Keweenaw Land Trust Inc

LAND CONSERVATION, RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP AND EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH IN THE SIX WESTERN COUNTIES OF MICHIGAN'S UPPER PENINSULA

CONSERVATION: KEWEENAW LAND TRUST (KLT) PROTECTED ADDITIONAL LANDS IN BARAGA COUNTY AS PART OF ITS ABBAYE PENINSULA-HURON BAY CONSERVATION INITIATIVE. ABOUT 11 ACRES WITH 900 FEET OF LAKE SUPERIOR FRONTAGE ON THE NORTH SHORE OF ABBAYE PENINSULA WAS PROTECTED WITH PRIMARY FUNDING FROM THE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE NATIONAL COASTAL WETLAND CONSERVATION PROGRAM (USFWS-NCWC). THE PROTECTED PROPERTY COMPRISES WETLAND WILDLIFE CORRIDORS ALONG BLUFF SHORELINE ALONG WITH RUSTIC CAMPING SITES NEAR ROCK SHELVES THAT PROVIDE LAKE ACCESS. KLT WAS INVITED TO REPRESENT MICHIGAN AT A NATIONAL FEDERAL FUNDER MEETING BY SHARING HIGHLIGHTS OF OVER A DECADE OF CONSERVATION WORK ON THE ABBAYE AND HURON BAY THAT HAS BEEN SUPPORTED BY 4 FEDERAL GRANTS AND NUMEROUS PARTNERS. A GENEROUS LAND DONATION OF 40 ACRES PROTECTS 1,700' OF LAKE SUPERIOR SHORELINE ON THE NORTH SHORE OF THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA IN KEWEENAW COUNTY WITH ANCIENT BEDROCK, DUNES AND DIVERSE HABITATS THAT SUPPORT NATIVE WILDLIFE AND RARE PLANTS. SEVERAL POTENTIAL CONSERVATION PROJECTS ARE UNDER EVALUATION OR IN DEVELOPMENT FROM PARTNER REFERRALS, LANDOWNER INQUIRIES, AND ORGANIZATIONAL PROGRAM INITIATIVES, INCLUDING 40 ACRES OF OLD GROWTH FOREST AND AN ISLAND IN LAKE SUPERIOR. IN ACCORDANCE WITH LAND TRUST ALLIANCE (LTA) STANDARDS, THE ORGANIZATION CONTINUES IMPROVING ITS LAND CONSERVATION PRACTICES AND RECORD KEEPING. ONE GOAL IS TO WORK WITH LEGAL COUNSEL TO UPDATE THE TEMPLATE USED FOR DRAFTING CONSERVATION EASEMENTS TO ALIGN WITH CURRENT BEST PRACTICES.

