Take Action: Keweenaw Heartlands Authority Board Candidacy Filing Deadline is Approaching!
Individuals eligible to vote in Keweenaw County who are interested in running for one of five non-partisan Keweenaw Heartlands Authority Board spots must complete and file candidacy paperwork with the Keweenaw County Clerk, including signatures of support, by Thursday, July 16 at 4:00 PM. Candidacy paperwork can be picked up from the Keweenaw County Clerk’s Office.
Interested, but want to know more about the new Keweenaw Heartlands Recreational and Natural Resources Authority, the Authority’s Board, and/or how you can step up to run for a board position? Check out these FAQs on the Keweenaw County website.
Whoa, we’ve achieved three Heartlands Project milestones!
The Michigan Recreational and Natural Resources Authorities Act was signed into law by Governor Whitmer in mid-May—now Public Acts 12, 13, and 14 of 2026. This legislation is necessary to enable Keweenaw community members to design a governance and management authority for a future Keweenaw Heartlands Community Forest.
On Monday, June 1, the Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the Articles of Incorporation (Articles) for a new Keweenaw Heartlands Recreational and Natural Resources Authority (Authority). The Articles are posted on the county’s website. Their passing means the county can include five nonpartisan Authority Board positions on the November ballot. Learn more about serving on the Authority Board.
On Friday, June 5, the Keweenaw Community Foundation and members of the Heartlands Project Community Advisory Committee hosted For the Heartlands, a dinner and concert to raise community excitement for the future community forest and generate support for the Keweenaw Heartlands Forest Fund. It was an awesome, community-based event (23 sponsors, 20 auction items, 115 attendees!) and a big success!
The Keweenaw Heartlands Project is not complete just yet, though with the above milestones achieved, it’s on its way. The Nature Conservancy and partners continue working to secure acquisition funding to transfer the future community forest’s acres into public ownership. All partners continue to keep focused on the goal: a healthy, intact, and publicly accessible landscape, and the first publicly and locally led community forest of its kind in the State of Michigan!
Show your support with Keweenaw Heartlands swag!
The Heartlands swag from locally owned Chicken Tramper Ultralight Gear and Superior Graphics has been a big hit!
Want some of your own? You can still buy the special, limited-edition swag directly at the Visit Keweenaw storefront in Houghton. Every order supports the Keweenaw Heartlands Forest Fund!
