Photo courtesy of Keweenaw Area Community Foundation Julia Petersen, an Adams Township resident, has been selected for the role of project manager for the Keweenaw Heartlands project.

The Nature Conservancy in Michigan (TNC) has announced the hiring of Julia Petersen as project manager of the Keweenaw Heartlands Project, TNC announced in a Thursday statement, released through the Keweenaw Area Community Foundation. Petersen’s starting date is May 8, 2023.

Petersen and her family reside in Atlantic Mine and have called the Keweenaw Peninsula home for nearly three years, the release states. Prior to joining TNC, she had served a planning specialist for the U.S. Army, a strategic planner for a large school district and, most recently, director of conservation and education programs for the Zoological Society of Milwaukee.

Petersen holds bachelors’ degrees in education and psychology from the University of Michigan and a master’s in public administration from the University of Washington. She is currently finishing her PhD in Environmental and Energy Policy at Michigan Technological University.

“I am thrilled to join The Nature Conservancy in Michigan and take the helm of such an important project for our community,” Petersen is quoted as saying. “The work TNC has done in the Keweenaw Peninsula over the last several decades is nothing short of amazing, and I look forward to continuing this positive momentum so the Peninsula benefits both people and nature for generations to come.”

Helen Taylor, state director of TNC in Michigan said that because of Petersen’s background, she is a natural fit for the project manager role for a multi-faceted project like the Keweenaw Heartlands.

“Julia has the genuine ability to connect with everyone from government officials to outdoor lovers to local community members and all points in between,” Taylor is quoted as saying. “I have no doubt she’ll hit the ground running next month.”

Petersen joins TNC at an important time in the Keweenaw Heartlands Project, the release states. Last month, TNC began to inventory the many significant aspects of the Keweenaw Heartlands.

The inventory, which will take much of the year, will include biological, cultural, historic, forest and carbon, and infrastructure assessments of the property. In the end, the inventory will help inform the future management, protection, and use of resources on the land and guide future recreational opportunities, sustainable forestry, and infrastructure needs.

On April 3, TNC announced that the semi-final draft of Section 3, Principles and Values for Management of the Keweenaw Heartlands Blueprint has been published online and is available for review.

The draft summarizes principles and values for managing the 32,000+ acres of land near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula recently acquired by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). It is based on input from an extensive public and stakeholder participation process that has, thus far, involved more than 2,000 people–including at least 25 percent of the adults living in Keweenaw County.

This draft is being released now to gain community member input.

Based upon the feedback, the report will be edited one more time before inclusion in the final published Blueprint, which is scheduled to be completed by mid-summer, 2023. Additional sections of the Keweenaw Heartlands Blueprint will be made available for community review and input as they are drafted.

The draft can be read online at: https://tnc.app.box.com/s/zynyn97q25v9j04jfnbl4vypv84xh2eg/file/1176252372930

The public is invited to share feedback via email at keweenaw@tnc.org