Questions and Answers about The Nature Conservancy’s Purchase of Mt. Baldy

Q. Who is The Nature Conservancy?

A. Our Mission
The Nature Conservancy is a private, non-profit conservation group dedicated to protecting the world’s great natural places – like Mt. Baldy. OurThe mission of The Nature Conservancy mission is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.

  1. What’s so unusual about Mt. Baldy?

A. This bald-topped mountain drops in a precipitous 230-foot cliff along its south face. Its north face is gentler with forested slopes down to the shores of Lake Bailey. After a hike up the trail, visitors find spectacular panoramic views of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw Peninsula from the 730-foot bald. At the highest elevations, wind clearly has shaped the vegetation; the mountaintop is a "northern bald" community, open vegetation that includes disjunct western species and wind-contorted shrubby cedar (Thuja occidentalis). Downslope, stunted oak forest begins, and further down the vegetation is hardwood forest.

Mt. Baldy ranks high in biodiversity significance because of the excellent quality northern bald natural community that occurs on top of the mountain. In Michigan this unusual "alpine" community is one of the state’s rarest and may be the only example. While bedrock balds are common in Canada, New England, and in the Appalachians, the Mt. Baldy balds have a distinctive flora, probably due to the less acidic basalt/conglomerate bedrock compared to Canada and New England, and the climatic distinctness compared to Appalachian balds. Mt. Baldy is the only occurrence of this natural community recorded in the Michigan Natural Features Inventory database. Other similar ridge-tops in the Keweenaw all have signs of previous forestation, such as stumps and charcoal, and require further study to determine proper classification and quality ranks. Four species of state threatened plants, and three special concern plants occur in the northern bald community on Mt. Baldy.
  1. Why did the Conservancy have to purchase the site, wasn’t it OK the way it was?
  1. The two main parcels that make up Mt. Baldy – a 911 acre tract owned by International Paper and a 640 acre tract owned by Betty and Les LaPlante both came up for sale last year. Both landowners could have sold the property on the open market, and it would have been very likely that the pieces would have been subdivided and all public access lost. However, both landowners contacted The Nature Conservancy and the Conservancy was able to purchase the land before it went on the open market. Again the Conservancy would like to emphasize that both landowners had made the decision to sell their acreage, and that if the Conservancy had not purchased them they would have likely been subdivided and developed.
  1. Is Mt. Baldy going to become a Nature Conservancy Preserve?
  1. The price to protect Mt. Baldy was not cheap – The Nature Conservancy had to borrow $1,389,523 to purchase the two parcels. While the Conservancy would like to keep the 1,551 acres as a preserve, finding donors to pay off over one million is not easy. The Conservancy is paying $270 a day, just in interest. However, if several large donors step forward we would still consider making it a preserve. To date $15,000 has been fund raised for the property.

Mt. Baldy is not our only project in the Upper Peninsula. We are actively raising $300,000 for our purchase of land in the tip of the Keweenaw and we have a number of other projects for which we are actively seeking contributions or conservation buyers.

  1. What will the Conservancy do with the property, if it is not a Preserve?
  1. The Conservancy is currently marketing the property to Conservation Buyers. A Conservation Buyer is a private individual who purchases a property but agrees to legal restrictions on its use. On Mt. Baldy the restrictions include no timbering, no subdivision of the property, and no development except one home and garage at the foot of the mountain. A small amount of timbering may be allowed, if needed, around the home development site; however, this will be at the foot of the mountain. These restrictions are permanent and run with all future landowners of the property, so the property remains basically in its present state, forever!
  1. If you are so concerned about the rare vegetation community and rare plants why are you selling to a private individual?
  1. The type of restrictions placed on the property will keep the Mt. Baldy property forever as it is now. In fact, we hope to actively work to improve the community at the top of the mountain to protect it from further wind and ice erosion. The Conservancy will have a management agreement with the private landowner to monitor and study the rare plants and community. We hope to use students and professors at Michigan Technological University to assist in this monitoring and study. No development or structures will ever be allowed on the ridge or mountaintop.
  1. What about public access?
  1. The Conservancy is very aware of the local desire to keep a trail to the top of Mt. Baldy open for public use. Before we sell the property to a Conservation Buyer, a public access easement along the existing trail will be deeded to the Eagle Harbor Township. Therefore the Township will own the right of access to the top. However, the Conservancy currently does not own access rights all the way to the paved road. We are working with the township and adjoining landowners to obtain deeded access from the road to the edge of our property. It is the Conservancy’s desire to guarantee access from the paved road all the way to the top of the mountain. The township will own a right-of-way, forever guaranteeing access.
  1. What about access to the rest of the property?
  1. Since the property will be sold to a private individual it will be up to the new owner to decide if they want other areas of the property open for public access. The restrictions placed on the property do not give an automatic right for the public to use the property. However, the owner must allow access along the existing trail to the top of the mountain since, if thiswhen the public access trail easement is created, the Township will own that access trail.
  1. When will the Township receive the trail right-of-way?

