ONTONAGON COUNTY, MI The Ehlco forest area features 16,000 acres of gently sloping land covered by hardwood and conifer trees, which is bisected by the Big Iron River and inhabited by deer, black bears and wolves.
To the west, 25,000 acres in the Trap Hills features a boreal and northern hardwood forest with cedar swamps, rugged slopes and sheer cliffs that boast visibility up to 40 miles.
Both areas are among four big chunks of federal land in Michigans Upper Peninsula that preservation advocates want to see designated as wilderness, a level of national protection afforded to the wildest of lands which forever prohibits logging, mining and other resources extraction and restricts almost all vehicle access.
The Keep the UP Wild coalition wants the proposed designation for about 50,000 acres in the Ottawa National Forest. The effort launched last summer but has yet to be formally taken up by Congress, which gets to decide which lands become wilderness a place the Wilderness Act of 1964 defines as where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.
The effort has significant support from environment, conservation and climate groups, Democrats and eco-friendly businesses. However, it began drawing fire this summer from the timber industry and Republican lawmakers in Lansing, who see the proposed change as not just unnecessary but potentially detrimental to local economies tied to logging and other forms of outdoor recreation that would be prohibited under a wilderness designation.
On June 30, the Republican-led Michigan Senate approved a resolution to oppose the wilderness designation that was authored by Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan.
When I met with these groups to discuss this issue, they made it very clear that the only significant difference that would happen in their minds in this designation is going from hardly ever cutting trees to never cutting trees, McBroom said in Senate floor remarks. Thats just not acceptable for the people of the Upper Peninsula, who continue to need resource-based economics in order to let our communities survive.
The wilderness proposal represents a new wrinkle in the debate over public land in Michigan the sizable acreage of which has long been a sore point for those who say local tax revenues and economic development potential suffer when land is owned by the state and federal governments.
In this case, the land is already federally owned and advocates argue that a wilderness designation would benefit local areas by drawing visitors who want to hike in remote, scenic settings. Further, it would enshrine protections in perpetuity.
The biggest benefit to doing something like this is providing permanent protection to these areas, said Tyler Barron, a policy advocate for Keep the UP Wild with the Chicago-based Environmental Law and Policy Center. If these areas are kept as just simply U.S. Forest Service lands, they are kind of under a permanent risk of things like logging that should not ever be allowed in these areas.
In addition to the Ehlco and Trap Hills areas, the coalition wants to designate 8,000 acres near Berglund called the Norwich Plains and add 2,000 acres of wilderness to the existing Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness, which is one of 16 existing federal wilderness areas in Michigan that, together, encompass 294,000 acres in both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
Although the exact boundaries and acreage of each area has not been finalized, the goal is to create a 40,000 contiguous wilderness between the Trap Hills, Ehlco and Norwich areas, which would be adjacent to and immediately south of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
The effort began after 2019 legislation named for late Congressman John Dingell designated more than 1.3 million new wilderness acres nationwide, expanded the National Parks system and protected land near Yellowstone from mining. Advocates for wilderness in the UP saw the bipartisan support the bill received in Congress and began a new push.
Unfortunately, tragedy befell the effort last year, when longtime advocate and former forest ranger Douglas Welker fell and died during a filming session at the Sturgeon River Gorge.
Welker was instrumental in helping select areas for a potential designation. The properties were specifically chosen for wilderness characteristics and a lack of major ATV or snowmobile trail networks.
Under a wilderness designation, certain activities beyond timber harvesting or mineral extraction are restricted. Only foot travel is allowed. Mountain biking is prohibited, as are any motorized vehicles such as ATVs and snowmobiles. Camping, hiking, backpacking, hunting, fishing, climbing, canoeing, rafting and kayaking are generally OK.
