02-11-2005, 03:14 AM
[size 1]The Department of Natural Resources currently holds title to approximately 4.5 million acres of Michigan's land surface, almost 6 million acres of its mineral rights, and 25 million acres of Great Lakes' Bottomlands on behalf of the citizens of this State. The Department manages these lands to conserve, protect, and provide public use and enjoyment of the natural resource, recreational, ecological, cultural, and historical values of all these lands for present and future generations of Michigan citizens and visitors to the State. Defined on these pages are parcels to retain, parcels to offer to local governments or other groups, and parcels to dispose of under State ownership and DNR administration.[/size]
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[font "arial, helvetica, sans-serif"][#00e010]Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Land Consolidation Strategy - Summary [/#00e010][/font]
[font "arial, helvetica, sans-serif"][black]The Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the State's natural resources for current and future generations. As part of fulfilling that mission, the Department currently holds title to approximately 4.5 million acres of Michigan’s land surface, almost 6 million acres of its mineral rights, and 25 million acres of Great Lakes’ Bottomlands on behalf of the citizens of this State. The Department manages these lands to conserve, protect, and provide public use and enjoyment of the natural resource, recreational, ecological, cultural, and historical values of all these lands for present and future generations of Michigan citizens and visitors to the State.
![[Image: scenic2_109439_7.gif]](http://www.michigan.gov/images/scenic2_109439_7.gif)
A portion of these lands were purchased specifically for the natural resource and outdoor recreation values using restricted funds including, but not limited to, revenues from the hunting and fishing licenses, state park fees, and sale of forest products, to name but a few. The Department has acquired important lands through grants from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund which is based on funds derived from the extraction of oil, gas, and minerals from State-owned mineral rights. The Department has also acquired key lands in part with federal funds such as Pittman-Robertson Fund, Wallop-Breaux Fund, and Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Still, the majority of the lands managed by the Department came into State ownership as a result of tax reversion in the 20th Century. Most of these lands tax reverted after being clear cut. Many of these lands tax reverted several times after being resold by the State. The Department healed these cutover lands through reforestation and fire protection programs through most of the 20th Century. Those conservation programs made these lands valuable once again for forestry, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation.
While most of these lands acquired through tax reversion contribute significantly to helping the Department fulfill its mission, some do not. The costs associated with managing some of the more scattered land holdings may outweigh the conservation and outdoor recreation values those lands provide. In some cases it appears that the Department’s cost of managing marginal land holdings may detract from achieving the best overall management of the more critical lands. Income from the sale of those tracts that are determined to contribute little to fulfilling the Department’s mission would provide funds to acquire important private in-holdings within the State’s lands. In addition, whatever costs and staff time which are now directed towards managing those marginal land holding could then be redirected to enhance the Department’s ability to manage its remaining lands.
The Natural Resource Commission has adopted a policy (NRC Policy 2627) on land holdings administered by the Department of Natural Resources to help direct the evaluation of current lands and the needs to address both natural resource conservation and natural resource-related outdoor recreation. This policy emphasized that a land consolidation strategy should be implemented by the Department. In an effort to implement the land consolidation strategy, the Department has instituted a process that includes the review and update of DNR project boundaries; the review and classification of parcels that fall outside of the DNR project boundaries; and a process by which certain parcels may be exchanged or sold, as appropriate. Further detail on each phase of this process, along with the status of each phase, are outlined below.
Phase I – DNR Project Boundary Update
(Complete)
An important step for the Department in fulfilling that policy was the reevaluation of the dedicated boundaries of the Department’s land holdings. In order to help in specifically identifying those lands which are most desirable additions and those lands which are most appropriate for disposal from the State’s ownership, it was important that these boundaries be reviewed and revised in light of today’s needs for natural resource conservation and natural resource-related outdoor recreation. The dedicated boundaries for the State Forests, State Game and Wildlife Areas, State Parks, and State Recreation Areas were reviewed by Department staff and the Natural Resources Commission and adopted by the Director in May of 2004.
Phase II – Parcel Review
(In Process)
Now that Phase I has been completed, Department staff is reviewing all those lands lying outside the newly identified DNR project boundaries to determine which of those lands are not contributing sufficiently to the fulfillment of the Department’s conservation and outdoor recreation mission to warrant their continued ownership by the Department. All state-owned, DNR-managed parcels located outside the project boundaries will be classified as follows:
[ol] [li]Retain under State ownership and DNR administration due to natural resource values, cultural resource values, and recreational opportunities and/or location. [li]Natural resource values, cultural resource values, and/or recreational values are such that the parcel should remain protected and/or accessible to the public but potentially owned/administered by an alternative conservation entity. [li]Natural resource, cultural resource, and/or recreational values are such that the parcel does not need to remain in DNR or alternative conservation ownership. The parcel can be exchanged or sold with proceeds used to obtain lands of greater natural resource, cultural resource, or recreational values that would help consolidate the DNR project areas. Properties may be conveyed with conditions when determined desirable by the DNR. [/li][/ol]
Public comment will be accepted for each county as the Department develops parcel recommendations. Each county will then be reviewed by the Department’s Land Exchange Review Committee, who will submit recommendations to the Natural Resources Commission and to the Director. This process will be repeated until all 83 counties have been reviewed.
