The Superior Watershed Partnership Land Conservancy (SWP) recently completed the purchase and permanent protection of over 1,600 feet of Lake Huron shoreline including 17 acres of old growth northern forest, coastal wetlands and rare fen marshlands. The SWP received a $400,000 grant through the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program administered through the US Forest Service. The SWP and project partners provided over $377,000 in related project match.
The SWP Lake Huron Community Forest property is located near DeTour Village in Chippewa County, Michigan where coastal development pressures are at an all-time high. The parcel will preserve important coastal ecosystems and provide educational and recreational opportunities for area residents and tourists.
The Lake Huron coastline is a popular tourist destination area of the eastern Upper Peninsula and much of the shoreline has been developed as second-home vacation properties, limiting public access to the beach. Protecting this unique coastal forest and coastal wetland was a local and regional priority. The property includes frontage on M-134 and there is ample parking for access to the proposed community forest trailhead. Planned improvements include low-impact hiking trails and interpretative nature signs throughout the property
The Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) notes that 121 species of Special Concern (SC), threatened (T), or endangered (E) species have been observed in Chippewa County including species such as piping plover. In a time and place where suitable coastal properties are highly desirable for residential building, preserving the natural state of such areas is critical to the survival of rare plant and animal species.
By protecting sensitive shorelines from development, protecting coastal wetlands, and protecting important forest habitat conditions, the Lake Huron Community Forest: Old Growth, Coastal Wetlands and Sand Beach property furthers the goals of several federal and binational (US and Canada) landscape conservation initiatives. Such initiatives include but are not limited to: the Lake Huron Lakewide Management Plan (2017-2021) and the Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Cooperative (US Fish and Wildlife Service).
The Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy is a nationally recognized 501 c 3 non-profit organization and a regional leader in Great Lakes protection and restoration. The Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy holds several properties including two Community Forest properties on the Lake Superior shoreline and conducts annual stewardship monitoring of easements. In addition, the SWP owns the historic Stannard Rock Lighthouse in Lake Superior which it utilizes for weather and climate monitoring and related research. The SWP Great Lakes Conservation Corps (GLCC) assists with annual inventories of land conservancy properties and related resource management and maintenance.
