State and local partners will formally celebrate the addition of nearly 8,850 acres to the Pigeon River Country State Forest on Friday, July 17.
Speakers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and the Little Traverse Conservancy will be in attendance, and a ceremonial declaration signing will take place on the shores of Silver Lake.
According to the DNR, the significant addition came about in early December with the purchase of the Black River Ranch. That property includes over 14 miles of rivers and streams, three lakes, and miles of wilderness and forest. It was purchased using over $10.6 million in grant funding from the federal Forest Legacy Program, over $5.3 million in grant funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and private funding from multiple partners.
“The purchase of the Black River Ranch property was a rare opportunity to bring one of the last remaining large, intact, private forested tracts in the Lower Peninsula into public ownership,” said Jeff Stampfly, Michigan’s state forester, in a statement. “With its incredible forests, lakes, streams, critical wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities, this property will be enjoyed for generations of Michiganders to come.”
The property is open for the public to enjoy, but visitors should note that motorized access is currently prohibited while the DNR completes an assessment and public engagement process to determine appropriate access and use of the property. Motorized access will be permitted to the ceremony site on Friday and only for the duration of the event.
The ceremony is set to begin at 1 p.m. If you would like attend, the DNR provided these directions:
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Big news in the ‘Big Wild’: Explore new acreage in Pigeon River Country State Forest
Reporting by Jillian Fellows, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jillian Fellows, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
