It is anticipated that portions of the property will be open to the public by next summer with the full parcel accessible by the summer of 2024.

The Trust Fund board recommends funding to both state and local agencies for development projects and land acquisitions that will increase the quality and quantity of public outdoor recreation opportunities, the DNR said.

“By leveraging these additional dollars from local government partners, Trust Fund grants ensure expanded outdoor recreation and the continued conservation of our natural resources throughout the state,” DNR Director Dan Eichinger said in a statement. “These grants fund outdoor recreation opportunities that have proven even more important over the last several years as people increasingly ventured outside to recreate.”

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund is a restricted fund that was established in 1976 to provide funding for public acquisition of land for resource protection and outdoor recreation, as well as for public outdoor recreation development projects.

It is funded through interest earned on funds derived from the development of publicly owned minerals, primarily oil and gas, and can be used only for public outdoor recreation.