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Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve shoreline along Lake Superior at dusk.
Bete Grise The 62-acre Bete Grise Wetlands Preserves consists of just over 4,000 feet of sandy shoreline along Lake Superior. © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media

Stories in Michigan

The Legacy of the Keweenaw Peninsula

Since 1982, TNC has been working with partners to ensure the protection of the Keweenaw Peninsula for people and nature.

April 18, 2022

The remote and beautiful Keweenaw Peninsula is cherished by residents and visitors alike. This unique landscape features ancient volcanic rocks, cascading streams, scenic Lake Superior coastlines and lush forests that harbor globally rare plants and wildlife. It is also the heart of one of the most unfragmented and climate-resilient areas in the northern Great Lakes region.

The Keweenaw Peninsula is an important natural legacy for Michiganders, which is why The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has worked to support its conservation for decades. As a result of these efforts and the work of other conservation partners and organizations, people have many opportunities to enjoy and celebrate the peninsula’s natural beauty.

Our Vision

TNC’s land protection efforts are for conservation purposes that benefit the community. We protect Michigan’s lands & waters for people & nature, which includes public access to TNC-owned lands where feasible.

  1. Resilient, diverse and connected forests that contribute to climate solutions.

  2. A collaborative, community-centered approach to conservation.

  3. Thriving local economies based on healthy lands and waters.

The Meaning of “Conservancy”

TNC’s land protection efforts are for conservation purposes that benefit the community. We protect Michigan’s lands and waters for people and nature, which includes public access to TNC-owned lands where feasible.

TNC’s Role in Protecting the Peninsula

TNC’s work to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends is grounded in science and time-tested best practices. Land protection—through purchasing land, establishing conservation easements or assisting partners with their protection efforts—helps us achieve this mission. But land protection is just one strategy among many that TNC employs to benefit people and nature.

In the Keweenaw Peninsula, we:

  • Protect and restore forests that provide habitat for diverse wildlife and songbirds and support healthy freshwater systems, from headwater wetlands, lakes and streams to the Great Lakes.
  • Promote nature-based climate solutions that support healthy forests and sequester and store forest carbon, which is necessary to help meet Michigan’s emission reduction goals and achieve carbon neutrality.
  • Partner with the community on projects that balance the needs of people and nature. The Keweenaw Peninsula is fast becoming a regional and national outdoor recreation hub.
  • Demonstrate sustainable forest management practices on TNC’s working forest reserves in Michigan and share that expertise with Keweenaw partners.

An Iconic Landscape

Ancient bedrock along the shoreline at Mary MacDonald Preserve.
Volcanic History The ancient volcanic history of the Keweenaw can be seen in its craggy exposed bedrock, from cliffs and balds to rocky shorelines at places like TNC's Mary Macdonald Preserve. © Jason Whalen
Sunrise hitting an inlet of bedrock at the shoreline of the lake under a blue sky.
Geological Origins The stromatolites of the Keweenaw Peninsula capture its geological origins—and the origins of life as we know it thanks to photosynthesizing cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). © TNC
Horseshoe Harbor's pebbled shoreline. The large body of water has rows of forest along its banks.
Copper Harbor For 7,000+ years, copper has shaped the economy & culture of the Keweenaw—home to the world’s largest pure copper deposit. Ghost towns still remain long after the mining boom. © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media
Two people look up to the top of the trees in a forest of tall trees.
White Pines Though most of Michigan’s ancient forests have been replaced with second- & third-growth forests, remnants of the region’s once-enormous white pine stands persist. © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media
Several adult Chinook salmon swimming underwater.
Occupations The mining rush of the mid-1800s brought a wave of immigrants from across the globe. While many of them were miners, other occupations like logging & fishing were also common. © Public Domain
A scenic landscape shot of the green, hilly Mt. Baldy on a cloudy day.
Northern Bald Once known as Lookout Mountain, Mt. Baldy's newer name comes from its unique “northern bald” habitat, characterized by outcroppings of exposed granite. © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media
A broad-winged hawk soaring through the sky.
Spring Migration Dozens of migrating raptor species are spotted in the annual spring count at Brockway Mountain, but the broad-winged hawk is by far the most frequently counted raptor. © Jason Major
Two sandhill cranes stand along a grass and sand-covered lake shoreline.
Great Lakes Marsh The Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve features one of the best examples of Great Lakes marsh in the region, providing important breeding & stop-over habitat for migratory birds. © Gina Nicholas
× Ancient bedrock along the shoreline at Mary MacDonald Preserve.
× Sunrise hitting an inlet of bedrock at the shoreline of the lake under a blue sky.
× Horseshoe Harbor's pebbled shoreline. The large body of water has rows of forest along its banks.
× Two people look up to the top of the trees in a forest of tall trees.
× Several adult Chinook salmon swimming underwater.
× A scenic landscape shot of the green, hilly Mt. Baldy on a cloudy day.
× A broad-winged hawk soaring through the sky.
× Two sandhill cranes stand along a grass and sand-covered lake shoreline.

