Superior Watershed Partnership Purchases 266 Acres in the Keweenaw Peninsula, Connecting 1,300 Acres of Land Together

The Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy announces its purchase and protection of 226 acres in the Keweenaw Peninsula. SWP recently completed its purchase of the ecologically unique parcel that includes 3,100 feet of Lake Superior shoreline and over 3,000 feet of the Gratiot River. The partnership and land conservancy purchase used a 600,000 grant from the US Forest Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Community Forrest Campaign to assist in the acquisition of the property.

The Superior Watershed partnership’s staff and Great Lakes Climate Corps will work to create a trail network with interpretive signage for hiking and skiing and for K-12 environmental education programming. The acquisition also permanently links five local conservation areas creating a contiguous 1,300-acre wilderness preserve protecting the lower Gratiot River watershed and miles of Great Lake coastline.

The connected parcels also create protected lands of forest habitat for plant and animal species including gray wolf, lynx, and long-eared bats. The project is located within the great Lake Restoration Initiative Terrestrial Habitats and Connectivity Priority Area. The Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy will serve as the area’s long-term management partner, with help from the Great Lakes Climate Corps. Those interested to learn more can find more details here.