Bete Grise Coastal Wetland Acquisition II

BETE GRISE COASTAL WETLANDS ACQUISITION II NATIONAL COASTAL WETLAND CONSERVATION GRANT PROPOSAL FOR THE PERIOD: JUNE 1, 2008 –SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SUBMITTED: FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2008 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH: THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IN MICHIGAN KEWEENAW LAND TRUST HOUGHTON/KEWEENAW CONSERVATION DISTRICT TABLE OF CONTENTS PROJECT STATEMENT:.............................................................................................................. 3 SUMMARY: 3 PROJECT AREA:....................................................................................................................... 4 NEED:......................................................................................................................................... 5 OBJECTIVES:............................................................................................................................ 7 Objective 1. Coastal Wetland Acquisition and Protection .................................................. 7 Objective 2. Management Plan / Outreach and Education.................................................. 7 EXPECTED RESULTS OR BENEFITS: .................................................................................. 7 1. Wetlands conservation.................................................................................................... 7 2. Maritime forests on coastal barriers .............................................................................. 9 3. Long-term conservation................................................................................................ 10 4. Coastal watershed management ................................................................................... 10 5. Conservation of threatened and endangered species ................................................... 10 6. Benefits to fish............................................................................................................... 11 7. Benefits to coastal-dependent or migratory birds ........................................................ 12 8. Prevent or reduce contamination.................................................................................. 12 9. Catalyst for future conservation ................................................................................... 13 10. Partners in conservation........................................................................................... 13 11. Federal share reduced .............................................................................................. 13 12. Education/outreach program or wildlife-oriented recreation.................................. 13 13. Other factors ............................................................................................................. 14 APPROACH: ............................................................................................................................ 15 Approach 1. Coastal Wetland Acquisition and Protection ................................................ 15 Approach 2. Management Plan / Outreach and Education................................................ 17 LOCATION:............................................................................................................................. 17 ESTIMATED COST:................................................................................................................ 17 PROJECT PERSONNEL: ........................................................................................................ 18 APPENDIX A: Summary Information for Ranking National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program Proposals .......................................................................................................... 20 APPENDIX B: Partner Letters of Support............................................................................. 37 Bete Grise Coastal Wetlands Acquisition II, MDNR Page 2 of 37 PROJECT STATEMENT: The Bete Grise coastal wetland acquisition, a cooperative effort between the Michigan Chapter of the Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) with additional governmental agency and non-profit organization partners. SUMMARY: Bete Grise Bay of Lake Superior lies off the southern coast of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. An inland lake, and former embayment, of Lake Superior known as Lac La Belle is directly connected to Bete Grise Bay. Surrounding the eastern and southern shores of Lac La Belle and running south along the Lake Superior coastline is a vast Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands complex totaling over 5,000 acres. The Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) has identified this pristine coastal wetland as the only A-ranked occurrence of this type remaining in the United States’ Upper Great Lakes. The purpose of this proposal is to acquire the approximately 917 acres of wetlands and sand dune uplands as well as 3,500 feet of additional frontage on the Lac La Belle known as the Bete Grise Wetland. This parcel is directly adjacent to TNC’s Bete Grise Preserve, established in 2005. Securing the Bete Grise Wetlands is the next step in ensuring that the over 5,000 acre landscape level Lake Superior coastal wetland complex is permanently protected. Bete Grise Coastal Wetlands Acquisition II, MDNR Page 3 of 37 PROJECT AREA: Bete Grise Bay of Lake Superior lies off the southern coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula, in Keweenaw County of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. An inland lake and former embayment of Lake Superior known as Lac La Belle is directly connected to Bete Grise Bay. Surrounding the eastern and southern shores of Lac La Belle and running south along the Lake Superior coastline is a vast 5,000+ acre Great Lakes coastal wetland complex that is encompassed by the project area (Figure 1). The project area includes the lake Lac La Belle and stretches from the Lake Superior shore on the NWI Classification east, Deer Lake and Emergent the Little Gratiot Scrub-Shrub River on the west Forested Open Water LAC LA BELLE and south along the Lake Superior Bete Grise Bay shoreline past Oliver Lac La Belle of Lake Superior Bay. This project area was originally established to acquire coastal wetlands with Deer funds that included a Lake successful National Coastal Wetland Conservation (NCWC) grant in 2006. Area of Detail The rugged, forested Keweenaw Peninsula extends into Lake Superior near the western end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. 0.5 0 0.5 1 Miles N Keweenaw is Ojibwa for “place of the Figure 1: Project area locator map with National Wetlands Inventory delineated wetlands with false-color infrared Digital Orthoquad as background. crossing”, referring to the Portage Waterway that provides safe passage through, rather than around the peninsula. A unique combination of topography, geology and geography has produced a region of very rich biodiversity. Several globally rare natural communities and endemic species exist, and many of the boreal species reach the southern extent of their range on the Keweenaw. As previously mentioned, MNFI has identified the wetland complex in the project area as the only A-ranked occurrence of this type remaining in the United States portion of the Upper Great Lakes. In addition, TNC and the Lake Superior Bi-National Forum have long since recognized the ecological significance of this area and the need for land protection. TNC has designated this Bete Grise Coastal Wetlands Acquisition II, MDNR Page 4 of 37 pristine mosaic of wetlands, dunes, sloughs and shoreline as the best estuarine Great Lakes Marsh (The Nature Conservancy Site Conservation, 4/1/96). NEED: Two large parcels of the coastal wetland complex in the project area were acquired with funds from a previously successful NCWC grant. These parcels, identified in the previous grant as Bete Grise North and Bete Grise South, are now known collectively as the Bete Grise Preserve. The preserve is jointly managed and maintained by The Nature Conservancy in Michigan (TNC), Keweenaw Land Trust (KLT) and the Houghton-Keweenaw Conservation District along with technical assistance from MDNR. Additional acquisitions within this complex are needed to ensure the integrity of this complex. A willing seller has been identified for a large parcel, referred to in this proposal as Bete Grise Wetlands, which would add 917 acres to the preserve and protect lands particularly valuable for residential development along the southern shore of Lac La Belle (Figure 2). LAC LA BELLE 763 Acres Bete Grise Bay Lac La Belle of Lake Superior Bete Grise North 917 Acres Bete Grise South Bete Grise Wetlands Deer Lake 1,040 Acres 0.2 0 0.2 0.4 Miles N Figure 2: Location map of proposed acquisition of Bete Grise Wetlands along with the existing two parcels now managed as the single Bete Grise Preserve. The current owner has been attempting to sell these lands for more than two years. There is some virgin softwood timber remaining on more remote upland areas of this property and hardwoods that may include bird’s eye and curly maple. The seller’s original intention was to log any viable timber before selling the land. Additionally, the seller was interested in moving fill from the sand dune ridges to the wetlands on the Lac La Belle sloughs in the northeast corner Bete Grise Coastal Wetlands Acquisition II, MDNR Page 5 of 37 of the property to create developable lots (Figure 3). Preliminary plans were to develop the uplands along the road running east-west in the northern portion of the property into a subdivision and then establish two large subdivision

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