Our Pathway to Conservation in the Keweenaw Peninsula

TNC has been active in the Keweenaw Peninsula for decades. Our efforts are reflected in the three preserves we own and manage on the peninsula:

However, our impact goes far beyond our preserves. TNC has helped conserve approximately 15 miles of Lake Superior shoreline—practically the entire tip of the peninsula! This includes a collaboration with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on a momentous project in the early 2000s, which protected more than 6,200 acres and five miles of the Montreal River.

We continue to work with public and private partners on innovative protection solutions. 

What Is a Conservation Easement?

Conservation easements are one way to protect land. These legal agreements restrict future development on a property and protect its conservation value in perpetuity. In exchange, the property owner may receive tax benefits. The easement holder—either a unit of government or a qualified conservation organization such as TNC—acquires certain rights and obligations to uphold the easement terms.

Our History in the Keweenaw

1975-2000
2001-2019
2020-Present

1975-2000

TNC began its work in the Keweenaw Peninsula in the early 1970s.

The Keweenaw shoreline at dawn.
Keweenaw Shoreline at Dawn The Keweenaw Peninsula is an important natural legacy for Michiganders, which is why The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has worked to support its conservation for decades. © © Ron Leonetti
The Lake Superior shoreline at Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve.
Bete Grise The Lake Superior shoreline at Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve © Gina Nicholas
1975-1977

TNC begins our work in the region with the purchase and transfer of more than 5,900 acres at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula to the U.S. Forest Service, to become part of the Ottawa National Forest.

Mary Macdonald Preserve signage in front of autumn-colored trees.
Mary Macdonald Preserve Mary Macdonald Preserve signage at Horseshoe Harbor. © © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media
1982

Member Mary Macdonald helps TNC establish our 1st preserve in the Keweenaw, with a gift of 500 acres of land. This becomes the 1st piece of the Mary Macdonald Preserve, which TNC has since expanded to 1,200 acres.

Explore the Preserve
Rocks stick out of the shore at Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve.
Bete Grise The rocky shore of Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve. © Ron Leonetti
1997

TNC acquires one of our first conservation easements on the peninsula, on 328 privately owned acres in Houghton County.

2001-2019

By the 2000s, TNC established its first preserve and would soon add two more in the area.

Trees and a sky full of clouds are reflected into the blue water of a lake.
Bete Grise Dune and swale wetlands at Bete Grise Preserve. © Gina Nicholas
A lush, green forest.
Helmut & Candis Stern Preserve The hike through Helmut & Candis Stern Preserve at Mt. Baldy in the Keweenaw Peninsula is one of the most strenuous on any of TNC's Michigan preserves. © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media
2001

The Helmut & Candis Stern Preserve at Mt. Baldy is established, thanks to generous donations from the Sterns.

Explore the Preserve
A lake shoreline lined by trees at Horseshoe Harbor.
Horseshoe Harbor on Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. © Harold E. Malde
2002–2003

TNC works with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and other partners to protect more than 6,200 acres at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula—one of our largest protection projects in Michigan to date.

A stream of water runs through a sandy and rocky area and into a body of water.
Bete Grise The sandy shore of Lake Superior © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media
2004

Ensuring that its stunning beach remains open to the public, TNC protects the 64-acre Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve as part of a much larger cooperative effort with the Houghton-Keweenaw Conservation District.

Explore the Preserve
Red and yellow-leafed trees in the woods.
Bete Grise Bete Grise preserve in the autumn © Jason Whalen
2005-2016

TNC helps the Houghton-Keweenaw Conservation District protect more than 3,300 acres in areas surrounding our Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve.

Landscape scenic view of grassy, wildflower-filled fields from the summit of Brockway Mountain.
Brockway Mountain Some of the migrating raptor species spotted in the annual spring count on Brockway Mountain in the Keweenaw Peninsula include the northern harrier, osprey and bald eagle. © © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media
2013

Every year, birders record thousands of migrating raptors from the summit of Brockway Mountain. In 2013, TNC helps Eagle Harbor Township acquire 320 acres that include this migration site, keeping it open to the public.

2020-Present

From 2020 onward, TNC is focused on continuing to support the Keweenaw community.

