Pilgrim River Project Complete

Land along the Pilgrim River in Houghton County will be protected and open to the public, thanks to a recently completed project that partnered the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Keweenaw Land Trust.

The Pilgrim River Forest project, an acquisition that includes conservation easements on nearly 1,300 acres of prime forestland and 3.5 miles of the Pilgrim River corridor, is next to the Pilgrim River Community Forest.

The effort to create the conservation easements also involved years of work by the Copper Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited, conservation-minded private landowners, and many community partners.

The land provides habitat for black bear, white-tailed deer, bald eagles, fishers, pine martens, beaver, mink, otters and migrating birds. The project promotes sustainable timber management, which benefits wildlife by creating forests in various stages of growth.

“Along with forest products being important for the local economy, forests provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, scenic beauty, and so much more,” said Evan McDonald, executive director of the Keweenaw Land Trust. “The waters of the Pilgrim River reach Lake Superior, so the health of this watershed is important for the health of the larger ecosystem. A diverse and committed partnership worked for many years to permanently protect these good things about the Pilgrim River Forest to benefit the environment and for the public to enjoy opportunities for hunting, fishing, and recreation right now. ”

However, the benefits reach far into the future as well, he said.

“It ensures that the Pilgrim River will flow with clean water supporting brook trout and that a healthy forest will provide timber products, wildlife habitat and special places for the generations ahead to enjoy,” McDonald said.

The DNR purchased conservation easements on 1,103 acres, using money from a $550,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program and a $170,000 contribution to the DNR from the Pilgrim River Watershed Project. The donation of conservation easements to Keweenaw Land Trust contributed the remaining 192 acres of the project.

“The acquisition of this working forest conservation easement will provide numerous public outdoor recreational opportunities,” said DNR Forest Resources Division Chief Debbie Begalle. “It also will help sustain the forest products industry in Michigan.”

A majority of Michigan’s forests are in private ownership. A conservation easement allows landowners to retain ownership of property while requiring management that protects natural resources.  In this case the easements also provide the public with access benefits.

“I commend the landowners for their efforts to ensure that the forests on their lands are sustainably managed in perpetuity,” said Begalle, who also serves as Michigan’s state forester.

In addition to the stretch of Pilgrim River corridor, the project area includes 1,295 acres of prime forestland with varied topography. Most of this land offers public outdoor recreational opportunities such as hunting, fishing, trapping, bird watching, hiking, cross-country skiing, wildlife viewing, and snowshoeing.

“Establishing the Pilgrim River Forest has been a long, 12-year journey of collaboration, patience and perseverance, punctuated with twists and turns, setbacks and leaps forward,” said Bill Leder, president of the Copper Country chapter of Trout Unlimited. “Everyone stayed focused on shared values and goals. Our dedication to this project has paid off – for us and future generations.”

For more information on the project or the Forest Legacy Program, contact DNR forest land administrator Kerry Wieber at 517-643-1256, or go online to www.michigan.gov/privateforestland.