The check’s on the way
TNC to send $1.93M to Grant Township
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COPPER HARBOR - The Nature Conservancy (TNC) will deliver a check for $1,937,000 to Grant Township today, completing the commercial forest withdrawal fee required to transfer approximately 10,000 acres of remote northern forest into public ownership by the end of the year.
Because public lands cannot remain in the state’s Commercial Forest Program, The Nature Conservancy is fulfilling the payout to complete the administrative exit. Under state law, the Grant Township Treasurer will distribute the $1.93 million fee in the exact same proportions as standard general property taxes are allocated, dividing the funds among the State School Aid Fund, Keweenaw County, Grant Township, the Copper Country Intermediate School District (CCISD) and Grant Township Schools based on active local millage ratios.
The major update was presented Wednesday evening to the Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners by Julia Petersen, Keweenaw Heartlands project manager for The Nature Conservancy, and Tori Irving, public land specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The targeted closing window for the permanent land transfer to the DNR is expected between October and December 2026.
The properties are part of a larger 32,500-acre footprint purchased by The Nature Conservancy in 2022 to temporarily hold the land, keeping it in public hands and preventing private development until permanent state or local conservation frameworks could be established.
"As you know, back in 2021, the Keweenaw Heartlands' 32,500 acres--15% of the county's mainland footprint--came up for sale," Petersen told the board. "The Nature Conservancy jumped on board to work with the county, the DNR, and local community members to figure out the long-term plan for the land."
Petersen noted that the community was rightfully concerned about the future of the area's sprawling recreation networks, including ORV, ATV, snowmobile, and mountain biking trails. To address those concerns, a 29-member community advisory committee spent three years working alongside The Nature Conservancy and the DNR.
"Where it landed is that 10,000 acres of the Keweenaw Heartlands closest to the point would eventually transition into ownership, management, and governance of the DNR," Petersen explained. "The balance of the land, about 21,000 acres, would transition into local public management and governance."
That local governance became a reality in June when the county board voted to adopt the Articles of Incorporation for the newly formed Keweenaw Heartlands Recreational and Natural Resources Authority, following enabling state legislation passed in the spring of 2026.
Tori Irving confirmed that the land transaction occurred in two distinct phases, both of which successfully went before the Natural Resources Commission at its August and September monthly meetings.
"We are in the process right now of transferring that land from TNC to the DNR," Irving said. "Our goal is to have that transaction completed by the end of the 2026 calendar year."
Once the transfer is finalized, the acreage will see a structured split in regional administration. The incoming 10,000 acres will be managed as part of the Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, while the existing public lands located at the immediate tip of Keweenaw Point will remain under the oversight of the DNR's Forest Resources Division.
"Because those incoming 10,000 acres will be managed by Parks and Recreation, the primary focus will be long-term stewardship and public recreation," Irving assured the board. "Any motorized trail designations that are currently existing will stay in place. That's what's really important to the community and important to us as well."
Irving added that the DNR expects to resume its general management planning process in the fall of 2026, targeting a completion date sometime in 2027, which will feature multiple opportunities for public input. With the withdrawal fee paid, the DNR will finalize the remaining deed paperwork and notify the county board when an official closing date is secured.