HANCOCK – What goes back to the days of Native Americans setting up camps along the Ontonagon River to the era of generations of the family deer camp is about to come to an end in the Ottawa National Forest of Ontonagon County.

The demise of these camps was the theme of the documentary film “UP a River Goin’ to Camp” shown Thursday night at the Finnish American Center on the campus of Finlandia University.

Produced by Kristin Ojaniemi of Bruce Crossing, the film depicts the history of numerous deer camps established on land that eventually became the Ottawa National Forest (ONF) under a lease agreement with Upper Peninsula Power Company.

UPPCO originally purchased the land for hydroelectric power. When the construction of dams, in addition to those at Victoria and Bond Falls, was not feasible, UPPCO sold more than 30,000 acres to the Trust for Public Land (TPL) in 1990.

In 1991 the TPL, with the support of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs and Michigan Congressman Dale Killdee of Flint, designated 27 miles of Ontonagon River as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System under the Michigan Scenic River Act of 1991.

The purpose of designating the Ontonagon River, along with five other systems in the western Upper Peninsula, was to have a balance of development with conservation, specifically to prohibit construction of additional dams.

TPL sold the land in June of 1992 to the United States Forest Service to become a part of ONF. However before the land was transferred to the ONF, all year-to-year camp leases were under a 25 year non-renewable lease, and the leases would go through the local townships.

Camp owners were never given the opportunity to buy the land from UPPCO or TPL. The camp owners were notified by UPPCO they could either sign the 25-year lease or remove the camp immediately. At the time of the transfer of the land from TPL to the ONF, there were 155 camps.

Upon the sale of the land from UPPCO to TPL, UPPCO sent a letter to those with camps stating that the “decision to pursue the sale of these lands was not made lightly; however, since the lands are not needed for our operations, we want to assure that any sale would protect the natural resources, provide for public use and enjoyment, and that current lessees would be treated fairly. The terms of the option do meet these goals.”

Those 25-year leases are expire Jan. 1, 2017.

“Those with camps will then have 90 days to remove the camps. The Forest Service says the camp owners cannot renew the lease because it’s not theirs to renew, and they (USFS) cannot lease land,” Ojaniemi explained.

It was in 2015 that Linda Jackson, ONF supervisor, stated the leases were written by the TPL, and the ONF has honored those leases. However, the ONF will stay with the mandatory removal of the camps at the completion of the 25-year lease.

The lease agreement states, “It is expressly understood and agreed that the lessor is under no obligation to renew the lease or to continue rental payments to the township upon termination.”

“These particular pieces of 30,000 acres being along the wild and scenic river and right in the center of the Ottawa National Forest just made sense, especially since we were working with the TPL to work with UPPCO to negotiate the 25-year lease,” states Stephen Lenzo, ONF deputy forest supervisor. “At the end point to have these cabins removed and restored to natural vegetation.”

The USFS has issued recreational residence permits throughout the nation. The USFS also has leases with ski hill corporations that operate their business on USFS land in Western states.

“It’s just a matter of wording as they (USFS) do offer permits for the same exact thing. The program is there as is the opportunity,” Ojaniemi said.

State Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, pushed and got a resolution passed in the state Senate last year urging the USFS to provide the recreational residence permits. It was this past May that the state House Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee heard from 110th state Rep. Scott Dianda, D-Calumet, on his resolution calling on the federal government to renew leases under the recreation residence program.

Dianda called for the grandfathering of the remaining 104 lease agreements for hunting camps.

Dianda did not attend either showing of the film. His opponent for the 110th state representative seat, Greg Markkanen was in attendance.

“These camps are a part of our western UP culture,” Markkanen said. “They have been in families for generations. We need those on the federal level to do something, even if it is last minute.”

None of the candidates for the 1st Congressional District or the U.S. senators from Michigan attended either of the documentary movie viewings. More than 100 people did see the movie.

This will be the final year those with the deer camps will be able hunt and bring their family to the camps. Some camps go back to the 1950s.