Photo courtesy of The Nature Conservancy in Michigan/Quincy Areal Photography

EAGLE HARBOR TOWNSHIP — The Nature Conservancy in Michigan (TNC) is inviting the public to meet the organization’s Keweenaw Heartlands Project Manager, Julia Petersen, a community meet-and-greet at the Eagle Harbor Township Hall from 3 – 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 18. Petersen began in her position on May 8.

“It’s been an exciting first week on the job at The Nature Conservancy in Michigan and I’m thrilled to meet with community members on May 18,” Petersen is quoted as saying in a Monday TNC release. “The Keweenaw Peninsula is such a special place for both people and nature, and I am eager to work with elected officials, tribal leaders, residents and everyone who cares about the Keweenaw to help deliver on our region’s vision for the Keweenaw Heartlands.”

A Michigan native, Petersen and her family reside in Atlantic Mine and have called the Keweenaw Peninsula home for nearly three years. In addition to her role with TNC, she is currently finishing her PhD in Environmental and Energy Policy at Michigan Technological University.

The release also announced that TNC recently hired Savannah Obert-Pfeiffer as restoration associate. Obert-Pfeiffer is likely a familiar face to many residents on the peninsula after working as a preserve specialist at our three preserves in the Keweenaw Peninsula last summer. She recently graduated from Michigan Technological University with a degree in Sustainability Science and Society.

In her new role, the release says, she will assist with the Keweenaw Heartlands inventory and also work on TNC’s three preserves in the area:

• The Helmut and Candis Stern Preserve at Mt. Baldy,

•Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve and

• Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor.

“Julia Petersen and Savannah Obert-Pfeiffer are wonderful additions to our team and truly have a passion for the Keweenaw Heartlands and the Upper Peninsula,” the release quoted Helen Taylor, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Michigan as saying. “We’ve really hit the ground running this spring with an inventory of the Keweenaw Heartlands. I have no doubt Julia and Savannah will be invaluable as we work hand-in-hand with the community on thoughtfully designed conservation for the unique landscapes of the Keweenaw Peninsula.”

In April, TNC began to inventory the many significant aspects of the Keweenaw Heartlands. Phase one of the inventory, which will take much of this year, will include biological, cultural, historic, forest and carbon, and infrastructure assessments of the property. 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.

Members of the public are encouraged to contribute to the inventory by filling out this online form.

TNC purchased the more than 32,000 acres of land known as the Keweenaw Heartlands last year. The land will remain open to the public under the Michigan Commercial Forest Program and on community tax rolls. The area is recognized by TNC as a global priority for both biodiversity and climate resiliency, and an opportunity to protect an extraordinary region.