Phase III – Parcel Conveyance Process
(Future)
Upon the completion of Phase II for each county, parcels that are classified as numbers 2 or 3 (see classifications listed above) will be considered for land exchange or possible land sale, as appropriate. Funds generated from land sales will be utilized for acquisition of high natural resource value and high outdoor recreation value lands. Governmental agencies and conservation organizations will be provided the first opportunity to acquire the lands identified for release.
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[font "arial, helvetica, sans-serif"][#00e010]Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Land Consolidation Strategy - Summary [/#00e010][/font]
[font "arial, helvetica, sans-serif"][black]The Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the State's natural resources for current and future generations. As part of fulfilling that mission, the Department currently holds title to approximately 4.5 million acres of Michigan’s land surface, almost 6 million acres of its mineral rights, and 25 million acres of Great Lakes’ Bottomlands on behalf of the citizens of this State. The Department manages these lands to conserve, protect, and provide public use and enjoyment of the natural resource, recreational, ecological, cultural, and historical values of all these lands for present and future generations of Michigan citizens and visitors to the State.
A portion of these lands were purchased specifically for the natural resource and outdoor recreation values using restricted funds including, but not limited to, revenues from the hunting and fishing licenses, state park fees, and sale of forest products, to name but a few. The Department has acquired important lands through grants from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund which is based on funds derived from the extraction of oil, gas, and minerals from State-owned mineral rights. The Department has also acquired key lands in part with federal funds such as Pittman-Robertson Fund, Wallop-Breaux Fund, and Land and Water Conservation Fund. Still, the majority of the lands managed by the Department came into State ownership as a result of tax reversion in the 20th Century. Most of these lands tax reverted after being clear cut. Many of these lands tax reverted several times after being resold by the State. The Department healed these cutover lands through reforestation and fire protection programs through most of the 20th Century. Those conservation programs made these lands valuable once again for forestry, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation.
While most of these lands acquired through tax reversion contribute significantly to helping the Department fulfill its mission, some do not. The costs associated with managing some of the more scattered land holdings may outweigh the conservation and outdoor recreation values those lands provide. In some cases it appears that the Department’s cost of managing marginal land holdings may detract from achieving the best overall management of the more critical lands. Income from the sale of those tracts that are determined to contribute little to fulfilling the Department’s mission would provide funds to acquire important private in-holdings within the State’s lands. In addition, whatever costs and staff time which are now directed towards managing those marginal land holding could then be redirected to enhance the Department’s ability to manage its remaining lands.
The Natural Resource Commission has adopted a policy (NRC Policy 2627) on land holdings administered by the Department of Natural Resources to help direct the evaluation of current lands and the needs to address both natural resource conservation and natural resource-related outdoor recreation. This policy emphasized that a land consolidation strategy should be implemented by the Department. In an effort to implement the land consolidation strategy, the Department has instituted a process that includes the review and update of DNR project boundaries; the review and classification of parcels that fall outside of the DNR project boundaries; and a process by which certain parcels may be exchanged or sold, as appropriate. Further detail on each phase of this process, along with the status of each phase, are outlined below.
Phase I – DNR Project Boundary Update
(Complete)
An important step for the Department in fulfilling that policy was the reevaluation of the dedicated boundaries of the Department’s land holdings. In order to help in specifically identifying those lands which are most desirable additions and those lands which are most appropriate for disposal from the State’s ownership, it was important that these boundaries be reviewed and revised in light of today’s needs for natural resource conservation and natural resource-related outdoor recreation. The dedicated boundaries for the State Forests, State Game and Wildlife Areas, State Parks, and State Recreation Areas were reviewed by Department staff and the Natural Resources Commission and adopted by the Director in May of 2004.
Phase II – Parcel Review
(In Process)
Now that Phase I has been completed, Department staff is reviewing all those lands lying outside the newly identified DNR project boundaries to determine which of those lands are not contributing sufficiently to the fulfillment of the Department’s conservation and outdoor recreation mission to warrant their continued ownership by the Department. All state-owned, DNR-managed parcels located outside the project boundaries will be classified as follows:
[ol] [li]Retain under State ownership and DNR administration due to natural resource values, cultural resource values, and recreational opportunities and/or location. [li]Natural resource values, cultural resource values, and/or recreational values are such that the parcel should remain protected and/or accessible to the public but potentially owned/administered by an alternative conservation entity. [li]Natural resource, cultural resource, and/or recreational values are such that the parcel does not need to remain in DNR or alternative conservation ownership. The parcel can be exchanged or sold with proceeds used to obtain lands of greater natural resource, cultural resource, or recreational values that would help consolidate the DNR project areas. Properties may be conveyed with conditions when determined desirable by the DNR. [/li][/ol]
Public comment will be accepted for each county as the Department develops parcel recommendations. Each county will then be reviewed by the Department’s Land Exchange Review Committee, who will submit recommendations to the Natural Resources Commission and to the Director. This process will be repeated until all 83 counties have been reviewed.
Phase III – Parcel Conveyance Process
(Future)
Upon the completion of Phase II for each county, parcels that are classified as numbers 2 or 3 (see classifications listed above) will be considered for land exchange or possible land sale, as appropriate. Funds generated from land sales will be utilized for acquisition of high natural resource value and high outdoor recreation value lands. Governmental agencies and conservation organizations will be provided the first opportunity to acquire the lands identified for release.
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