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Aerial view of the Black River Ranch land purchase
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Here are some highlights of land transactions from the third and fourth quarters of 2025. To view the full details, click the View more button below.
Black River Ranch
The DNR purchased approximately 8,844 acres of land in Montmorency and Cheboygan County to be managed as part of the Pigeon River Country State Forest. The property is one of the last remaining large, intact, forested, privately-owned tracts of land in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The property includes over 14 miles of the Black River, the East Branch of the Black River, and Stewart Creek, all world-class cold-water trout streams. The property also includes three lakes, including 150-acre Silver Lake. The property is adjacent on three sides to the Pigeon River Country State Forest. It is home to several threatened and endangered species and provides habitat for a variety of wildlife, including elk. Acquisition was made possible through grants provided by the federal Forest Legacy Program, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, and donations from Little Traverse Conservancy, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, as well as a bargain sale by the former landowners.
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Wetlands America Trust Tract
The DNR purchased 94.94 acres of land in Lenawee County. The DNR and Ducks Unlimited are partnering on a break-through wetland restoration demonstration project in the western Lake Erie basin. This tract contains a mixture of active farmland, county drains, and forest. The second of a planned series of land transfers from Ducks Unlimited to the DNR, this property represents several years of dedicated collaboration between the DNR, MDARD, EGLE, and Ducks Unlimited to purchase restorable farmland to reduce nutrient and sediment loading into Lake Erie. This project is funded through the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with US EPA, and the American Rescue Plan Act with DNR. The final project will be a brand new, nearly 400-acre State Game Area containing a newly restored wetland complex.
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Double L Camp purchase
The DNR purchased 120 acres of land in Charlevoix County using the Land Exchange Facilitation Fund and the Wetlands General Fund. Acquisition of this land provides additional wildlife habitat and consolidates state land. The land is now being managed as part of the Beaver Island Wildlife Research Area.
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