U.S. Forest Service grant to establish community forest in Houghton County

Upper Peninsula DNR News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 1, 2012

Contact: Kerry Wieber, 989-275-5151; Evan McDonald, 906-482-0820 (Keweenaw Land Trust); or Debbie Munson Badini, 906-226-1352


U.S. Forest Service grant to establish community forest in Houghton County

The Department of Natural Resources today announced that hikers, hunters, bird watchers and other outdoor enthusiasts will benefit from a recently awarded federal grant to establish a 320-acre community forest in Houghton County’s Portage Township.

The DNR worked with the grant recipient, Keweenaw Land Trust, to secure funding from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to conserve forested lands in the Pilgrim River watershed and provide permanent public access for recreational use.

Bill O’Neill, Michigan’s state forester, said Keweenaw Land Trust’s proposed plan for the area will ensure sustainable forest practices are implemented and long-term management goals for the forest are met.

“Community forests are an invaluable part of Michigan’s economy,” said O’Neill, who also serves as chief of the DNR’s Forest Resources Division. “Healthy and accessible forests provide places for residents and visitors to enjoy the outdoors; they protect wildlife habitat and water quality; and they provide the timber resources that create and retain jobs. When communities make it a priority to actively manage their forests, the people in those communities benefit.”

The grant is part of the USFS Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program, which provides financial assistance to local governments, tribes and qualified nonprofit organizations working to establish community forests with a focus on economic and environmental benefits, education, forest stewardship and recreation opportunities.

A local partnership of stakeholders is working to protect natural resources and secure public access in the Pilgrim River Watershed.

Bill Leder of the Copper Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited said he sees the grant as “a major step in enabling preservation of this high-quality trout stream and expanding public recreation in the area.”

The Keweenaw Trails Alliance constructed a recreation trail on the proposed community forest property. Jeff Parker of the alliance said he is pleased that the community will have “public access to this trail and the surrounding property forever.”

The Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District recently completed a Pilgrim River Watershed Management Plan and Gina Nicholas, chair of the district’s board, applauded this grant as “a win-win project for all involved; and a groundbreaking approach to satisfy economic, conservation, public and private goals.”

To qualify for a grant, projects had to ensure public access to the protected lands, and the communities had to be involved in the process of developing a forest plan. The USFS issued $3.5 million in grants to support community forests throughout the nation.

“This is a tremendous opportunity,” said Evan McDonald, executive director of the Keweenaw Land Trust. “Even in a forested region with forest products important to our local economy, it is easy to take our forest land for granted. As our lands face a variety of environmental challenges, our relationship with forests is that much more important. This community forest will help us recognize and promote the benefits of healthy forests.”

For more information on community forestry, visit www.michigan.gov/ucf.