Motorized wheelchairs are granted special access under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Access prohibitions are a sticking point for some, who question whether the economic benefits of wilderness-based tourism outweigh the dollars that could be brought in by other outdoor recreation uses. Mountain biking is a growing slice of the outdoor economy in the UP particularly on the Keweenaw Peninsula, where a different coalition is attempting to preserve 32,000 acres near Copper Harbor, which has become a popular mountain biking destination.
The Ehlco area includes an existing 20-mile mountain bike trail that, presumably, could no longer be used under a wilderness designation, although Barron said it could be excluded from the wilderness depending on how the final boundaries are drawn.
Because the property is already federal, a wilderness designation would not change U.S. Forest Service operating costs or what local governments receive in payments in lieu of taxes, Barron said.
The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition, Michigan Environmental Council, Michigan Nature Association, Michigan Audubon and the Upper Peninsula Travel & Recreation Association are among the Keep the UP Wilds 350 listed supporters.
From a tourism standpoint, its the openness of our land thats our number one seller, said Tom Nemacheck, UP travel association director Look at Isle Royale. Its a wilderness park and it attracts people for that reason. It draws a different type of consumer.
Mountain bikers already have lots of very high-quality designated trails that are being maintained, Nemacheck said. At this point, there are no conflicts we see where theres not enough for everybody to do what they want.
Absent from the coalition is the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy, which is neutral on the proposal, as is the Michigan Townships Association (MTA). The MTA has accessibility and public safety concerns, spokeswoman Jenn Fiedler said.
Andrea Denham, director of the land conservancy, said the organization is still weighing the proposal and wants to see where local governments and Indigenous tribes fall.
A lot of our economy depends on having a healthy ecosystem and people using it, but its also based on need for jobs and safety and hospitals and places to live and that takes a balance of development and protection, Denham said.
Its always a tension.
The Michigan Association of Counties opposes the designation due to traditional economic concerns but also because of the use restrictions, said Deena Bosworth, director of governmental affairs.
If youre going to take more sections of land and restrict those activities, that restricts more of the outdoor tourism activity, Bosworth said. These smaller areas are really dependent on a lot of that tourism for economic stability up there.
Bosworth was among those who submitted testimony during the Senate Natural Resources Committee hearing June 15, where McBroom laid out his argument and took comments from representatives of the logging industry.
Henry Schienebeck of the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association argued for status quo management of the land, saying it was formerly logged decades ago and it lacks wilderness characteristics. Schienebeck echoed McBrooms resolution, which cites a 2006 evaluation by Randy Moore, now chief of the Forest Service, who determined that the lands potential as wilderness was marginal.
I carefully examined lands throughout the Ottawa for their potential as wilderness and have determined that a single roadless area on the Ottawa meets the criteria for inclusion in the national roadless areas inventory (the Ehlco area), Moore wrote.
While the Ehlco area has been added to the roadless areas inventory, I found that the area had no features or conditions that warrant a recommendation for wilderness study. The Ehlco area has a low to moderate wilderness potential. Although the area is relatively remote, few people are attracted to the area and there are few recreation qualities. Logged over the past 40-70 years when under private ownership, the area is not particularly scenic due to the young dense forest growing on relatively flat terrain. There are opportunities for solitude, but it is affected by the noise and operation of the nearby White Pine industrial complex.
The Trap Hills did warrant a special interest designation due to unique geologic, scenic, recreational, and botanic features of the area, Moore wrote.
Keep the UP Wild needs a Congressional champion to advance the wilderness designation. The hope is that U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., would introduce it in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
Stabenows office told MLive only she has not made any commitments on this issue.
