Keweenaw Heartlands Forest Fund

Join our community fundraiser to protect public access, local leadership, and the future of the Keweenaw Heartlands.

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A Community-Led Forest

The Keweenaw Peninsula is home to one of the most ecologically intact landscapes remaining in the Great Lakes region. With over 30,000 acres of forests, rivers, wetlands, and trails, the Keweenaw Heartlands are central to our geographic, cultural, and emotional identity.

In 2022, this landscape was protected from immediate privatization and fragmentation. Today, through the Keweenaw Heartlands Forest Fund, we’re securing and shaping a future where the land is locally governed, sustainably managed, always accessible, and protected forever.

Why the Heartlands Matter

The Keweenaw Heartlands is more than just land. It’s part of our way of life. With 30,000 acres of forestland, 32+ miles of rivers and streams, and 4,000 acres of wetlands, the Heartlands cleans the region’s air and filters the water that flows into Lake Superior. With over 75 miles of motorized and non-motorized recreation trails, significant opportunities for hiking and fishing, and lots of space to explore, this landscape offers many opportunities to connect with nature, enjoy the outdoors, and celebrate community.

Hike through Estivant Pines. Photo credit: Michael George

Led by Locals. Access For All.

Protecting the Heartlands is about protecting access for everyone, always. But a transition to public ownership is only the beginning. Local care, regular public engagement, and sustainable planning are essential to ensure this landscape remains beneficial to community members today and for generations to come.

The Heartlands Community Advisory Committee, a group of local and regional organizations representing broad perspectives, designed recommendations for the future governance and management of this community forest.

The Keweenaw Heartlands will be cared for by the people who live here. Although residents have long contributed to land stewardship, this is the first time they will do so through a formal role in governing public forestland.

Keweenaw County voters will soon elect a five-person board to lead the new Keweenaw Heartlands Recreation and Natural Resources Authority, which will govern and manage approximately 20,000 acres of the Heartlands. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will own and manage the remaining 10,000 Heartlands acres.

This board will be:

  • Elected by local residents and accountable to the public.

  • Responsible for ensuring that environmental, economic, and social benefits flow directly back to the forest and the community.

  • Guided by the Blueprint for the Keweenaw Heartlands, a community-developed forest blueprint rooted in shared values.

The board’s top priorities will be: (1) protecting ecological and cultural features, (2) restoring the health of the working forest, (3) maintaining public access to the forest, including physical, structural, and social access. The board will provide regular opportunities for public input, ensuring accountability and transparency, two values highly prioritized by the community to guide the future of this land.

Sunny view from Brockway Mountain. Photo credit: The Nature Conservancy.

What Your Gift Makes Possible

Your donation to the Keweenaw Heartlands Forest Fund directly supports the long-term care and responsible management of the Keweenaw Heartlands.

Your gift supports:

  • Monitoring, conserving, protecting, improving, and maintaining the forest

  • Capital improvements such as trails, signage, and access infrastructure

  • Operational and staffing needs for day-to-day and governance activities

  • Administrative and out-of-pocket expenses necessary to manage the forest effectively

  • Matching funds for grant opportunities

  • Fundraising efforts to ensure continued support for this community-led project 

Your support ensures that this land remains publicly accessible, sustainably managed, and guided by the values of the people who live in and love the Keweenaw.

Photo Credit: Mark R. Upton Photography

How We’ll Fund This Together

To support the launch of this community forest, we are raising $600,000 for startup operations for the Keweenaw Heartlands Recreation and Natural Resources Authority Board.

  • 393,000 has already been committed

  • We are now working to raise the remaining $207,000

This $600,000 will support at least the board’s first three years, covering planning and operations without placing a burden on Keweenaw County’s tax base. A strong start will ensure capable leadership and a thriving, self-sustaining community forest.

Donate to the Keweenaw Heartlands Community Forest

Every gift, large or small, makes a difference.

Donate online by clicking the donate button below. You can also donate by check.

To donate by check, mail to:
Keweenaw Community Foundation
PO Box 265, Hancock, MI 49930
Memo: Keweenaw Heartlands Forest Fund

This is your chance to shape the future of the Keweenaw. You can:

  • Make a one-time or monthly gift

  • Host a fundraiser or awareness event

  • Make a matching or planned gift

  • Share this opportunity with your friends, neighbors, and network

Donate

Thank You for Supporting the Keweenaw Heartlands Forest Fund!

Thank you to all generous individual and organizational donors. The donor list is updated periodically.

  • Be the first to give!

    • Anonymous Donor

  • Be the first to give!

  • Be the first to give!

    • Eloise Haller - In Memory of Bill Haller

    • Brian Wake, Fredrick Bryant, and Joan Wake

    • John and Jodi Lehman

    • Robin and Greg Meneguzzo

    • Julia Petersen

    • Richard and Synthia Marsh

    • Kelly Ryan

    • Calumet Keweenaw Sportsmen’s Club

    • Visit Keweenaw

    • John J. Helstrom Memorial Fund of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County

    • Copper Harbor Trails Club

    • Bonnie Hay

    • Joan E. and Dave P. Donnay

    • Adam Yeoman

    • Bill and Nancy Leonard

    • Phil and Michelle Morgan - In Memory of Bill Rose

    • Art and Alison Pontynen

    • Keweenaw Land Trust

    • Sam Raymond and Shelby Laubhan

    • Probst Family

    • Curt Pennala

    • Jerry Wuorenmaa

    • William Peaseley

    • Josey Aalto

    • Tessa Tormoen

    • Hurricane Hamilton

    • Jeff DeMatteis

    • Rich and Ann Bowman

    • Slagle

    • Emily Clegg

    • Lynn and Jamie Robertson

    • Carl and Jan Kikuchi

    • Salmela and Kenney Family Trust

    • Chad Bruce

    • Jacqueline Rowe

    • Thomas Van Pelt

    • Katharine Alvord

    • Joe Tinetti

    • Jane Church

    • Austin Glenn

    • SpeLLcheck - Keweenaw Roller Derby

    • Jane Church

    • Stephen and Cheryl Moeller

    • Keweenaw County Historical Society

    • Adrian Gillssen

    • Anita and Paul Campbell

    • Sandra Uusitalo

    • Linda Chopp Smith

    • Sylvia and Michael Cooper

    • Marilyn M. Cooper

    • Cindy and Dickie Selfe - In honor of Chris and Diane Hardy

    • Nicola Villano

    • Jacob and Naomi Stucki Fund at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation

    • Molly Petchenik and Ken Gildersleeve

    • The Morgans - In Honor of Michelle and Phil Morgan

    • Zachary Foote

    • Annelise Rittberg

    • Stephen Trynoski

    • The Symanns Family

    • Mary Knight - In Memory of George Swenson Jr.

    • Eagle Harbor General Store Museum

    • Megan V. - In Honor of Dr. VanAken

    • Kyle Bowen

    • Erika Vye

KCF and the Heartlands

The Keweenaw Community Foundation’s mission is to serve as a catalyst for lasting change, a partner for local organizations, and a resource for emerging community needs. Our role in this project is to support our local communities’ engagement by organizing public meetings, providing regular informational updates, and ensuring their voices are heard throughout the process.

We also help in fundraising to support the start-up costs for the Keweenaw Heartlands Recreation and Natural Resources Authority, a group of elected representatives in Keweenaw County who will manage the working forest.

Give to the Fund