LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed 2026-27 state budget includes $6.5 million to support the Keweenaw Heartlands project, a large conservation and recreation initiative in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The project spans roughly 22,000 acres of forest and shoreline in Keweenaw County. The Nature Conservancy purchased the land in 2022 to prevent private development, with the long-term goal of transferring ownership to the county once a management structure is in place.
State Rep. Greg Markkanen (R-Hancock) said legislation allowing Keweenaw County to form its own recreational authority has now cleared both chambers of the Legislature and is expected to head to the governor’s desk.
“The bills have passed the Senate, so the governor, I believe, they’re going over to the governor’s desk to be signed,” Markkanen said. “So we’ll have a recreational authority in Keweenaw County after the bills are signed.”
Current Michigan law typically requires multiple municipalities to form a recreational authority together. The legislation approved by lawmakers would allow a single county to create one independently.
Supporters say the change is important for Keweenaw County, which has a population of roughly 2,000 residents but would be responsible for managing a vast tract of public land.
Markkanen said the proposed funding in Whitmer’s budget would help prepare for that transition.
“The importance is local control,” he said. “The people, the citizens of Keweenaw County, will be able to elect a recreational authority and determine what direction this land will go in.”
If the land is transferred to county ownership, the authority could oversee trail systems, public access, and other recreational amenities.
Whitmer’s executive budget recommendation still requires approval from the Legislature as lawmakers begin negotiating the final spending plan in the months ahead.
