The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will host an open house 4-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8., to get public feedback on future management planning for the new Gete Mino Mshkiigan property, formerly referred to as Mullett Lake South, in Cheboygan County.

The 147-acre property, located south of Topinabee, includes 1,500 linear feet of water frontage on the southwest shore of Mullett Lake. The Little Traverse Conservancy initially acquired the property, and the DNR then purchased it from the conservancy in 2013 with a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant. The property is largely undeveloped except for the North Central State Trail that runs parallel to the lakeshore.

The meeting will be held at Mullett Township Hall, 1491 N. Straits Highway in Topinabee, and the public may attend anytime between 4 and 6:30 p.m. DNR staff will showcase components of a draft general management plan for the property and provide opportunities for people to comment and share feedback.

The DNR uses general management plans to define a long-range planning and management strategy that protects resources on the property, while addressing recreation and education needs and opportunities.

As part of the planning process, the DNR adopted Gete Mino Mshkiigan as the new name for the property. Pronounced "Geh teh mi no mush key gun," the name was suggested by the current and former tribal historic preservation officers of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. The name roughly translates from Anishinaabemowin to English as Ancient Good Wetlands, capturing the land’s history, beauty, abundance and centrality within the larger wetland chain that is the Inland Waterway.