A. The Conservancy is ready and willing to transfer to the Township now the trail access easement on our property. However, the Conservancy does not have legal access along the two-tract road from our property to the paved road. The two-tract crosses corporate land with no legal access (although the trail already exists). Therefore we would prefer to obtain that access as well and then transfer a single right, across the entire length of the trail. Conservancy staff is currently working with Township officials and adjoining landowners on this issue. We hope to transfer the easement to the township by July but we do not have total influence over the corporate decision to grant us legal access. If we are denied legal access to the paved road, we will at least grant access on our property to the Township anyway.

  1. Will I be able to drive, take my ATV, or snowmobile to the top of Mt. Baldy?
  1. Because Mt. Baldy is such a rare community, it is very sensitive to tires, erosion, and vehicle impact. Most of the vegetation is woody evergreen and thus very slow growing. Once vehicles damage an area, wind and ice crystals begin to widen the area of damage, making the impact larger and larger. Snowmobiles are especially hard on the vegetation since even in the snowiest of winters the wind whips the snow off the top of Mt. Baldy leaving no snow for the snowmobiles to run on. Ruts are formed from the snowmobiles running on the bare ground. The Conservancy and the Township will identify a place on the trail appropriate for a "parking area," after that point, motorized vehicles including ATV’s and snowmobiles will not be allowed.
  1. What will the Conservancy do with the money already donated for Mt. Baldy?
  1. The Conservancy will work with donors to determine their wishes for these funds. We hope that since Mt. Baldy is protected and public access to it remains, these donations might be used for informational signs, a visitor registry, and benches to be placed in the parking area and along the trail (but not at the top). This will include discussions with the Township on its goals for improvements on the trail. The Conservancy will assist in leading informational walks to the mountain to share the unique significance of this very special place.
  1. Did I hear that you are going to have a contest to name the public trail?
  1. The Conservancy would like to name the public access trail for a local outdoor "hero" either living or dead that especially appreciates(ed) the outdoors around Eagle Harbor. The Conservancy will be taking suggestions this summer and allow the community to vote on the name of choice. Part of the trail signage will be a sign commemorating this person.

About UsMore Information About the Nature Conservancy
TThehe Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit organization founded in 1951, is one theof the world's largest private international conservation group. Working with communities, businesses and people like you, we protect millions of acres of valuable lands and waters worldwide.

The Nature Conservancy is an international conservation organization that Iin its 50-year history, the Conservancy has protected 12 million acres of critical natural lands and waters across the U.S. that includes 1,300 preserves. We have partnered with local organizations internationally to foster the protection of an additional 80 million acres in Latin America, the Pacific Rim, the Caribbean and, most recently, in Asia. The Conservancy is a science-based, non-confrontational conservation group that works with all interested parties to protect our " last great places" forever.

Michigan Chapter Accomplishments

Since the Conservancy began working in Michigan almost 40 years ago, we have protected 73, 586 acres of forest, wetlands, shoreline and other priority natural communities. We currently manage 33 nature preserves and have more than 32,500 members across the state. We have recently completed a process to identify the most critical natural areas in Michigan and are placing staff on the ground in key communities to encourage local efforts to protect our natural heritage. The UP has 13 preserves including the Michigan Chapter’s largest, and we hold 13 UP conservation easements.

Our Conservation Strategy
The Nature Conservancy develops and implements conservation strategies by:

· Locating key conservation targets (e.g., places, animals and plants);
· Identifying the causes of destruction or degradation to the targets;
· Developing and implementing a course of action to reduce or eradicate threats to

targets;
· Monitoring and measuring the impact and progress of the employed conservation strategies

The Nature Conservancy has five core messages that have consistently resonated with members and nonmembers: the Conservancy: 1) focuses on enduring, tangible results; (2) takes direct action and is innovative; (3) is one of the leading conservation organizations in the world; (4) works collaboratively and is non-confrontational; and (5) cares about future generations.

Our Commitment
Through sound science, tangible results, and a non-confrontational approach, The Nature Conservancy expands the boundaries of conservation to save the Earth's Last last gGreat pPlaces for future generations.

Michigan Chapter Accomplishments

Since the Conservancy began working in Michigan almost 40 years ago, we have protected 73, 586 acres of forest, wetlands, shoreline and other priority natural communities. We currently manage 33 nature preserves and have more than 32,500 members across the state. We have recently completed a process to identify the most critical natural areas in Michigan and are placing staff on the ground in key communities to encourage local efforts to protect our natural heritage. The UP had 13 preserves including the Michigan Chapter’s largest, and the holds 13 UP conservation easements.