Map courtesy of The Nature Conservancy Map of snowmobile and ORV trails in the Keweenaw Heartlands, which includes the closed portion of Trail #3

LANSING — The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board has recommended the Michigan Legislature approve 60 recreation development projects and 15 land acquisitions totaling $45 million to be funded in 2026.

According to a Michigan DNR press release, the board this year considered a total of 100 applications seeking more than $56.6 million in funding. In a competitive process, all eligible applications were evaluated based on scoring criteria approved by the Trust Fund board.

The panel recommends funding to state and local agencies for development projects and land acquisitions aimed at furthering access to public outdoor recreation.

This year, the board recommended $19.1 million for development project grants and $25.8 million for acquisition grants. Two of those projects, including the largest sum recommended, are in the Western UP.

Inside those amounts, there were 55 development grants totaling $17,704,000 and 10 acquisition grants totaling $10,266,000 recommended to be awarded to local units of government. In addition, five development projects totaling $1,430,000 and five acquisition purchases totaling $15,600,000 were recommended for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.”

“The Trust Fund continues to be a tremendous source of funding for important projects and land acquisitions across Michigan,” said Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Scott Bowen. “Since 1976, more than 3,000 projects or acquisitions have been funded with the help of Trust Fund dollars, creating an outstanding legacy spanning nearly half a century.”

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund is a restricted fund that was established in 1976 to provide funding for public acquisition of lands for resource protection and outdoor recreation, as well as for public outdoor recreation development projects. It is funded through interest and earnings on funds derived from the revenues of state-owned oil, gas and minerals.

Over the past 49 years, the Trust Fund has granted more than $1.3 billion to state and local units of government, across 3,015 allocations, to develop and improve recreation opportunities in Michigan.

The only approved allocations in the Upper Peninsula are in the western UP. The board approved a $1.5M request from the Parks and Rec Division for an addition to Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. State wide, the largest recommendation again came from the Parks and Recs Division. A $6.5 acquisition of the Keweenaw Hartlands in Keweenaw County.

“From a Keweenaw Heartlands land acquisition in Keweenaw County to a Salsinger Trailhead land purchase as part of the Joe Louis Greenway in Detroit, to dozens of development projects scattered all over our state, the Trust Fund is making substantial progress every single year,” said Dr. Brandy Brown, chairwoman of the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board.

The Trust Fund board’s recommendations will go to the Michigan Legislature for review as part of the appropriations process. Upon approval, the Legislature will forward a bill to the governor for signing.

A list of the final recommendations made by the Trust Fund board is available at Michigan.gov/MNRTF.