IRONWOOD — Keweenaw Land Association, Limited announced on Monday that it closed on the sale of a motorized recreational trail easement to the state of Michigan on Dec. 31.

Under the terms of the sale, the state paid Keweenaw $832,968 to acquire permanent easement rights on approximately 53 miles of existing motorized recreational trails on Keweenaw property in Upper Michigan.

These trails have historically been used for snowmobiling under annual use agreements between Keweenaw and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The easement eliminates the need for annual use agreements and guarantees public trail access into perpetuity. Keweenaw retains the right to use the trails as needed for business purposes, including logging, and to reroute or temporarily close trails as needed for safety purposes.