An adult kayaking on Lake Superior surrounded by wetlands at Bete Grise Preserve in Michigan.
Kayaking at Bete Grise Kayaking Lake Superior at the Bete Grise Wetlands Preserve. © TNC
Rocks jutting out of Lake Michigan on the Mary Macdonald Preserve shoreline under a blue sky.
Mary MacDonald Preserve Mary MacDonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor in the Keweenaw Peninsula. © © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media
2020

TNC’s Mary Macdonald Preserve reaches its current size of approximately 1,200 acres, which includes four miles of Lake Superior shoreline.

Landscape scenic view of Helmut and Candis Stern Preserve.
Mt Baldy, Michigan Helmut and Candis Stern Preserve at Mt. Baldy © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media
2020

TNC adds 200 acres to the eastern edge of the Helmut & Candis Stern Preserve that not only increase its acreage to its current 1,700+ acres, but also connect it to Michigan Audubon’s Lake Bailey Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Future of the Keweenaw

The Keweenaw Peninsula has globally significant opportunities for nature-based carbon solutions and land and water protection, all contributing to the health of one of the world’s largest freshwater systems, the Great Lakes. It is also a focal point for issues faced by forests around the world, and by the communities that depend on them—from habitat fragmentation to economic instability.

TNC hopes to continue to support the Keweenaw community as it builds a future around the sustainable use and management of the rivers, lakes and forests of this globally unique landscape and the outdoor recreation and environmental services (like carbon sequestration) that it offers.

TNC has been talking with local leaders and interest groups to listen and learn more about their goals and plans, and to provide support where we can. This includes exploring potential forest protection projects and partnerships that could continue to provide for local sustainable timber and recreational economies.

The Keweenaw Peninsula represents an opportunity for both learning and impact: the solutions we develop together here could be shared with other communities pursuing a resilient, nature-based future, across the Great Lakes and beyond.

Photos from the Keweenaw

The Keweenaw is home to diverse landscapes that feature ancient volcanic rocks, cascading streams, scenic Lake Superior coastlines and lush forests that harbor rare plants and wildlife.

A close-up of the sandy, rocky Keweenaw shoreline with trees in the distance under a blue sky.
A mink frog wading in greenish water.
Lichen on shoreline rocks at Horseshoe Harbor.
Lake waves crashing against rocks under a blue sky.
A person kayaks in Lake Superior along the Bete Grise Preserve on a cloudy day.
Snow covers the sandy shore of Bete Grise Preserve along the shore of Lake Superior.
A landscape view of rolling forested hills overlooking a large body of water under a vast blue sky.
A landscape view of yellow and orange trees at Brockway Mountain.
A forest of tall green trees.
The sun sets over a calm lake as clouds roll across the sky.
A close-up of the sandy, rocky Keweenaw shoreline with trees in the distance under a blue sky.

Keweenaw Shoreline: The upper Keweenaw peninsula boasts miles of geologically unique shoreline. © Ron Leonetti

A mink frog wading in greenish water.

Mink Frog at Horseshoe Harbor: The Keweenaw peninsula is home to many wildlife species, including mink frogs. © Matt Bohan

Lichen on shoreline rocks at Horseshoe Harbor.

Keweenaw Lichen: Lichens are a common find on the rocks in the Keweenaw. © Harold E. Malde

Lake waves crashing against rocks under a blue sky.

Keweenaw Waves: Rocks line the coast of the Mary Macdonald Preserve. © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media

A person kayaks in Lake Superior along the Bete Grise Preserve on a cloudy day.

Bete Grise: Kayaking is one of many things to do in the Keweenaw. © TNC

Snow covers the sandy shore of Bete Grise Preserve along the shore of Lake Superior.

Blanketed in Snow: In the winter months, Bete Grise is covered in snow. © Ron Leonetti

A landscape view of rolling forested hills overlooking a large body of water under a vast blue sky.

Forest Views: Check out the view from Mt. Baldy. © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media

A landscape view of yellow and orange trees at Brockway Mountain.

Autumn Leaves: The view from Brockway Mountain reveals the Upper Peninsula forests awash in fall colors. © Jason Whalen

A forest of tall green trees.

Helmut & Candis Stern Preserve: The hike through Helmut & Candis Stern Preserve at Mt. Baldy in the Keweenaw Peninsula is one of the most strenuous on any of TNC's Michigan preserves. © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media

The sun sets over a calm lake as clouds roll across the sky.

Sunset: The sun sets over Horseshoe Harbor in the Keweenaw. © Richard Baumer

Our Work in Michigan

Learn more about our conservation projects across the Great Lakes state.

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