Related stories:
Rising EV demand puts UP nickel mine in global spotlight
Advocates scramble to preserve Keweenaw forest
A $1B eco-disaster is swallowing the Keweenaw coast
Pictured Rocks inundated with record tourists
On Lake Michigan cliffs, ancient trees hide in plain sight
U.P. farms model divide in Michigan wolf hunt debate
Donkeys are livestock guardians in battle with gray wolves
Worlds oldest loon pair splits after 25 years at UP refuge
Soo Locks rebuild project costs balloon past $1B
Island access via foot bridge comes to Tahquamenon Falls
Above Kitch-iti-kipi: Big Spring is majestic from the air
See the original post:
Bid to designate 50k acres in UP as wilderness highlights tension over public lands - MLive.com
- QazInnovations: Kazakhstan seeks to bring volume of innovative ... - inform.kz/en - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- World Earth Day: What is green finance, and why do we need it so much? - The Economic Times - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Netarts Bay cleanup scheduled for Earth Day with SOLVE and ... - Tillamook Headlight-Herald - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Shaping humanitarian and ethical governance in Pakistan - The Express Tribune - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen on the U.S. ... - Treasury - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Investing in nature: Building local economies through conservation - McKinsey - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Lalith's economic vision for Lanka: Export or perish - The Sunday Times Sri Lanka - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy to help A.P. govt. implement energy-efficiency projects - The Hindu - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- President Biden Announces Key Appointments to Boards and ... - The White House - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- A Restraint Approach to U.S.China Relations: Reversing the Slide ... - Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Carrollton Mayor and City Council Election Preview 2023: Meet your ... - Star Local Media - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Governor Kelly Signs Bipartisan Bill to Expand Teacher Workforce in ... - Kansas Governor - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Indigenous Peoples Must Have Full Representation, Participation in ... - United Nations - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- The EPA Region 6 Announces a Total of $23 Million to ... - U.S. EPA.gov - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Kansas governor strikes funding for anti-abortion pregnancy centers ... - Kansas Reflector - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Can You Fight for Climate Justice Without Being Antiwar? - Common Dreams - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Sustainable Tourism: A World leading to the road of Environment consciousness - Nomad Lawyer - NomadLawyer - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Atlanta's Cop City and the Struggle for Climate Justice - Resilience - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Jaishankars visit to Uganda, Mozambique went almost unnoticed but it indicated Indias bold gambit in Africa - Firstpost - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Natural resource - Wikipedia - October 30th, 2022 [October 30th, 2022]
- Non-renewable resource - Wikipedia - October 30th, 2022 [October 30th, 2022]
- Minister Wilkinson Launches Phase 2 of the Regional Energy and Resource Tables - Canada NewsWire - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Executive Secretary participates in Russian Energy Week to advocate for decarbonization in the UNECE region ahead of COP27 - UNECE - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Renault Group: The Future Is NEUTRAL: The circular economy is stepping into a new era! - Yahoo Finance - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Economy Expected to Contract Further in 2023, as the Fed Appears Resolved to Tame Inflation - PR Newswire - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Brazils Runoff Election Will Have Enormous Effects on the Global Climate Crisis - Truthout - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Health disparities and health inequalities: applying All Our Health - GOV.UK - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Opinion: Biopolitics is the invisible hand shaping mental health - The Connecticut Mirror - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Avaaz urges Georgieva and Trudeau to lasso-in commitments from IMF to attend December's vital UN Biodiversity Talks in Montreal - GlobeNewswire - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Kochi as a global city? Why not, asks the man behind Ahmedabads mega city story | Manorama English - Onmanorama - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Hennessy and Thurgood Marshall College Fund Announce partnership with Group Black and The Bishop Gallery to make "America's Most Influential... - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Pollution Prevention Week highlights ways to reduce, reuse and recycle waste - Michigan (.gov) - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- England headed for incineration overcapacity, warns UKWIN - Resource Magazine - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- 3 years of the Principles for Responsible Banking: our vision for change United Nations Environment Finance Initiative - UNEP Finance Initiative - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Isn't It Time To Challenge The Growth Paradigm? OpEd - Eurasia Review - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Coalition of Nearly 50 Organizations Launches 'Tear the Paper Ceiling' Campaign to Raise Awareness Around the 70+ Million Workers in the U.S. Skilled... - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Remote work can actually be more productive: More Hub readers respond to the work-from-home phenomenon - The Hub - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Mendocino Public Health on record-setting Sept. heat: We can't just treat this as a once-in-15-years occurrence - The Mendocino Voice - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Carbon Ridge Secures $6 Million Investment from Leading Climate Investors and Maritime Industry Leaders - Business Wire - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Regenerative Travel Is the Next Phase of Responsible Tourism - Outside Online - Outside - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- NNPC: Between rebranding and reforms, By Tijah Bolton-Akpan - Premium Times - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Embodying the spirit of Malaysia - The Edge Markets MY - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Nonprofit executive takes on state-appointed economic development role - MiBiz: West Michigan Business News - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Noble Mineral Exploration Signs Exploration Agreement with the Constance Lake First Nation - Junior Mining Network - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Progressively Deepening Bilateral Partnership - The Geopolitics - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Oil money is flooding into Guyana. Who will benefit? - Reuters - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Remote-work revolution exposes need for better data, tracking tools to evaluate workforce, pay and economy - The Spokesman Review - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- We need rare earth elements for a greener future, but there's a catch - CBC.ca - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- BRNHA the steward of the living traditions of WNC: Opinion - Citizen Times - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- The Fiji Times Back in history: Future of forestry sector - Fiji Times - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Hochul announces grand opening of Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center - Troy Record - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Predicting the Future of Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Columbia University - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- JD.com Ranks 46th on 2022 Fortune Global 500 - Yahoo Finance - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Minister Wilkinson Releases New Report Showing the Impacts of Climate Change and Necessity of Climate Adaptation in Ontario - Canada NewsWire - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Do Armenians have a future as an independent nation? Part 4 - Armenian Weekly - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Getting the diagnostics right 2 - BusinessWorld Online - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- GrammaTech and T.E.N. Announce Call for Nominations for Product Security Executive of the Year Awards - Business Wire - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Energy Vault and Jupiter Power Announce Agreement for Battery Energy Storage Projects in Texas and California Totaling 220 MWh - Business Wire - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- The North East LEP: Thinking bigger and planning together for the future - Bdaily - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- It's not enough to buy American. You also need to sell American all around the world. - The Ripon Society - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- A 'Living Wall' At Texas A&M Could Be The Key To Smarter Cities - Texas A&M University Today - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Architects and designers must embrace the circular economy - Project Scotland - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Strategic Minerals increases Tin and Tantalum production in June and Q2 2022 at its Penouta Mine - Yahoo Finance - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Issues of the Environment: Improving recycling rates and quality of recycling materials in Washtenaw County - WEMU - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Joe Oliver: The Liberal Cabinet Needs an Intervention - The Epoch Times - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- SDG&E and Cajon Valley Union School District Flip the Switch on Region's First Vehicle-to-Grid Project Featuring Local Electric School Buses Capable... - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Reimagining business: The greatest debt of all time - Newsroom - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Moody's affirms A1 rating of Newfoundland and Labrador, changes outlook to stable - Moody's - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- New Mexico's oil and gas revenues are breaking records and complicating budgets - New Mexico Political Report - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- FACT SHEET: White House Announces over $40 Billion in American Rescue Plan Investments in Our Workforce With More Coming - The White House - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- The Class of 2022 Is Ready to Workon Their Terms - SHRM - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Faraday Copper Announces Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Copper Creek Project in Arizona; Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources Exceed... - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Inside the Triangle's latest job opening data: What boards are showing and who's hiring - WRAL TechWire - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Reserve Bank keeps blinkers on inflation, raising OCR to 2.5% - Stuff - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Abe's drive to bring back Japan | The Interpreter - The Interpreter - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- UCF Hospitality Researchers Expertise Is Tapped for Global Sustainable Tourism Report - UCF - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Feminist Economics and the Fight for Human Rights - OHCHR - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Biden Administration announces historic coastal and climate resilience funding - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Why green ammonia will be the workhorse of EU's future hydrogen economy - EURACTIV - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- NWT mining future takes a critical turn - North of 60 Mining News - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]