STEWARDSHIP: KLT CONTINUED WORK TO ENHANCE HABITATS AND FACILITATE PUBLIC ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES IN KEEPING WITH RESOURCE SUSTAINABILITY GOALS. DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC, KLT NATURE AREAS WERE VISITED MORE FREQUENTLY BY THE PUBLIC AND REQUIRED MORE STAFF AND VOLUNTEER ATTENTION FOR MONITORING AND TO ENSURE HABITAT PROTECTION. TO FACILITATE MORE PUBLIC USE, KLT RECEIVED A LAND TRUST ALLIANCE (LTA) GRANT TO DEVELOP AND INSTALL SIGNAGE TO HELP VISITORS FIND AND EXPLORE KLT NATURE AREAS. AN AMERICORPS VOLUNTEER WORKED WITH KLT TO EVALUATE AND INVENTORY SHORELINE LOCATIONS THAT CAN POTENTIALLY BE INCLUDED AS PART OF THE KEWEENAW WATER TRAIL. AS A PROGRAM PARTNER, KLT HOSTED A LARGE COHORT OF AMERICORPS VOLUNTEERS FOR A STEWARDSHIP TRAINING THAT INCLUDED SITE VISITS TO KLT PROPERTIES ON THE ABBAYE PENINSULA. A HABITAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AT THE HURON BAY FIELD STATION INCLUDED CONIFER RELEASE WORK INTENDED TO INCREASE THE CONFER COMPONENT AT THE PROPERTY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A GROUP WORKING TO IMPROVE DEER HABITAT. KLT VOLUNTEERS CARRIED OUT DUNE STABILIZATION WORK AND ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENTS AT THE KEWEENAW SANDHILLS NATURE AREA TO ALLOW FOR SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE SHORELINE, WHILE PROTECTING SENSITIVE HABITAT. RESIDENT VOLUNTEERS MADE SIGNIFICANT ACCESSIBILITY AND FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS AT THE MARSIN NATURE RETREAT TO BENEFIT COMMUNITY USERS. IN ACCORDANCE WITH LTA STANDARDS, KLT CONDUCTED ANNUAL MONITORING OF ITS NATURE AREAS AND PRIVATE LANDS PROTECTED BY CONSERVATION EASEMENTS TO ENSURE THAT CONSERVATION VALUES ARE BEING PROTECTED. WITH VOLUNTEER HELP, STAFF MADE TECHNICAL IMPROVEMENTS TO COMPUTERS, NETWORKS, AND BACKUP SYSTEMS FOR BETTER SECURITY AND ORGANIZATION OF DIGITAL RECORDS FOR KLT'S LAND CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMS. SEVERAL EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS WERE CONDUCTED IN SUPPORT OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND REGIONAL HABITAT ENHANCEMENT GOALS, AS DESCRIBED BELOW.

EDUCATION: THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CONTINUED TO CURTAIL IN-PERSON PROGRAMS DURING 2021 BUT KLT EXPANDED ONLINE AND SELF-SERVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. NUMEROUS "STORY TRAIL" PROGRAMS WERE ORGANIZED TO CREATE FAMILY-FRIENDLY EXPERIENCES AT KLT NATURE AREAS, WITH SEVERAL EVENTS HELD IN COOPERATION WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS. THE SIGNAGE AT KLT NATURE AREAS PROVIDED BY THE LTA GRANT HELPED MORE COMMUNITY MEMBERS CONNECT WITH KLT PROPERTIES AND LEARN ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION. KLT CELEBRATED ITS 25TH YEAR IN 2021, WITH ACTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA OUTREACH AND SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS HIGHLIGHTING THE ORGANIZATION'S GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. TO REACH VISITORS AND NEW AUDIENCES, KLT SHARED INFORMATION WITH ATTENDEES AT LOCAL ART FAIR EVENTS. KLT REGULARLY CONDUCTED EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH THROUGH ITS WEBSITE (WWW.KEWEENAWLANDTRUST.ORG), SOCIAL MEDIA AND EMAIL NOTICES, AND THROUGH PRINT PUBLICATION OF NEWSLETTERS, REPORTS, AND BROCHURES.

OTHER: KLT IS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE KEWEENAW INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT AREA (KISMA) PARTNERSHIP, THAT CONDUCTS PLANNING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION OF INVASIVE SPECIES CONTROL STRATEGIES. KLT SUPPORTED ONGOING PARTNERSHIPS WITH KEWEENAW GEOHERITAGE, THE COPPER COUNTRY RECYCLING INITIATIVE, AND THE STEWARDS OF BETE GRISE PRESERVE. KLT SUPPORTED THE KEWEENAW OUTDOOR RECREATION COALITION (KORC) THAT BUILDS ON THE SUCCESSFUL CONSERVATION OF LANDS IN KEWEENAW COUNTY THAT PROVIDE RECREATION BENEFITS IN ADDITION TO RESOURCE CONSERVATION. SUBSTANTIAL COMMUNITY INTEREST AND SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL LAND CONSERVATION AND RECREATION ENHANCEMENTS COMBINE TO CREATE IMPORTANT BUT RARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR KORC THAT REQUIRE A BROAD COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP TO BE SUCCESSFUL.