DNR proposes major land deal in northern Wisconsin for recreation, logging

The Department of Natural Resources is proposing a major new land deal in northern Wisconsin that will ensure public access to 14,352 acres of forest land.

The agency will ask the state Natural Resources Board on Feb. 27 to approve the purchase of a conservation easement for $4.8 million in Iron County for land that includes forest, streams and lakes.

The funds would come from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program.  

The state would purchase the easement from Keweenaw Land Association Ltd. of Ironwood, Mich. A conservation easement keeps the land in private hands but ensures access for hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and other uses in perpetuity. 

The property would continue to be logged by the owners. 

If approved, the deal would be the 12th largest state land transaction dating back to the 1990s. The official name of the property would be the “Great Northern Conservation Easement.” 

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The purchase comes as the stewardship program is set to expire in 2020 unless reauthorized by the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat. Funding has been cut under GOP control in Madison as lawmakers and former Gov. Scott Walker expressed worries about the cost of the program.

Part of the cost  — $400,000 — would be used for an endowment to pay for road maintenance and repair.  

The land includes 3.24 miles of classified trout streams, nearly 14 miles of other streams, multiple lakes and 16 miles of roads.

The land would be adjacent to another easement, the Twin Lakes forest legacy easement, and other public land — the Moose Lake State Natural Area.

If approved by the board, the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee will review the deal before it goes to the governor.