Scott Whitcomb

KEWEENAW COUNTY – On Sept. 12 the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) submitted an application to the federal Forest Legacy Program for community acquisition of approximately 10,000 acres of forestland on Keweenaw Point currently owned by The Nature Conservancy in Michigan and is part of the Keweenaw Heartlands Project.

During a Keweenaw Heartlands Update meeting in Allouez Tuesday, Scott Whitcomb, director of the DNR Office of Public Lands, said a nomination was completed by TNC, but the DNR must be the applicant.

Whitcomb said the DNR has been interested in the tract of land for a time. The goal in purchasing the land is to retain ownership but transition its management to the local governance entity, probably via a lease.

“One of the things that we’ve been doing most recently outside of the state ownership is supporting the management by the local entity,” Whitcomb said. “And one of the things we can do is bring resources.. In this case, a grant to purchase the land. Money in this case from the federal government to purchase the land from The Nature Conservancy., and then turn it over to the local body for management.”

Whitcomb explained the reason for that is because the department is capacity limited. “There’s only so much of it,” he said. “With many of us, our budgets are somewhat limited. We need to work smarter, not harder, and working with partners who can do the work for us on the ground really makes a lot of sense.”

To obtain funding for the purchase, Whitcomb said the DNR last month submitted a grant application to the Forest Legacy Program. “This is federal money that comes from off-shore oil and gas drilling off the Continental Shelf. And it goes into the land and water conservation fund. And this is a fund that’s been around for decades and it’s enjoyed bipartisan support.”

The Forest Legacy Program (FLP) is a federally funded program administered by the USDA Forest Service in cooperation with state partners. Only state governments are eligible applicants, though they can partner with other entities such as, in this case, TNC. Projects must be within a designated Forest Legacy Area, be at least 75% forestland, and be managed for long-term sustainability. A non-federal cost share of at least 25% is required. The goal of the Forest Legacy is to protect important forest areas from development and fragmentation and ensure conservation of the important public benefits sustainable forests provide.

Whitcomb said it is a nationwide program and therefore it is competitive. The DNR may be compete with 49 other states, plus the U.S. Territories. There is, he said, a cap on application amounts, and there is a 25% match requirement.

“So, we’re going to have to take this in phases,” he said. “In the first phase, the total ask is about $12 million, requiring a $4 million match. It’s about $16 million.”

The second phase, he said, would be the remainder, or the balance, required to purchase the land from TNC. The $4 million match would come from Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.

“We submitted an application for $6.5 million,” Whitcomb said, “which will go a long ways toward meeting that match requirement. We think we have the money in some lands program funds to complete the rest of it.”