Michigan’s Upper Peninsula ‘conservation corridor’ to double in size

MICHIGAMME TWP., Mich. – A conservation corridor with links to existing protected areas is planned for a remote region of Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula.

The nonprofit Nature Conservancy said the 6,172-acre (2,497-hectare) Wilderness Lakes Preserve in the Michigamme Highlands region is being expanded from 4,854 acres (1,964 hectares) of forests and wetlands.

The expansion will create 19,000 acres (5,689 hectares) of mostly contiguous conserved forest land when combined with neighboring Craig Lake State Park, said Helen Taylor, Michigan state director for The Nature Conservancy.

“Opportunities to reconnect such large areas of protected lands don’t come along every day. It’s one of many important steps toward a healthy and prosperous future for UP’s forests,” Taylor said in a statement. communicated.

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The Wilderness Lakes Reserve is about 64 kilometers northwest of Marquette.

Taylor said scientists have identified the area “as one of Michigan’s most resilient lands that can sustain natural diversity in a changing climate.”