This is Craig Lake State Park. The Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy has gifted nearly 1,300 acres of wilderness to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which is considered a legacy donation. (Photo courtesy of the DNR)

MARQUETTE — The U.P. Land Conservancy has gifted nearly 1,300 acres of pristine highlands wilderness in Marquette County to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to protect the property from degradation and maintain public access.

“We are please to have this wonderful legacy donation to add to the very special Craig Lake State Park,” said Ron Olson, chief of the DNR’s Parks and Recreation Division, in a statement.

The property includes three parcels that made up the conservancy’s Peshekee Headwaters Nature Preserve, which lies along the eastern edge of Craig Lake State Park, the DNR said. The property contains nearly 90% of the watershed that fills Indian Lake, which is headwaters of the West Branch of the Peshekee River, along with 10 miles of hiking trails that connect to the adjacent state park.

The park is located near Champion.

“The watershed, lake and river are a source of freshwater that provides healthy drinking water and clean fish to eat, provides many kinds of safe recreation for the community and visitors, and supports healthy forest ecosystems downstream,” said Andrea Denham, executive director of the conservancy, in a statement. “The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is the best partner in continued protection of this freshwater resource given the work they already do to protect forests and fresh waters in the Peshekee River Watershed.”

A statement from UPLC indicated that continued permanent protection of the biological resources will be ensured through a perpetual conservation easement that will be transferred along with the reserve. Additionally, the public recreational use of the preserve will be continued as part of the state park’s recreational plans.

“The expansion of the park will provide an opportunity for the local community to bring further attention to the phenomenal recreational assets of the township and enhance both local and visitor experience of the state park,” UPLC said.

The DNR said this gift improves access to 120 acres of state ownership, provides additional recreation opportunities, including hiking, hunting, trapping and fishing, and ensures the land remains open to the public and enjoyed for generations to come. The land is home to diverse wildlife including moose, bears, white-tailed deer, wolves and loons.

The UPLC pointed out that the land is “pristine, archetypal Michigamme Highlands wilderness,” with the habitat ranging from a steep-sloped old-growth hemlock forest with exposed granite bedrock glades to the island-dotted eutrophic lake ringed by a canopy of white pines.

“This property augments the remarkable remote landscape at Craig Lake State Park,” said Doug Rich, western Upper Peninsula district supervisor for the DNR’s Parks and Recreation Division, in a statement. “The acquisition also helps achieve department goals and supports strategies and plans involving trails, public lands and protecting natural resources for the future.”

Under the transaction, the conservancy will pay $62,000 in back taxes on the property. Then, Marquette County will be eligible for payments in lieu of taxes on the land from the state of Michigan, the DNR said.

UPLC, which is based in Marquette, said it protects and conserves over 60 properties in 12 Upper Peninsula counties, which are home to “irreplaceable forest canopies, clean waters and wildlife habitats.” As a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization, UPLC said it relies on low-land tax or tax-exempt programs from municipalities, townships and counties that value the conservation efforts the organization brings to the protected lands in their communities.

“Partnerships with other nonprofit and government organizations with similar missions allow us to maintain the wild nature of lands while providing public access to natural areas,” UPLC said in its statement. “Michigamme Township’s tax burden placed on the Peshekee Headwaters Nature Preserve is tens of thousands of dollars higher than any other property that UPLC owns. This tax burden drains resources UPLC needs to carry on the protection and conservation of the 6,500 acres protected by the organization across the Upper Peninsula.”

UPLC said it is gifting the preserve to the DNR to guarantee permanent environmental protection and public recreational access of this property while solving the tax burden issue, and will be responsible for the payment of this year’s property taxes as a stipulation of transfer.

The transfer is set to be completed by June 1.

Michigamme Township unanimously supported a resolution in favor of the gift of land at its Nov. 8 township board meeting, the DNR said.

DNR staff in the Parks and Recreation Division moved the gifting proposal forward to the department’s real estate and executive divisions for consideration. The transaction was approved and signed by DNR Director Dan Eichinger and announced at this month’s meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission.

Craig Lake State Park, encompassing just under 8,500 acres, has walk-in campsites and other camping options, including yurts and rustic cabins and, according to the DNR, is considered the most remote state park in Michigan.

Craig Lake State Park, which has six full lakes, has a main trail covering 8 miles, while the National North Country Scenic Trail runs also runs here for more than 7 miles.